Reviews (3)

Very Useful ...
The Caucasian countries probably constitute the last bastion of the enigmatic destinations in the world and are shrouded in rumors & unclear doubts. The time trusted Lonely Planet is your only hope and probably the only guide that'll help you plan and execute your trip. I recently came back from a short trip to Georgia and found the information remarkably accurate and undoubtedly useful.It'll serve as your lifeline whilst in the Caucasus.
Good book, but....
I used the guidebook in all 3 countries within one month of its publication, and found it to be accurate for the most part.However, the authors seemed to be under orders to write glowing reports on anything considered mildly worthwhile to visit.Many of these places were not particularly noteworthy, and after awhile we took each raving description with a grain of salt.For some of the most spectacular sites (Davit Gareja and Kazbegi, both in Georgia) the book really should have included maps.The descriptions of both struck me as being second or third hand, as if the authors themselves had not taken any of the trails they described.

slightly better than the last book
I had been anticipating the new LP guide for Armenia for quite awhile. I must admit
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Central    2. Asia - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Armenia    6. Azerbaijan    7. Georgia    8. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. 1991-    2. Asia - Japan    3. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    4. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    5. Georgia (Republic)    6. Goltz, Thomas    7. History    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Military - Other    11. Post-communism    12. Travel    13. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. Georgia   

Reviews (10)

Sertainly useful
This book can be of a great use for the travellers, expatriots moving to Azerbaijan or for those studying different regions/cultures. I enjoyed reading it!

A Must-have for Azerbaijan
If you're going to Azerbaijan you must have this book - in fact, several companies issue this book to their international staff here.It is extremely comprehensive and thorough and very accurate (though there have been some changes).As someone that has lived in Azerbaijan for the past year and a half, I continue to be impressed with this book and have relied on it many times.It is an essential guide to exploring Azerbaijan - a country that has a lot more to offer than most would expect.Buy this (and avoid the Lonely Planet one - it does a really bad job for Azerbaijan!).

Best Travel Guide to Anywhere!
I picked up this book shortly before I left to come to Azerbaijan for a year. It has been my constant companion while living in Baku (the capital) and in making countless excursions out of the city. Having been here almost a year, I can safely say it's the best travel book I've ever read for any place. It is delightful to read and its author's warm and quirky sense of humor make it a constant source of entertainment. Read more

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

Reviews (15)

One of my favorites!
As someone who was born and grew up in Tbilisi, I was very happy to find this book -- it captures all of my favorite recipes, and when I prepare them according to this book, they taste just like my grandma's cooking.
Great book
I gave this book to a Georgian and she loved it.It had all the dishes she had eatten as a child.If your looking for a book to fill in any missing recipes this is the book for you.

Truly a Feast!
I chanced upon this, started reading, and found I kept picking it up again and again to read more about the customs and culture of Georgia!
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Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cookery, Georgian (Transcaucas    3. Cookery, Georgian (Transcaucasian)    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Description and travel    7. Food habits    8. Georgia (Republic)    9. International And Ethnic Cookery    10. Regional & Ethnic - Russian    11. Georgia    12. National & regional cuisine   

Reviews (2)

Excellent Starting Place
This is not a travel book. This is, however, an excellent introduction to the country Georgia. As a grad student preparing to write on Georgia, this was a great starting place. You will get a real feel for the country and the recent issues of current events there. Presents an excellent picture of Georgia's people
I just returned from my first trip to the Republic of Georgia.I say "first" because my wife and I both fell in love with the place and we are already planning our return.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1991-    2. Asia - General    3. Asia - India & South Asia    4. Description and travel    5. Ethnic Studies - General    6. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    7. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    8. Georgia (Republic)    9. History    10. History - General History    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    14. Georgia    15. History / Asia    16. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT   

Reviews (3)

A somewhat bleak view
I found this book to be helpful, yet I really do believe that it sounded a bit pessimistic at times.If this was the only book I read about Georgia, I may not want to go there...however, maybe the reality is a little grim.

not a very good book!
I thought this book was very out of date! I would not recomend this book to people that want to travel to Georgia.

Outstanding Source
I read through this book with delight.Finally, I thought, the West can learn the true origin, history and present about Georgia. I am Georgian.I have been living in the US for over six years. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Europe - Eastern    3. Georgia (Republic)    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. United States - South - South Atlantic (General)    7. Eastern Europe    8. Europe    9. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY   

Reviews (1)

Great look into a forgotten country.
This book is now out of print and hard to find.After I went to Georgia, I started tracking down all the books I could find on the country, and managed to get hold of a copy.If you can find one, it's worth reading.Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th Century Description And Travel    2. Description and travel    3. Former Soviet Republics    4. General    5. Georgia (Republic)    6. Politics - Current Events    7. Russell, Mary    8. Russia    9. Travel    10. Journeys   

Reviews (20)

