Reviews (6)

Have used for uzbekistan and found it useful
I used this guide when traveling in Uzbekistani cities in 2003. I found it very helpful ESPECIALLY THE MAPS.
a mixed bag
I found that the East Turkistan (Xinjiang) section of this book was much more helpful when I actually traveled there than the Cadogan "China: the Silk Routes" guide, which is much bigger and much lesse useful. For Uzbekistan, though, this book is useless compared to the Odyssey guide. Essential guide for anyone coming to Central Asia
Take it from an American expat living in Uzbekistan and traveling throughout the region - this is by far the best guide to any place in Central Asia.The authors do a great job of covering all the countries, and they have practical advice on necessary precautions.The general information about the area is solid.Every expat who lives here has a copy, and we all rely on it for advice on where to go and what to see.Also, the historical review is thorough without being tedious, and the practical information on things like climate and local customs is generally dead on.Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Central    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Central Asia    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (3)

Insightful
I recently returned from a trip to Shanghai and thought this was a great guide to the city. Although I love to explore most places on my own, I found Shanghai to be slightly intimidating (especially with all the ongoing construction), so I was definitely thankful I had this book with me.
Good coverage of places to visit, but...
I find this book quite good what comes to ideas for places to visit. There is something for everybody in there, and it covers most important spots you just have to see in Shanghai.
Oh why would you not list the Chinese names for maps and sites......
This guide is so close to being excellent but for some unknown reason Lonely Planet has decided that it is not necessary to list the names of sites, restaurants and the streets on maps in Chinese characters.This has been a complaint with all the previous editions, so I was hoping when pre-ordering this for a mid-May trip that they would remedy situation....but no, that would make too much sense.As reviewers of previous editions have pointed out 99% of cab drivers cannot read the "English" spellings of Chinese places.As a result, we found ourselves stuck having to have Chinese friends or hotel concierges go through and translates all the names in the book.....makes you wonder why you bought the guide in the first place.The maps have some Chinese names, but probably only for about 10% of the streets, and often not enough for cab drivers to figure out where to go.It boggles my mind that this guide could have so much good and insightful information yet leave out the basic of most basics.In the end we ended up having all the Chinese names written into the guidebook by hand (so we manually had to do what LP should have offered in the first place).Heck, maybe I should just Ebay our much more useful version of the guide.Aside from this major (and I mean major) fault the guide is very good.My only other complaints is that the text is microscopic (I am guessing 6 or 8pt), which helps make the book light, but also difficult to read.Also, the map keying system is just bizarre in that listings direct you to a map page but not the specific location where that listing is on the map....for that you have to go to a separate index page which then gives you the location on the map.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. Description And Travel    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. China    6. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (3)

A vivid adventure comes to life in a compelling 'you are there' story.
Author Jeffrey Taylor used a custom-built boat to travel over two thousand miles to the Arctic Circle, recreating a journey first made by Cossacks over three hundred year ago, seeking a respite from the modern world. RIVER OF NO RETURN: DESCENDING SIBERIA'S WATERWAY OF EXILE, DEATH, AND DESTINY charts his journey, providing true life travel adventure at its best as Taylor comes to realize his guide is a bitter Soviet army veteran who hates all humanity - including Taylor. A vivid adventure comes to life in a compelling 'you are there' story.
Summer rafting in an extreme place with an uncertain future
Burdened with a brutal history of Cossack conquest, labor camps, gulags, displaced people and rapacious resource plundering, and all but abandoned by the state that exploited it, Siberia is the perfect choice for a certain sort of travel writer to go and reflect on the state of the world.
A PHOTO IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
This book is really two stories.One is about an adventurous trip down a Siberian river in a small boat.The other is about the frontierspeople who inhabit its shores.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Description And Travel    3. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    4. Former Soviet Republics    5. General    6. History    7. History: World    8. Russia (Federation)    9. Siberia    10. Siberia (Russia)    11. Special Interest - Adventure    12. Tayler, Jeffrey    13. Travel    14. Travel - Foreign    15. Travel - General    16. Voyages And Travels    17. Travel / General   

Reviews (12)

Great Travel Book
This book is a gem!!I love the colorful photographs and the chapter on the history of St. Petersburg.

You can't go wrong with Eyewitness Travel Books!
I typically buy 3 or 4 books for each city I visit and I would have to say Eyewitness Travel Books are my favorite... Their list of hotels, resuraunts, clubs and sites are dead-nuts!

