Editorial Review

A travelogue by Bill Bryson is as close to a sure thing as funny books get. Read more

Reviews (244)

A major disservice to the book
The book THE LOST CONTINENT is an amazing captivating read.Bryson is truly brilliant in his descriptions.This CD totally KILLS that.First of all the narrator reads at a mile a minute, sometimes to the point where you can't understand him.And second, they abridged the CRAP out of it, cutting some of the most interesting commentary and actually cutting the entire SECOND HALF of the book!While the book is amazing, this particular recording of it should be avoided at all costs.

NOT HIS BEST WORK
I think Bill Bryson can be very funny. "In A Sunburned Land" was hilarious, whereas this was pretty much trite and dated humor. In fact it reminded me of the kind of humor undergraduate English Majors at overated eastern liberal arts colleges would find funny. The beginning of the book is an ongoing insult of everyone, the middle he calms dawn, and he ends really trying to force some funny. It's a very dated and poor effort by a usually funny man. Skip it.

dark job by a whiny hatchet man--read the later works
My overall recommendation is to read Bryson's brilliantly funny recent works, then go back to less recent works, then stop before you get to this one.As other discerning reviewers have noted (especially Amer-Aussie, whose spot-on review you really must mark as 'helpful'), Bryson looks for the worst in America and, surprise, he finds it.Sure, there's much that's funny here, but the humor gets swallowed up by the mean.
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Subjects:  1. 1971-    2. Cities and towns    3. Description and travel    4. Essays & Travelogues    5. Form - Essays    6. General    7. Humor    8. Social life and customs    9. Travel - United States    10. United States    11. United States - General    12. Travel / Essays & Travelogues   

Reviews (21)

Choppy, Hard to Follow, and Random - No Connection
I am a big fan of modern day China and literature that delves into the people, places, and turmoil of current circumstances in the country.I think Hessler may betrying to give us a taste of the everyday people in China today, but he fails to engage the reader and keep our interest with this book. It is too choppy - with random incidents, rather than stories about real people - that were difficult to connect and often bored me, instead of drawing me into their lives. I couldn't connect with the characters and relate to them because there wasn't time in the short blurbs Hessler recorded, and reported in such a random style.I prefer more depth, as in his previous, River Town, or other books on current Chinese experiences, like Shanghai Baby by Wei Hui, that get the the heart of one or two people's lives in modern day China, than just a smattering here and there.The book is not put together clearly and is confusing.I am a fanatic of Asian Modern Lit, but I didn't even finish this one!!

A Series of Chinese New Yorker Profiles
Oracle bones, the scapulas of oxen and plastrons of turtles were the crystal balls of the late Shang, the first Chinese dynasty, ruling three to four thousand years ago.They span a period of less than two centuries, ending in about 1045 B.C.Hessler uses their discovery, recognition and exposition along with the people involved to tie China's ancient history to the recent past and the conditions that persist in China today. He originally went to China ten years ago in the Peace Corps to teach English.He stayed to work as a press clipper for the Wall Street Journal. He is now the New Yorker's correspondent in China, and is a facile writer who captures the color and mood of human interest stories.They are what we have come to expect in the New Yorker.But he is no better at this than Lovell, whose description of Wang Yirong's, discovery of the oracle bones and his subsequent purchase of the pharmacists entire supply in The Great Wall is superb prose.And Hessler's constant interspersion of the Wall Street Journal newspaper clipping categories, devised during his earlier job is disconcerting.
A Random Though Insightful Glimpse of China Through Its People
Understanding China through its people rather than its politics is the agenda author Peter Hessler, the New Yorker's correspondent in China, has in mind as the thesis of his fascinating though somewhat meandering new book. The title refers not to some economic indicator from the renowned multinational corporation but rather to actual bones made of cattle shoulder blades and turtle undershells. In ancient times, they were heated until they cracked, the sound of which apparently bespoke of long-departed ancestors. Hessler uses them as metaphorical touchstones for the stories he tells and the characters he so meticulously introduces to us. Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. China    3. Civilization    4. Description And Travel    5. Essays & Travelogues    6. History Of Civilization And Culture (General)    7. Travel    8. Travel - Foreign    9. Travel / Asia / China   

