General Books - Page 9

Switzerland (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

DK Publishing

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent visuals, but missing useful information 2 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Pros: this guidebook has lots of pictures and gives lots of information region by region, detailed cut-outs of major historical buildings. I also found the pictures in the survival guide section useful, where they describe the various Swiss dishes and food/drink products.

Cons: no information on how to get to different places by train (e.g. from Interlaken to Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch). I understand the guide cannot list train numbers and times, but at least it could have described how to, for example, get from Luzern to Mt. Titlis by train. Train travel is a big part of the Switzerland experience so this seems like a big omission. There's also not much information on hiking, even though this is a very popular country with hikers. An overview map of hiking trails would have been useful. However, there are other guides that cover hiking so this is a minor omission by comparison.

Editorial Review:

This winter wonderland offers everything from magnificent mountain scenery, alpine villages, and ski resorts, to chocolate and cuckoo clocks. Whether you prefer to hurtle down the Cresta Run on a tearaway luge or rest and reenergise yourself at a luxury spa, this is the only guide you will need.

The Rough Guide to Spain 12 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Simon Baskett, Jules Brown, Mark Ellingham, Geoff Garvey, Phil Lee, John Fisher, Graham Kenyon, Chris Lloyd, Iain Stewart, Marc Dubin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Best guide for outside the major cities 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

My husband and I just got back from a 2-week trip to Spain where we covered about 1000 miles by car. This was the guide that we depended on when we traveled through the Pyrenees, Rioja and Basque regions. The other guidebooks have maybe one or two sentences on the picturesque little medieval towns that we passed through, where this one had recommendations for meals and places to stay off the beaten path. I was so glad to have this book or we would have missed out on many great experiences, including our stays at some small "casas rurales" (like bed and breakfasts) where we got to really speak to the locals and take in the day to day life in Spain. It's a big book to drag around, so I ended up tearing out the pages with the maps we would need each day and carried those around with me instead of the whole book. The best travel book purchase that I have ever made!

Editorial Review:

The Rough Guide to Spain is your definitive handbook to one of Europe’s most thrilling countries. From the mesmerizing Moorish monuments of Andalucia to Guadi’s spectacular masterpieces in Catalunya, the 36-page full-colour section introduces all of the country’s highlights. The guide includes detailed listings for all the top places to stay, eat and drink whatever your budget, plus the brand-new ‘Authors’ Pick’ feature will highlight the very best options. There is plenty of practical advice on a host of outdoor activities, from windsurfing in Tarfifa to walking the Camino de Santiago. The guide takes an informed look at Spain’s history, architecture and many fiestas and comes complete with maps and plans for every region.

The Rough Guide to Spain is like having a local friend plan your trip.

The Roads to Santiago: The Medieval Pilgrim Routes Through France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great impressions 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Although you can find books of any kind about the now so popular roads to Santiago, this one adds value by its beautiful pictures and well written impressions that go along them.
Especially, if you didn't take a camera along your own camino, this book is an addition.
It brought quite some memories back to my mind.
And it makes me long for other roads.

A Tour de Force 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is a Tour de Force. I've known about it for a few months now, but didn't expect to ever see it, because of the price. Fortunately someone, knowing my desire to read all things on the Camino, arranged to have it appear as a Christmas gift.

This is a gorgeous book, sized for coffee table display, and full of color photos. Most coffee table books are full of pictures with a few lines of descriptive text. The text in The Roads to Santiago could stand on its own as a work on pilgrimage architecture and history. It clearly was an immense amount of work to write. I wish the authors or publishers had seen fit to mention how long it to complete.

The definitive work still in print on the Camino de Santiago is Gitlitz and Davidson The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook. That work covers the architecture and history within the borders of Spain. Imagine Gitlitz and Davidson, in color, with bigger and better photos, including the four pilgrim routes through France, and you have some idea of The Roads to Santiago.

This four pound book is something I recommend to someone who has walked the Camino de Santiago, and is thirsty for more information. A few hours with this book and you will be thinking about booking a trip to France and starting down one of the French chemins.

Editorial Review:

According to legend, St. James the Apostle preached throughout the Iberian peninsula. His bones found their way to the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela and today many pilgrims make trips to the shrine. This fully illustrated book covers all the routes to this holy place from Paris and Spain. Providing readers with historical context for the routes, it showcases all the stunning monuments and magnificent landscapes along the way.