St. Petersburg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Beautifully photographed, very easy to follow, informative, great guide for what to do first.When I got home, I could look at the book to mark my photos!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Russia    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel / Russia   

Reviews (9)

Lonely Planet- not with this many package tourists.
"Nobody touches the Lonely Planet for budget travel advice," states the back cover of this book.
Great to read but difficult to do so due toVERY SMALL print.
I really like the Lonely Planet guides, and this one is very good regarding the amount of information it contains. My main complaint is the size of the type. Not only is it very small and difficult to read even with glasses on, but the paper is very thin so the words from the reverse page show through. I'd rather pay a couple of extra dollars and have higher quality paper. I also agree with other reviewers who felt that the Indonesia chapter could easily be eliminated, partly because it is difficult to due justice to that widespread country in a chapter.

typical shoestring guide
This guide is really good value, although you notice easily that it covers a lot of countries. South East Asia is big, the book is limited in size and therefore detail is missing. I bought seperate guides for Laos and Cambodia and this benifited my trip greatly.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Asia, Southeastern    3. Guidebooks    4. Special Interest - Ecotourism    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Travel Guides    8. South East Asia    9. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (8)

Good overall guidebook...
I found this book to be extremely helpful in covering all the bases of transport, taxes, tipping, typical business hours, history, background, and a good overview of what's where, and how to get there.Often times, we'd have questions about things like poverty level, health coverage, average income, quality of water -- and found that the guide pretty much answered all of those, and more.
Great Guide!
This was the first time I bought a travel book from Lonely Planet.I loved it because it provides a historical as well as a modern background on the cities being visited.The recommendations for dinner, site-seeting, etc were great!The only thing I would've added is a rating of the top sites to see if you are only in the city for a short time.

Injustice!
This LP guide is a pretty good guide to HK and Macau. Being a foodie, I think their food guide section does not do HK's gastronomical scene justice! Beautiful food galore on the islands and LP can't even manage to cover half of that wonder. Oh well ;) Otherwise, it is quite a comprehensive guide to what's there to see around HK and Macau. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. Reference - Guides (General)    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Hong Kong    6. Macao    7. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (20)

Delicious and easy
Almost every recipe I have made out of this book has tasted fantastic and has been relatively straightforward to prepare (which is really saying something coming from a domestically inept college student who can burn water!). McDermott includes a wide variety of recipes, from the banquet-worthy to tasty noodle dishes that can be thrown together in 15 minutes, and uses authentic ingredients although substitutions are suggested for those without the good-fortune of having a local Asian supermarket. Unusually, many of the recipes turn out just as good if you halve the quantities (with the exception of the coconut cream in the curries) - a plus for those cooking for one or two, and often still work with a few more or less ingredients depending on what's in the pantry. While the large number of ingredients that need to be chopped and pounded for the green curry paste make it somewhat time-consuming to make from scratch, it is absolutely worth the effort - the green chicken curry is the best I've ever had, both in Thailand and at home.

Fantastic Cookbook - been using over 8 years!
We've been using this book as our Thai cooking bible now for eight years, from LA to Baltimore.We became so addicted we even bought a kaiffer lime tree (sadly, had to leave in LA.)We love the tome kai gia, the clay pot shrimp with bean thread noodles, crab fried rice and use the dipping sauce for beef to marinate pork ribs.Once you master the flavors, the recipes are easy to adapt to your taste.We add ginger to the dipping sauce, and cut down on the coconut milk in the tome kai gai.However you do it, it's an amazing cook book.You will need to find a Thai grocery store in your area, though.

Fantastic
This book is excellent for those interested in Asian meals but do not have a lot of understanding of the grocery list that goes along with it.Meals are simple, delicious and easy to put together. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery, Thai    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Regional & Ethnic - Thai    5. Social life and customs    6. Thailand    7. Cooking / Thai    8. National & regional cuisine   

Reviews (13)

Great resource
This had all that you would want or need out of a guidebook--helpful maps, ideas and descriptions, etc. A bit outdated, but that is to be expected with a country that is changing as quickly as Cambodia.