Editorial Review

From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nervesof first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the mostjaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach.While still givinginsights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations anditineraries for those with less time than money.Read more

Reviews (39)

Great Resource
Best overview on India.If you want more in depth you need to buy books related to a particular subject.This book gives an overview on everything Indian.Really important resource for a traveller in India.

AS MUCH ABOUT TOURISM IN INDIA AS CAN BE PACKED INTO A BOOK
It is almost a crime to try to fit a great country such as India into a one volume guidebook.However, being such the understandable proposition -- tourists are unlikely to want to carry many guides -- this guidebook does a very nice job of putting it all together.
Strongly recommended to anyone planning to visit any part of this remarkable country either for business or for pleasure
This expanded and updated eleventh edition of India is the result of considerable research and study by Lonely Planet's expert staff including Sarina Singh and ten associates. India is an comprehensive and highly portable 1140-page paperback guide to the diverse country of India. Introducing travelers to a significant grasp of Indian culture and land, India offers readers a "user-friendly" reference for best accommodations for budget, historical information, lesser known locations such as national parks, remote tribal villages and serene secluded mountain treks, comprehensive understandings of Indian cuisine, and transportation information with over 200 precise maps. India from Lonely Planet is very strongly recommended to anyone planning to visit any part of this remarkable country either for business or for pleasure.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - India    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. India    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (17)

Cute.
Cute describes these books in the 10-mintues-a-day series.Pleasant, a little fun, a little insipid.But, really, not so bad just to get a taste of the language before you decide to move on to deeper study.
Very Useful
This book really came in handy on our trip.The menu cut out cards and the flash cards proved to be very valuable to us, especially since a friend gave us the bad advice that everyone spoke some English.Don't believe that, there were a number of people that did speak some amount of English but we both wished that we had taken more time before our trip to learn a littlem ore of the language.

Italian in 10 Minutes a Day
My wife and I have now spent a good month "learning" with
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Subjects:  1. Conversation and phrase books    2. English    3. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    4. Foreign Language Study    5. Italian    6. Italian language    7. Language    8. Self-instruction    9. Textbooks for foreign speakers    10. Travel / Europe / Italy    11. Europe - Italy    12. Language self-study & phrasebooks    13. Travel   

Subjects:  1. Atlases    2. Atlases - General    3. Earth Sciences - Geography    4. Reference    5. Road Atlases    6. Travel - United States    7. United States - General    8. United States - West - Pacific (General)   

Subjects:  1. California    2. History - General History    3. Individual Photographer    4. Mountains    5. Nevada    6. Photo Techniques    7. Photography    8. Photography of mountains    9. Pictorial works    10. Subjects & Themes - Landscapes    11. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    12. United States - State & Local - General    13. Photographs: collections    14. Photography / Nature & Wildlife    15. Places & peoples: general interest   

Subjects:  1. Europe - Ireland    2. Europe - Italy    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel Guides    6. Italy    7. Travel & holiday guides    8. Travel / Europe / Italy   

Reviews (1)

Wow!
This isn't the perfect coffee-table-travel-reference book for golf in Scotland and Ireland, but then Tiger Woods isn't the perfect golfer either.If you've golfed in Scotland and Ireland, if you're planning to play in Scotland and Ireland, or if you're only dreaming of playing in Scotland and Ireland, this is absolutely one book that you must have.It's a steal at Amazon's $37.80.You may recognize some of the text, paraphrased a bit, from Finegan's 1996 "Blasted Heaths and Blessed Greens" [Scotland], and "Emerald Fairways and Foam-Flecked Seas" [Ireland], but this large format book is in no way a duplicate.What can I say?The golf course photography by Laurence Lambrecht is spectacular.Finegan's prose sparkles as ever.Any negatives?Sometimes, I think, Finegan goes a little over the top, maybe even a lot over the top.But who cares? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Golf    2. Golf - General    3. Golf courses    4. Guidebooks    5. Ireland    6. Scotland    7. Sports    8. Sports & Recreation    9. Sports & Recreation / Golf   

Reviews (7)

Good Map - Maybe Over Priced
I do appreciate the fact that it is made of very sturdy material.The quality is very high.