Review of
I've never seen this edition, but I hope this edition is better than the previous one.
Last Lonely Planet publication I have bought
I purchase travel guides for work and have been regular buyer of Lonely Planet publications and Discovery channel's Insight Guides for virtually all Western European countries. Recent addition to the area of responsibility forced me to start looking for a guide for Azerbaijan and this was one of the items I tested. Another dent in LP's reputation
Very poor from start to finish !The last 10 years LP has published several very average books.I used to like LP a lot but I now prefer Rough Guide, Trailblazer or Footprint.I think LP's main mistake with this book was that they wanted to publish a guide to this region at all costs, just to fill the blank spots on their world map.How were these authors selected ?Many would do a better job.LP books used to be written by fellow travellers who knew what other travellers were looking for when travelling.Why are there e.g. so few (cheap)hotels listed ?I found an affordable place to stay in every town I visited.With a little bit of effort, the practical information would have been much better.Leave this book at home, better buy Mark Elliot's book for Azerbaijan (and Georgia) or the Bradt guide to Georgia (Burford) or consult Raffi Kojian's excellent website for Armenia. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Eastern    2. Former Soviet Republics    3. Middle East - General    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Armenia    7. Azerbaijan    8. Eastern Europe    9. Georgia    10. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Georgia (Republic)    3. History: World    4. Nasmyth, Peter    5. Russia - History    6. Travel    7. Eastern Europe    8. Georgia    9. Journeys    10. Places & peoples: general interest    11. Travel writing   

Subjects:  1. Travel    2. Armenia    3. Azerbaijan    4. Eastern Europe    5. Georgia    6. Maps, charts & atlases    7. Russia    8. Travel / road maps & atlases   

Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Georgia (Republic)    3. Social life and customs    4. Transcaucasia   

Subjects:  1. Alfeeva, Valeriia    2. Alfeeva, Valeriëiìa    3. Christian pilgrims and pilgrim    4. Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages    5. Fiction    6. Georgia (Republic)    7. Philosophy    8. Pilgrims and pilgrimages    9. Russian Prose    10. Travel    11. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. Description and travel    3. Europe, Eastern    4. Soviet Union   

Subjects:  1. Europe - Eastern    2. Georgia (Republic)    3. Guidebooks    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Area / regional studies    7. Eastern Europe    8. Places & peoples: general interest    9. Reference works   

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - General    2. History - General History    3. Travel   

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12    2. Children: Grades 2-3    3. Description and travel    4. General    5. Georgia    6. Georgia (Republic)    7. Juvenile literature    8. Relations    9. Social Studies - General   

Reviews (8)

You'll fall for Ms. Steavenson's stories
I admire Wendell Steavenson for this effort.Tbilisi intrigued her - it was a pin on her map and the germ of her idea (go some place unique; collect some killer stories; write a compelling travelogue).Many have thoughts like that...Ms. Steavenson carried it out.She paints a balanced, compelling pastiche of life in Georgia as it struggles out of its post-Soviet torpor.The only shame is that Ms. Steavonson isn't around to cover the Rose Revolution in which Eduard Shevardnadze is displaced by Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement.That was 2003 and Steavenson had her work published in 2002.Missed it by that much.
Brilliant work: Don'tmiss it !!
This impressive debut works on too many levels to winnow down to a brief review.Ms. Steavenson reminds me a bit of Isaac Bashevis Singer as she brings us into worlds we generally know only through newspaper and television reports.Her attention to detail and her encapsulations of characters and situations and the bigger picture are masterful, particularly at such a relatively young age.She knows what to leave out, so that what's powerful remains.Unlike some reviewers below, I thought the elements she included about her personal life were arresting and completely integrated.Extremely high recommendation for a work that also has the bonus features of a decent map, a glossary of ethnic groups, and background reading for those who want to pursue related works.

I loved this book.
Knowing virtually nothing of the Caucasus I felt a little overwhelmed at first; but Steavenson quickly won me over with her absorbing writing and storytelling.I felt like I was right there with her.She has an incredible insight into human nature.I can't wait to read it over again, and expect to like it even better the second time around. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays & Travelogues    2. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    3. Fiction    4. Georgia (Republic)    5. Russia    6. Social life and customs    7. Travel    8. Travel - General   

Reviews (4)

very detailed
This is the most detailed travel guide I've found so far on Georgia and for that I am eternally grateful.However, I only give it four stars because some of its directions are inaccurate (in one case, a road was washed out and impassable without a 4WD, though that may have occured post-publication).Double check with maps and the locals before attempting any serious cross-country journeys.

so-so
First of all: I'm delighted that Tim used my map (the ITM/ERKAGeorgia) as the guiding line to reach all the sites he mentions,but... Reading the book I often was a little bored because ofunnecessary listings of items in museums (who cares if there's astatue you don't know anything about and only describe what you see?Better rate the museum, whether it's worth the effort or just a wasteof time), very specific ornithological and botanical descriptions(which I think have nothing to do in a general travel guide), and morethan once I had the impression that the author just didn't knowanything about a site and just invented stories... Nevertheless itstill is the most useful guide on the market...

2000 update on Georgia
I have just returned a month's teaching in Georgia and found the Bradt guide amazingly accurate, current and very helpful. The author knows culture, birds, history and politics. Can highly recommend if you plan tovisit. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Europe - Eastern    3. Former Soviet Republics    4. Georgia (Republic)    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Eastern Europe    8. Georgia    9. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (1)

A rare eyewitness account
Book ReviewRead more

Subjects:  1. 20th Century Description And Travel    2. Armenia (Republic)    3. Description and travel    4. Eastern Europe - History    5. Georgia (Republic)    6. Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan)    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Eastern Europe    9. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    10. Russia   

Subjects:  1. Batumi    2. Batumi (Georgia)    3. Black Sea    4. Georgia (Republic)    5. Harbors    6. Maps    7. Navigation