5th edition not updated as it should be
So I thought that investing in the most recent edition of this book would behoove me, but upon looking up one of the "author's picks," for lodging, I discover that he and Lonely Planet have not updated the book for the hotel's *price.*This is really important to me, as I work in non-profit and can't afford expensive digs when travelling.
Great Guide
I love this book.I was able to find out lots of new things in the book that I couldn't find in others.My parent went to visit Cambodia and I gave them this Lonely Planet Cambodia book.They were able to find great accommodations and good restaurants.I love the tips and quick facts in the book.I learn lots of new things I didn't know before.After going through the book, I felt that the author really love the country and knew things that only Cambodian natives would know. I can't wait until I get to visit Cambodia and experience all the places in the book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Cambodia    3. Guidebooks    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (12)

Terrible book and terrible trip
This book is bad. REALLY BAD. We spent countless precious vacation hours being lost because the directions in this book for restaurants and bars, etc. were either terrible, nonexistent, or the place did not exist altogether.
The best book in the world for Japan bound tourists.
Hello I just want to say that I can not belive all the info about Japan that is in this book. Granted It can't have it all no book does. But that's only because gernalists are lazy ha ha ha! This book has Busniss names, Addresses, Phone numbers, International calling codes, Maps, Also the avrage costs of common items your likely to buy. It has places to visit that arn't tourists traps! And if they are a tourist trap it says so. It even has a list of words in the back of the book in Japanese to learn to help you get around. For example, Where is a hospital? and How much does this cost? and Do you have any rooms availible? and much more. I can say I realy enjoy this book. Personally I have never been to Japan. But I will be a much more confadent tourist when I go now that I have this book.

Very solid guide, great maps and in-depth info
We recently returned from a 2-week trip to Tokyo and this was the guide we took with us on our trip. We had originally planned to venture outside Tokyo but due to some unforseen circumstances we ended up staying in Tokyo the entire time. So, although I think we would have been better off with Frommer's Tokyo-only guide this was a solid guide and served us well on our trip.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Japan    2. Guidebooks    3. Japan    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel Guides    7. Travel & holiday guides    8. Travel / Asia / Japan   

Subjects:  1. Asia - India    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. India    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (2)

Probably your best option for now, but . . .
Having just returned from three weeks in China and Taiwan, I can report that the Lonely Planet Guide to Taiwan is generally helpful and reliable, but it's hardly the ideal guide and often is entirely counter-intuitive.For instance, there is a section on p. 31 consiting of five paragraphs on the topic of population.And yet nowhere in that section do the authors tell us what the population of Taiwan actually is.For that bit of information, we have to look at a sidebar on p. 19 entitled "Fast Facts."There seems to be a presumption that the traveller will read through the entire guide from front to back, rather than use the book as a reference guide.Similarly, the maps are less than ideal, and the spare use of color plates does little to provide any real information (color maps of Taipei would have been far more useful).Given that the authors judge the National Palace Museum as a "must-see" (and they're right about that), it would have been nice if they had mentioned that the museum will be undergoing major renovations from 2004-2006 (providing a website address for the museum also would've been helpful).
Star of the Sea
"Taiwan sees a lot of change in one generation. And here, three years is one generation."
Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Taiwan    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (2)

More info, easier reading
Although I always buy Lonely Planet guides to every foreign destination, I tried Rough Guide this time.I liked the format, the readability, and the information I was looking for.It is almost 200 pages larger (but because of a quality thin paper is less thick), and has less fine print.I would rate it a bit above the similar Lonely Planet guide to China, and still buy the Lonely Planet.Those two rate way above the competition such as Fodors, Frommers and the like.Of course, the China Eyewitness Travel Guide is in a different class altogether.

Nearly Perfect
Using solely this book as our guide, my girlfriend and I navigated Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Yangshuo, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong completely on our own without getting lost once. The maps are absolute life-savers (though they would be even more useful if they included the Chinese characters for the street names), the descriptions of place generally current and accurate (though they might have mentioned that, as of May of 2006, Yangshuo is no longer a mecca of calm and relaxation but rather a maddening gauntlet of pushy vendors and tourists), and it even provided enjoyable reading material on the long train rides.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. China    3. Guidebooks    4. Reference - Guides (General)    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Travel Guides    8. Travel & holiday guides    9. Travel / Asia / China   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Architectural & Industrial    3. Cultural And Social Anthropology    4. Individual Photographer    5. Photo Techniques    6. Photoessays & Documentaries    7. Photography    8. Photography Of Specific Subjects    9. Subjects & Themes - Travel - World/Asia    10. China    11. Individual photographers    12. Photographs: collections   

Reviews (4)

Excellently Honest
Anyone who doubts that North Korea is an "Axis of Evil" needs to read this book. Kang gives a straightforward first-person account of his life inside an aquarium called North Korea, where there is only fear, propaganda, corruption, prisons, hard labor and starvation. He gives us his memoir of enduring all these hardships and his astonishment at the freedoms of South Korea, which present him with new challenges. If you want to know the truth about North Korea, it doesn't come much closer than this first-hand experience.