There's a lot of rain on the plain & everywhere else
These maps are highly prized in Costa Rica and not that easy to come by. I paid $11. US for one down there last summer - and was thrilled to find it. If you're going surfing, rafting or to the cloud forest - you'll be happy you aren't carrying the old paper kind.

Get a free map once you get into the country
Very nice map, but I got an equally detailed map for free from the tourist information office once I got into the country.The main difference between the two maps was that the free one wasn't waterproof. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Costa Rica    2. Travel / road maps & atlases   

Reviews (7)

A GUIDE
This is a great guide if you can stick to it. It contains over 200 pages of restaurants across the map. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Applebee's Grill and Bar and Pizza Hut just to name a few. You just have to make sure you remember what phase you are on before selecting your menu choices and this guide will let you know what food you can have in your phase. This is a good reference guide when you go out to eat. I started by taking the book with me then I just started writing down things that I might enjoy from the restaurant that I was going to. I think for long-term weight loss, you have to be mentally prepared to commit to a change of life. You should also research as many diet plans as you can, this way you can find out what works for YOU, and not what works for majority of people. You have to see yourself as a unique individual and remember; what works for someone else may not work for you. I gave this book 3 stars because unless you are clear of how the South Beach Diet works you may get frustrated with this guide.

South Beach Diet is Now Even Easier!
My husband and I gave South Beach a try, but we gave it up about a year ago.The recipes were just so time consuming and the ingredients seemed pricey.We did experience some wonderful results, though.Well, now that more microwave meals are available and meal replacement bars, as well as a 30-minute meals cookbook and this guide, we've decided to give it another try.
Handy book
I love the South Beach diet since it is so similar to "normal" food that I grew up on but the restaurants are not. This guide shows you before you have to pick it from the menu what is available and what might be the best choices. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Consumer Health    2. Diet/Nutrition    3. Diets - General    4. Glycemic index    5. Health & Fitness    6. Reducing diets    7. Restaurants   

Reviews (2)

Wonderful Travel Book
After looking at several other travel books, I kept going back to this one.It is full of color and interesting facts.Great ideas of places to stay and comprehensive information on currency and traveling tips.The book makes me more excited about my trip each time I read it.

Great presentation, excellent for planning and reference
This is one of the best travel books I've read. Every page has well laid out and well labeled full color pictures to augment the text. Once you look at this it's hard to go back to a dry, sterile book that's all text with a handful of color pages in the middle. The information here is clear and easy to read. There is cross-referencing everywhere, for example a page that's describing a major attraction will tell you where to go in the book to find hotels in that area. There are listings and descriptions for hotels and restaurants in each area, and general travel tips. The introduction to each area of Italy also has an overview of the history and architecture. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Italy    2. Guidebooks    3. Italy    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel Guides    7. Travel / Europe / Italy   

Editorial Review

From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years, and as a result has experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach.While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.Read more

Reviews (39)

good reference
The info in this book is universal to different types of travelers.It is not meant to be read completely.It's format provides an overview of cities for tourists.Another writer from England, Ian Middleton, spent four months backpacking across Mexico.He considered Lonely Planet to be a "Barclaycard", never leave home without it.While Ian Middleton wrote an ebook titled "Down Mexico Way"(availabe at diesel ebooks) that is written in a different and candid format.I originally bought his book to research driving through mexico.But his book is mainly a sharing of one's journey as a backpacker by bus, personal van, hitchhike and train.I suggest decide what kind of traveler or tourist you are before when you buy these books.