A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople: From the Hook of Holland to the Middle Danube (New York Review Books Classics)

Patrick Leigh Fermor, Jan Morris

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Simply wonderful 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Patrick Leigh Fermor's work is a joy to read. I brought it with me this past summer when I was living/traveling in the former Yugoslavia and I have as many fond memories of reading that book on long bus rides as some of the places I experienced. I ended up giving it away to a friend I had met as a present and I miss it dearly now and plan on purchasing it again when I have the funds. His description of the beer hall in Munich is my favorite part.
Having read numerous works of Kaplan and Rebecca West, I feel that Fermor is the best in the league, at least with this series. Speaking of which, I read them out of order so it is not entirely necessary to read Time of Gifts first. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Fermor finishes the third book before he passes, though I cannot find any news of it. Does anyone know?

I highly recommend this work.

Editorial Review:

At the age of eighteen, Patrick Leigh Fermor set off from the heart of London on an epic journey—to walk to Constantinople. A Time of Gifts is the rich and sparkling account of his adventures as far as Hungary, after which Between the Woods and the Water continues the story to the Iron Gates that divide the Carpathian and Balkan mountains. Acclaimed for its sweep and intelligence, Leigh Fermor's book explores a remarkable moment in time. Hitler has just come to power but war is still ahead, as he walks through a Europe soon to be forever changed—through the Lowlands to Mitteleuropa, to Teutonic and Slav heartlands, through the baroque remains of the Holy Roman Empire, up the Rhine and down to the Danube.

At once a memoir of coming-of-age, an account of a journey, and a dazzling exposition of the English language, A Time of Gifts is also a portrait of a continent already showing ominous signs of the holocaust to come.

Rick Steves' Istanbul

Lale Surmen Aran, Tankut Aran

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Not yet published By: Avalon Travel Publishing

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not the Best, But Good 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This guide will probably be appreciated most by readers who are one-time visitors, have a few days in Istanbul, are not particularly interested in the history of the city, don't want to spend much money, and want to see the major sites, in other words the average tourist.

For visitors who want more, a better general guide to the city try Istanbul (Eyewitness Travel Guides), and for those truly interested in the city, buy any of the books by John Freely, an American ex-pat who has lived in Istanbul for more than 40 years. Examples: Istanbul: The Imperial City and John Freely's Istanbul.

Editorial Review:

Who but Rick Steves can tell travelers the best ways to visit Istanbul's world-renowned Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace, explore the waters of the Bosphorus, and bargain hunt through famous bazaars. With Rick Steves' Istanbul, travelers can experience everything Istanbul, has to offer - economically and hassle-free. European destination website, for insight on hotels, restaurants, sights, and culture * Contains color maps and photos

America's #1 authority on travel to Europe, Rick's time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Europe have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique European travel experience.

Almost French: A New Life in Paris

Sarah Turnbull

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 77 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

very real 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Our family lived in France from 1992-1995. Though it has been a few years now, all the memories of trying to adjust, fit in, make sense of France and the French, came flowing back through my mind as I read Sarah's book. Very well written, easy and enjoyable to read, she nails the frustrations, the puzzlements, and the occasional delights of living in this special European country.

Editorial Review:

Number 1 on the Bestseller list (Australia) with over 20,000 copies sold in the UK alone and over 250,000 world-wide! Almost French has been a huge success and now with the new-look, mass market B Format it is ready to go stellar! Publication timed for major trade promotions including summer reading and airport holiday exodus. In the bestselling tradition of Frances Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun, Chris Stewart's A Parrot in the Pepper Tree or Peter Mayle - but without the pile of stones! Funny, perceptive and poignant Almost French is an often hilarious mixture of a young woman's personal memoir and armchair travel. A spectacular example of culture clash - and a happy ending.

Secret London

Andrew Duncan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

guidebook to london's secrets 5 out of 5 stars.
69 of 70 people found this review helpful.

I love this book! It has detailed instructions to find (and history of) little known spots in London that are marvelous. There are several color pictures and hand-drawn maps to help guide you on your walk.

Some of the fascinating bits of London that you can track down with this book are the rooftop gardens in Kensington, the underground tube stations that are no longer used and the rivers that have been tamed and paved over but still peek out here and there.

Even long-time residents will find new insight into their favorite city. Every time I go to London I search out one thing from this book and I'm always glad I did. For tourists, if you bring this book and an A-Z, and a copy of the latest Fodor's or Eyewitness, you won't want for anything else.