A very disturbing look into the world's last Stalinist country
Aquariums of Pyongyang is the story of one man's life through ten years of captivity in a North Korean gulag....an incredible story of struggle against man's inhumanity to man. Many who read this book will probably view his family as highly naive for leaving Japan for North Korea and in believing North Korean propaganda over what they heard firsthand from people who had been there. On the docks before leaving, they were warned about going back and about the conditions to be found in North Korea. But, the elder family members were ardent supporters of Kim Il-Sung, and believed the propaganda put out on a daily basis. Little did they know they were putting their kids into a deathtrap from which they would have to endure many years of beatings and privation at the hands of the guards. The reeducation lessons are particularly noteworthy, as readers can gain valuable insight into how this regime works. Even dead people were not immune from being used to inculcate hate.....the picture of the prisoners being forced to throw rocks at the people hanging on the gallows (because they were enemies of the state no less, even when dead!) until they were unrecognizable is one of the most chilling things I have ever read. All in the name of propping up one of the worst ideologies the world has ever known.
Wow
An exceptional book.A first hand account of life in a NK concentration camp.The account is horrifyingly similar to other diaries of Nazi concentration camps and the Russian Gulag, but fifty years closer to the present. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Christianity - General    4. Personal Memoirs    5. Religion    6. Travelers    7. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    8. Biography: historical    9. Human rights    10. North Korea   

Reviews (21)

A Small Novel -- as Big as the Sky!
This sweeping love story takes place in a terrain of harshness.That landscape/political climate reflects the angst of love and closure that is being pursued.Excellent.

Fantastic!!!!
Xinran's book is as good as a fictional classic! it protrays death, love, and hope wrapped into a short non-fictional novel. There is no comparison to this incredible book.
Awesome journey : amazing destination
This is one of the most moving books I have ever read.It is a story of great love, and of enormous sacrifice.It can be read as a form of social commentary but to read it solely this waydiminishes the story.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 1958-    2. Chinese (Language) Contemporary Fiction    3. Description and travel    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - General    6. Literary    7. Tibet (China)    8. Translations into English    9. Xinran,    10. Fiction / General   

Reviews (5)

Very Few Info on KL
This is not a recommended book if you have only some days in KL. Lack of information. Too many detail about points of interest, restaurants and hotels were uncovered.
Even has good food picks!
Went to Penang with this last month. Typical quality LP job in describing the country and how to get around. What made this one a cut above is that it actually had useful restaurant recommendations, as opposed to the typical LP approach (i.e.: Here's the address of a place that serves food; hope you don't get hepatitis). Hotel recommendations were spot-on as well.
Lonely Planet Malaysia (latest edition)
This is an essential companion for anyone not on a package tour travelling in Malaysia, Singapore or Brunei.Information on travel, accommodation, restaurants and sights is reliable, up-to-date and comprehensive.Do not leave home without it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Brunei    5. Malaysia    6. Singapore    7. Travel & holiday guides   

Editorial Review

If you ever wondered where the catwalk got its claws, then the portraits gathered in photographer Shoichi Aoki's book Read more

Reviews (59)

Colorful World
I had the good fortune to run into this book on vacation. As soon as I got home I ordered both Fruits and it's companion. As a self motivated student of fashion and all of it's off-shoots, I immensely enjoy this book. It is a plethora of individuals, and not a duplicate picture in the book. It features mostly youth (teenagers) but that is to be expected. But it doesn't limit itself to just the very young. There are a few family photos and "older" individuals. It is a monument to anyone who creatively clothed themselves. It gives brief details: name, age, point of fashion, fashion brands and makers. A lot of the "point of fashion" remarks seem like nonsense at first. After reflection, I think they are just 'smart allec come-backs', much like what you'd get from someone in the American Gothic culture if you asked one of them why they wear black all the time. Even with brief details you can start to see patterns in clothing styles seperating themselves out from one another. By age particularly, and by preference to designers within a group of friends. The only problem I had was reading some of the bubble gum colored print that it was done in.

My stepdaughter loves this book!
I got this book as a gift for my 17 year old stepdaughter. She loves it! She's a big fan of anime and japanese fashion, so this is a natural for her.