Go Pick Up Let's Go Mexico instead
I just returned from a 10 day trip to three different states in Mexico with a friend.I had "Let's Go Mexico" and she had this book.By the end of the trip we were both cursing this guide.We found several innacuracies (the museum hour times in Mexico City are not correct for the Museums around the Zocalo, it also is innacurate as far as the days open while the Let's go book is correct), the descriptions were not helpful, and we found several instances that the descriptions describing sites were simply false.Also, Let's Go gives much more information and history on Mexico.

a good guide
I am living in mexico now and working and have a two year contract.Living here, I take advantage of going around Mexico during my holidays at work. I always take this book with me around and traveled around Mexico.This book was very helpful to me and telling me where to go.However, it is good to note, sometimes if you are looking for mid range to high end hotels in big cities (Mexico City, Monterrey, Acapulco, ect..), it is better to make reservations via the internet.But smaller cities like Durango, Zacatecas or Torreon, LP is very helpful and truth to what it mentions.Reserving through the internet, you can also see what it mentions in LP to compare, which is very helpful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Mexico    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Diet / Health / Fitness    2. Diet/Nutrition    3. Diets - General    4. Diets - Weight Loss    5. Health & Fitness    6. Nutrition    7. Health & Fitness / Diets   

Reviews (13)

Loads of information!
The Milepost is an institution for vacationers determined to drive their vehicles in Alaska. This thick paperbound book provides one with important information about everything from the location of the nearest gas station to the facilities available at campgrounds.It details, mile by mile, the views, the history, the resources, the geography, and the people and places that make Alaska the unique, breathtaking experience that it is. If you will be driving in Alaska, you should purchase this book.
Great book - Great service
What service! I had the book in just a couple of days!

A must buy if you travelling Alaska by road
We drove about 3000 miles in 11 days this summer and I have to say Milepost was more than helpful. I do have MS Streets & Trips and we rely on that for our most trips. But in Alaska that doesn't work. Luckily, I had got heads up from Alaska residents that if I want to do road trip in Alaksa, I will NEED Milepost. As per the Alaska residents I have talked with on different forums (TripAdvisor, Flyertalk, etc.) - even though they live in Alaska they buy new copy of Milepost every year. I heard similar from people with whom I talked with in Alaska. If you are just travelling from Anchorage to Denali or Fairbanks to Denali - you could just get maps from Local Information centers and go without Milepost but for extensive road travelling - buy this - your money is well spent. Another book you may want to consider buying is Alaska TourSaver (just google on it and you will fine tons of information). It saved us about $600! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Fiction - General    3. General    4. Travel    5. Travel - United States    6. United States - Pacific - Alaska    7. United States - West - Pacific (General)   

Reviews (5)

Combines beautiful photography and great travel ideas!
What a great idea!Lazzarin has combined beautiful photography with 'teasers' of these interesting destinations.
One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in Italy
I already had a copy of this book (given to me as a gift) and was so pleased with it, I purchased this copy as a gift for a friend. As a frequent visitor to Italy, I have really enjoyed retracing my steps and looking for new places to visit

A Beautiful Book
A very Beautiful book that was a gift to a friend who loves Italy. The detailed, colorful pictures are a pleasure for the eyes. Highly recommend. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Italy    2. Pictorials    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Italy    6. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY    7. Travel / Pictorials   

Reviews (23)