A handy travel guide for the visitor who wants to see it all 5 out of 5 stars.
27 of 27 people found this review helpful.

One of the outstanding "Interlink Walking Guides" series, Secret London: Exploring The Hiddin City: Exploring The Hidden City, With Original Walks And Unusual Places To Visit is a travel guide especially for the walking tourist determined to explore the greatest sights of London, including obscure treasures such as rivers long buried, ancient buildings, and sites where anyone can enjoy free lectures. Full-color photographs, extensive descriptions, street maps clearly illustrating the route of the walk, contact and opening time information, and much more fill this handy travel guide for the visitor who wants to see it all.

Iberia

James A. Michener

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Awful 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book is a rambling, dated, starry-eyed tourist's view of Spain. For a cultural guide or a historical record, try Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Silent Past or The Buried Mirror: Reflections on Spain and the New World. If you must buy it, get some tissues -- you'll be bored to tears.

Editorial Review:

"Massive, beautiful...Unquestionably some of the best writing on Spain...The best that Mr. Michener has ever done on any subject...Stunning...Memorable."
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Here, in the fresh, vivid prose that is James Michener's trademark, is the real Spain as he experiences it. He not only reveals the celebrated Spain of bullfights and warror kings, painters and processions, cathedrals and olive orchards; he also shares the intimate, often hidden Spain he has come to know, where toiling peasants and their honest food, the salt of the shores and the oranges of the inland fields, the congeniality of living souls and the dark weight of history conspire to create a wild, contradictory, passionately beautiful land, the mystery called Iberia.

Markets of Paris

Dixon Long, Ruthanne Long

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The only complete guide to every street market and market district in Paris, with beautiful full color photographs throughout


Perhaps the most pleasurable way for any visitor to feel at home in Paris–and one of the easiest ways to get to know the city–is to meander through any of its dozens of street markets. It's also the best way to find a wide variety of uniquely French gifts–from antique books and botanical prints to flea market finds and household goods–not to mention legendary cheeses, produce, and bounty of the French countryside.

The authors have explored and described every market in every neighborhood. They also have included streets that are devoted to selling one type of thing–from the centuries-old booksellers along the Seine to those lined with stores selling items as varied as fabric and discounted designer clothing.

And, for everyone who feels their time in the city is all too short, they have suggested itineraries based on the opening days of the markets with local restaurant recommendations.

Also included are tips, translations of important phrases, and pointers on what to look for so that the visitor will be able to make the most of this exhilarating and fun French experience.

All the market information is supplemented by sidebars that round out the experience, including a listing of favorite wine bars, a visit to the wood oven in the cellar of the famous bakery Poilane, and strolls down the best shopping streets in Paris.

Lonely Planet Turkey

Pat Yale, Verity Campbell, Richard Plunkett

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

american living in turkey- great guide 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Come ivsit Turkey and use Lonely Planet to help you with your tour! I have lived in Turkey for a year. The Lonely Planet goes everywhere with us...it is worn and bent and highlighted and marked up and excellent. We have been completely happy with all the suggestions from LP. Here is the thing. Turkey is a fabulous country, however, there are a few things LP cannot control.

1. The prices are inaccurate but that is not LPs fault. The Lira is very unstable and has had an outragous inflation rate. Also, you have to be good at bargaining to get a good rate and most of us Westerners are uncomforatble with this.

2. Directions/ getting around....the majority of Turks rely on public transportation. There are VERY FEW road signs if you are driving. LPs maps are great, but unfortunately hard to follow without signs. I know people are sometimes frustrated with the bus routes...they can be inconvienent and drop off in the middle of the night, and hard to find your way around if you don't speak Turkish....again not LPs fault. Just keep asking for someone who speaks English to help you and the hospitable people of Turkey will find someone.

I find LPs history background one of the best things about it. It is just enough to get you interested in seeing a place and you can supplement it by GOING to the museums. We have been 100% satisfied, but you must have realiztic expectations.

Editorial Review:

Note from Publisher: This is the old edition of Lonely Planet's guide to Turkey.

Lonely Planet's wonderful new edition of Turkey may be found by typing the ISBN number, 1740596838, into the search box.

The fantastic new 9th edition contains a new full-color highlights section and Itineraries chapter focusing on recommended routes and classic trips, comprehensive Culture, History and Environment chapters for informed travel, plus background information on major historical sites such as Troy, and a dedicated Food & Drink chapter highlighting Turkey's famous cuisine. We invite you to check it out!