BUY THEM NOW!!!!
These are great for framing! Buy them now, you won't be disappointed! They're so inspiring, and just fun to admire. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Clothing    3. Clothing and dress    4. Fashion    5. Fashion photography    6. Individual Photographer    7. Japan    8. Photography    9. Pictorial works    10. Subjects & Themes - Fashion    11. Subjects & Themes - Travel - World/Asia    12. Teenagers    13. Tokyo    14. Aoki, Shoichi    15. Fashion design    16. Individual photographers    17. Photographs: collections    18. Photography / General    19. Popular culture   

Reviews (10)

From a parent
I purchased this book for my wife as we have adopted a baby girl from China.While these photos are from a different orphanage, the impact is the same.We did not get to see all the children at our daughter's orphanage, and they don't allow photos of the kids anyway.I recommend this book for any adoptive parents of children from China, or those looking into it.I will warn you, you will want to go back for more.

Beautiful & Touching
Words can't describe this beautiful little book, filled with beautiful little girls. I especially love the list of their names at the back, as they translate into English, things like Literary Excellence & Radiant Jade. The children do seem sad or at least suspicious of the photographer, and why not? It's probably not every day that some Westerner visits to take pictures. But there is mischief & hope in these little girls' faces, & just affirms my ambition for half my life to adopt from China.

Mei Mei
A lovely, high quality edition of poignant portraits of Chinese children residing in orphanages.Ideal for the adoptive parent, the purchase of this book will also help young girls still living in China even if you cannot provide a home to one yourself.Do you remember the title "Honorable Mention" from grammar school?This deserves that merit and your attention. Some of the girls look sad today but they will be less so if you support the author's choice of foundation.See the book for details. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adoption    2. Asia - China    3. China    4. Girls    5. Orphans    6. Photo Techniques    7. Photoessays & Documentaries    8. Photography    9. Photography Of Specific Subjects    10. Pictorial works    11. Subjects & Themes - Children    12. Subjects & Themes - Portraits    13. Subjects & Themes - Travel - World/Asia    14. Photographs: collections    15. Travel / Asia / China   

Reviews (9)

A usefull ADD on
This book is ok to augment your other language course, which should include a cd, dvd or cassette. Without that you wonmt understand how to pronounce anything. I found teh stickers useful as I wanted to be able to read russian rather than just 'parrot' it. whle i agree with most of the negative reviews I did find myself referring to this book quite often, BUT i also own teh pimsleur and 'in your car' russian cds. If this came with a CD it would be great.
10 minutes a day, everyday for the next 30 years...
Be wary of any Russian course that promises quick, effortless results.Learning Russian grammar is like putting together a 5000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Without a picture, it's pretty tedious.This book will not help you get "the picture". It teaches 1st/2nd conjugation verbs and a couple of necessary irregular verbs, but that's all the grammar you get.You do get some basic vocabulary words, but not ones that will help you very far in conversational situations. If you are a traveler and need a crash course to survive your trip through Russia, a good phrase book will better serve you.Finally, I have no idea why this book is called "10 minutes a day", there is no plan of attack included to tell you how to meter your studying, and 10 minutes is a little short to get something like Russian to sink into your brain.

Big book, pretty pictures, not much to learn.
This book might be okay for kids, but it's not really a serious learning tool.Learning a language in ten minutes a day may be a fun fantasy, but the resources available in this book won't do much to help you learn Russian.Read more

Subjects:  1. English    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Language    5. Russian    6. Russian language    7. Self-instruction    8. Textbooks for foreign speakers    9. Travel / Russia    10. Conversation and phrase books    11. Language & Linguistics    12. Language self-study & phrasebooks    13. Russia    14. Travel   

Reviews (3)

Good Little Book
Pretty good little book for first time travelers. I bought this book and took it with me when I was in Hong Kong last month. You can just throw in your backpack while in Hong Kong and use it when needed.

Bad attitude ruins the book
This book would have gotten 4 or 4.5 stars, if not for the negative attitude that the writers display when writing about Hong Kong's various attractions."Act impressed"? Gee, thanks for that advice.How Lonely Planet.It's a nice book, unfortunately ruined by the tone, which sounds like it was written by a bunch of bored expats who mainly sit around in bars and binge drink.If you want to buy this, then be prepared for the bad vibes this book gives off, and please do not let it ruin a wonderful experience in Hong Kong.

Another Great Eyewitness Travel Guide
I swear by DK Eyewitness guides.Not only for pre-trip planning...but for use on location.Both domestic and international (own the typical...Italy, France, etc).
Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. Guidebooks    3. Hong Kong (China)    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel / Asia / China