Try the recommendations in the book, they are spot on
My wife and I now have over 15 Eyewitness Travel Guides...obviously we like them. There are several reasons, and the Paris guide points these out quite well:
A seeing eye
If you are a grown-up and want context for your travels, this series brings it.They figure, reasonably for me, that you already know how to shop and that club-hopping is not the be-all and end-all--and that, if it were, you would probably be able to suss all that out.
Good for Planning
The Eyewitness guides are known for their full color photos which make them an interesting read for armchair travellers.However, they are also known for being a little light on travel information, and this holds true for the Paris edition as well.You get lots of great photos of the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and of the art treasures of the Louvre, so this guide is actually a good one to get in the early stages of planning your trip.The full-color photos will help you to decide which areas and sights you would like to see most.However, when you're ready for more serious information, you'll have to look elsewhere.Perhaps this book would be good for those who are travelling with a package tour, but those who are travelling independently will need to get another guidebook.Basically, if you can only afford one guidebook, then I recommend getting something else, but if you have the cash to buy two or three guidebooks, then you won't regret adding this one to your collection. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - France    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. Travel / Europe / France   

Reviews (60)

Fascinating and life saving
Couldn't put this book down!Instructive and illuminating!Tales and advice can apply to any hiking and biking trips that our family takes in the future.

Mostly good
I was afraid that this book would be a boring, thorough, and complete list of Grand Canyon deaths.It isn't -- except for Chapter 4.With that exception, this book is a complete page-turner, well-written and informative.
Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon
It is a most interesting and informative book.It should be read by anyone who has or wants to hike the Grand Canyon.It relates individual stories of people that have died in the Canyon and what they did wrong that caused or contributed to their death.It weaves many of these stories together to create an excellent book that was hard to put down.
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Subjects:  1. Accidents    2. Anecdotes    3. Arizona    4. Grand Canyon    5. Grand Canyon (Ariz.)    6. History    7. Social Science / Death & Dying    8. Travel    9. Travel / Parks & Campgrounds    10. Violent deaths    11. Death    12. Death & Dying    13. Parks & Campgrounds    14. Social Science    15. United States - State & Local   

Reviews (11)

Good Map
This is a good, clear map which is easy to read.The vinyl cover is a definite plus.It helps keep the map clean and notes can be tucked inside it.

Solid Road Atlas
Rand McNally is a consistantly good road atlas.The 2006 issue was very helpful in planning my recent trip.It doesn't replace the on-line maps or city atlases that show every street, turn, and such, but when you run into a temporary interstate closure, it answers the question of what is my best option now.

As easy as it gets
Ever since my first trip to NYC in 1989, I have relied on having a -no more than 2-3 years old- copy of Rand McNally in our rented car.
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Subjects:  1. Atlases    2. Atlases - General    3. Canada    4. Maps & Road Atlases    5. Mexico    6. Reference    7. Road Atlases    8. Road maps    9. Travel - General    10. United States    11. United States - General   

Reviews (20)

Exactly What It Claims to Be
Cheaply published, on flimsy newsprint, this book does exactly what it purports to do--guide the driver to the services needed by the motoring public traveling our interstates.For RVers, especially, knowing which exit has a gas station that is accessible to our 55 foot+ rigs, is critical information, saving time and frazzled nerves.

Perfect for those offramps looking
Absolutely perfect for those off ramp excursions. My only gripe with this book is that is does not have the Parkways in NY and NJ (maybe other places too). I love that it has Wal-Mart for the different exits. A must have.

Great tool to use
This guide takes a short time to figure out how to use it, but well worth it.We used the book on a 3-family trip from Illinois to South Carolina's southern coast.We found ourselves constantly looking up where rest areas were to be found, and just what was available at the exits we were approaching.
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Subjects:  1. Maps & Road Atlases    2. Reference - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - United States    5. United States - General   

Reviews (1)

Wonderful photographs of USA
This book really gives the magnificent views of travel places. With the nice pictures from David Muench, you will enjoy the landscape of America as you be there. This book can be your travel guide and photograph book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening/Plants    2. Subjects & Themes - Travel - U.S./General    3. Travel - United States    4. United States - General    5. BG-JUVENILE PROP - BG-JUVY PRESCHOOL    6. Photography & Photographs    7. Photography / Subjects & Themes / Landscapes    8. USA    9. Sale Books