No comments about The Slaves of the Cool Mountains: Travels Among Head-Hunters and Slave-Owners in South-West China.

2 comments about Knopf MapGuide: Shanghai (Open-Unfold-Discover Knopf Mapguides).

1. It's a good map but not great.....doesn't provide all the details of street names, etc. It does have some good travel information



2. Chinese cities are hard to get a handle on because they're so large, so having something set up by neighborhood really helps. This was one of several guidebooks/maps I took to China and used it a lot - without it, I was lost as to where things were relative to each other. The fact that it listed key attractions in neighborhoods was very useful. Chinese cities are WAY too large for there to be detailed maps. And the small size of this mapguide is handy.
   
   I'm a big fan of Access city guides, which are set up by neighborhood. This was the closest I could find for China.

No comments about Voyage de la Grèce: Tome 4.

No comments about Restless Travellers - From China to Italy by Motorcycle: the story.

No comments about Voyage de la Grèce: Tome 2.

2 comments about Fodor's Beijing and Shanghai, 1st Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. It makes sense to market a guidebook focusing on the two cities in China that many Americans will bundle together in one trip. I found the site, hotel and restaurant reviews consistent with my own experiences (albeit my sample size was small). But this book has key drawbacks that made me regret the weight it took up in my baggage: (1) place names for hotels, restaurants, sites, etc. are generally given only in English. Most tourists will get around these cities by cab. Cab drivers in China almost never speak any English. Nor will most Chinese on the street, should you want to ask directions. Thus, giving these names in both Chinese characters and Pinyin (romanized Chinese, so American travelers could at least try to pronounce them), should be mandatory for any guidebook you actually want to take with you to China. (2) The maps are confusing and, worse, sometimes inaccurate. Separate maps are given for hotels, sites and restaurants, and the formats differ, making it harder than it needs to be to figure out, say, how to reach a given site from your hotel. Many streets are unlabeled, making it hard to use the maps when walking around. It's not clear whether the maps are to scale, and scales aren't provided, so the maps can't be used to predict how far away things are. (3) Little information is given even on key sites. It would be better to find a guidebook that included little maps of large sites and major museums, as well as detailed background information. (4) The phrasebook section is far too limited, includes phrases you won't actually need (e.g., phrases for checking into hotels, although every hotel listed will have English-speaking reception staff), and omits phrases you definitely will want (e.g., phrases for asking directions and navigating customs) as well as phrases that could make your trip more fun (e.g., a basic foot-massage vocabulary). Finally, it should be noted that, like other Fodor's titles, this book is geared towards travelers who might be somewhat afraid of leaving their "luxury bubble." Unless you are willing to set the book aside and explore on your own, using this book will shield you from a lot of wonderful experiences.



2. When we went to China..we bought the Eyewitness Guide that everyone raved about...as well as Lonely Planet for Shanghai and Beijing...and we usually love Lonely planet books...this book was a gift..and since we don't usually like Fodor's..we didn't expect much..however we did find it very helpful on the places to eat, places to visit, things to see. Although Eyewitness..and the Insight Guide were much more informative on China culture/history etc..but for getting around.. I would reccommend this book.

2 comments about Marc Riboud in China.

1. This is a welly printed photographic book on China by photographer Marc Ribond. The page layout is neat especially with old and new images printed on facing pages. This is not just a great photographic book but also a record of new China history.



2. My wife (who is Chinese) and I have spent hours with this book
   and find it endlessly fascinating. The quality of the photographs
   and printing is excellent. It is like a window into a lost and
   changing world.

   There is considerable overlap with Riboud's earlier collection
   of photographs from China. If you only buy one of these,
   I recommend this one. The photographs are better and the
   printing quality is much higher.

1 comments about River Road to China: The Search for the Source of the Mekong, 1866-73.

1. Osborne's book is an excellent account of the first European expedition up the Mekong River, from Saigon into the Southwestern region of the Chinese empire. As it is based on official and unofficial records of the exploration, written by the actual members of the French team, the account is both vivid and accurate, and conveys so much of the hardship and heartache experienced by the Frenchmen and those who accompanied them. It is also a profound and readable introduction to the history of Southeast Asia, its relation to China, and its position as the centerpiece of a colonial competition for trade, conquest, and scientific discovery. Great book!

No comments about Incidents of Travel in the Russian and Turkish Empires: Volume 1.

No comments about Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven.