No comments about Karen Brown's England, Wales & Scotland, Revised Edition: Exceptional Places to Stay & Itineraries 2008 (Karen Brown's England, Wales & Scotland Charming Hotels & Itineraries).

No comments about Fodor's European Ports of Call, 1st Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

4 comments about Finland (Country Guide).

1. Having moved to Helsinki last August and traveled around a bit, I've used the 5th edition of the Lonely Planet guide to Finland for several months now, mainly in the south of the country. I found the guide useful, but certain aspects of it invite comment.
   
   LONELY PLANET FINLAND does cover all of the standard sightseeing objectives in the country, including museums and natural areas outside of the largest cities. And while maps are often problematic in Lonely Planet guides, I found no errors at all in this one. The activities recommended in cities like Helsinki are spot-on, free of kitsch routes and putting travelers in good contact with the locals. The author clearly thinks that most people will be in the south of Finland in the summer, since visiting places like Suomenlinna wouldn't be all that interesting in the cold and dark time of the year, but this I suppose is a reasonable assumption. And since the guide was written by a single person, Andy Symington, it is more coherent in its rating of destinations and activities than the often self-contradictory guidance of collaborative Lonely Planet efforts.
   
   But while the book is a good companion once one has settled in at one's destination, quite objectionable is its guidance on lodging and travel, with so much inexplicably geared towards wealthy travelers. Finland has a high cost of living, true, but it can be a very cheap destination for the backpacker. You know, that demographic that Lonely Planet has historically targeted. The inclusion of hotels that charge 200 euro/night or more is simply ridiculous; travelers that would fork over that much are much more likely to buy the simpler Berlitz, Fodor's, or Frommer's guides. Even recommendation of so many hostels and guesthouses in each locale seems unnecessary. Basically the entire country is now covered by free Internet hospitality services like Hospitality Club and Couchsurfing, so there's no need to pay for lodging and tours when chances are some kind local will give it to you all in exchange for just interesting conversation and cultural exchange. Similarly, coverage of the north of the country seems excessively concerned with expensive guided tours and safaris.
   
   The preference for expensive lodging is mirrored by the exclusive attention paid to Finland's notoriously pricely train and bus systems. I was happy to see that the Directory of the Finland guide lacks the scary "hitchhiking is never entirely safe and we don't recommend it" text the publisher favours, and in fact the author is fairly positive about it. Unfortunately, this kind look towards hitchhiking doesn't actually translate into giving tips on it. Cutting out the luxury hotel listings that no one will use anyway would free up space for simple advice like "In Tampere, the most popular place to hitchhike towards Helsinki among local students is Viinikka crossroads, a ten-minute walk south from the bus station."
   
   If you are going to Finland to visit just a couple of cities and have already secured lodging and know how to travel cheaply, you should have no problem printing out some information about basic sightseeing from freely available resources on the Web. I found Lonely Planet Finland a decent investment, but only because I've gone out to see many places around the country.



2. Provides good basic information on plenty of spots (even the tiny ones not on the most popular routes). Sometimes little overexcited about the atmosphere or the value of certain sights or cites. The information about pricing and eating joints is outdated in several cases which - on the other hand - forces you to start exploring by yourself. Generally useful especially for your fist trip to Suomi.



3. I used this text heavily over the course of a month and a half spent in Finland this past summer. As with anything dated, prices have changed for some things. That said, the book was my one stop reference for most everything I needed on the trip. It's what you expect from a Lonely Planet guide (good detail on the cities, logical organization, excellent transportation section).
   
   I agree with the previous reviewer in one case: there's not much on hitch-hiking or couchsurfing (the latter of which I've done-- Finland has quite a few couchsurfers). I guess the difference is that I don't expect this from a guidebook, and I suspect the typical guidebook buyer doesn't either! There are more (and better) online places to get this information. [...].
   
   In all, a very satisfying guide and rarely wrong or inaccurate. Worth a look.



4. 
   Lonely Planet Finland is for the 'real' traveler, no matter what their budget. Everyone visitng Finland sees Helsinki, but there is so much more to discover about the Country. This book is a must to read before traveling, & take along to consult often during the trip.
   
   For example, I 'discovered' Lapeenranta (you can even cruise to Russia from this town if you plan ahead), which is a lovely town on a huge lake & full of history. Also, I was 'guided' to Ylamaa, a short distance from Lapeenranta, for a visit to Jewel Village. Here you can purchase a piece of beautiful Spectrolite jewelry after seeing it created by grinders working with this very unique gem-stone.
   
   Don't want to rent a car? Lonely Planet provides amazing & really useful bus & train information for travel throughout the country. The list of accommodations (including prices & ammenities) & advice on finding a great or unusual place to eat is absolutely unbeatable.

3 comments about Brassai, Paris (Taschen 25th Anniversary Special Editins).

1. i was really happy with this book. there is some great text which accompanies the images that i had not read before. overall, i totally recommend! i love brassai and i have only seen a couple of his books that are better.



2. Brassaï is one of those indispensable artists, which rarely come along every 50 years or so. Photographer, writer, painter, film maker, he recorded for us what must have been the most fruitful era for art, in the most fruitful place for art: Paris. He knew everyone from the dadaists to the surrealists and the cubists. He formed an uneasy friendship with Picasso, which resulted on his book My Conversations With Picasso, a first hand account of the comings and goings in the artist's life and studio, that I highly recommend. But it is as a photographer that he excels, providing for us unforgettable images of the city that he loved. Paris by Night, one of his colections of photos, gives us the wanderings about, of an artist and his camera at a time at which the city is at it's most beautiful, without any other equipment than a tripod to hold his camera steady. This book also includes The Secret Paris and a wonderful section of artis's portraits: Dalí, Picasso, Matisse and many others.



3. Everyone in the know knows that Taschen is a top-of-the-line publisher of Art and Photography books so naturally this one is beautifully done. However, even Taschen can make blunders. The flaps of the cover on this book are a dark shade of lipstick red with small black lettering. Ironically the blurb on these flaps describes Bendikt Taschen's twenty-fifth anniversary as an art book publisher. Because of the tiny black type on the dark red background it is virtually impossible to read about how great Taschen books are. Fortunately, this is the only flaw I found in this excellent book, it's just amusing that the mistake involves the text it does. At least the reader can read the testimonial on the back cover's flap because it is in larger black type and simply proclaims "The most exquisite books on the planet."
   Brassai didn't take his first pictures until 1929. In 1932 a journalist friend told Brassai he knew of a publisher who wanted to publish a book of photographs of Paris at night but had been unable to find a photographer who could handle the task. Brassai had already been exhaustively exploring exactly that subject with his camera. Later that same year in December 1932 Brassai's first book PARIS DE NUIT was published. Almost a dozen more books followed during his long life and career. It wasn't until 1976 that the more erotic pictures of Paris nightlife were published in Brassai's LE PARIS SECRET DES ANNEES 30, which is one of this reviewer's favorites. Those pictures that were also taken in the 1930's were too hot for a publisher to risk bankruptcy and or jail by publishing before 1976 when the obscenity laws were relaxed somewhat.
   This volume contains some pictures from all or at least most of Brassai's books including LES SCULPTURES DE PICASSO, GRAFFITI, PICASSO & CO., HENRY MILLER: GRANDEUR NATURE and THE ARTISTS OF MY LIFE. Brassai, who was also an accomplished artist in several mediums, was a member of the Bohemian Montparnasse or what I call the "Camelot of Art." He was friends with most of the artists and writers of the period. Much of his early photography was to document them and their work for publication. He was their contemporary and while his non-photography work is also masterful, it was photography that was to make him famous. Throughout his life he kept switching back and forth working in various art mediums. He loved the variety and couldn't, wouldn't really specialize in any one facet of art. He liked his freedom too much to only practice one of his passions. He was a master craftsman of several including writing. He often wrote articles to pay his bills especially after he first arrived from his native Transylvania where he was born in 1899. I apologize in advance but when I learned that Brassai was from Transylvania I could not keep myself from wondering about his fascination with photographing Paris after dark. He loved those pitch-black forays and at one time was familiar with the most unsavory and criminal characters populating the sleazy nighttime world of Paris. This was dangerous information to know because the local gangsters would rub out any stool pigeons they even thought might be spying for the police. Just maybe the man from Transylvania simply was not frightened of these mere mortals? Nobody else had previously done it and most photographers weren't up to the job or were too scared to attempt taking midnight pictures of gargoyles on the top of Norte Dame by the light of a full moon, street harlots and their pimps, muggers, murders and thieves, homosexual clubs and brothels of all sorts, heroin dens and any other unsavory activity including perverts trysting clandestinely in various infamous Paris Loos. That may have been where Brassai picked up his fascination with graffiti? He eventually turned that graffiti into a book, which must be something akin to turning a lemon into lemonade. This is the best Brassai book to own if you are only going to have one of his published photographic collections. Taschen really does do a remarkably good job of publishing art books and hopefully they will stay out of the red and in the black. Sorry about that folks, I couldn't resist. Have fun discovering the world of a remarkable photographer from what is now Hungry. (I'm resisting another bad pun.) This really is a very, very good, terrific collection of historically significant photographs.

1 comments about Michelin Green Guide Great Britain (Michelin Green Guide: Great Britain English Edition).

1. ... if presented in its typical teacher's lecture fashion. I can't remember being misled by one of the venerable Green Guides. Still, don't these authors ever stop for a pint because they want to chat up the locals?

5 comments about Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide to London.

1. My wife and I love the Top 10 series. We always buy a Frommers or Rick Steves book for the trip's planning, but the Top 10 is a must for the trip itself. It'll fit in a pocket (a long one), and will provide quick and easy references to the most important sights, as well as maps and public transportation routes.



2. This book is compact and easy to carry around and has all pertinent information for daily use. Maps are good and the top 10 seemed to agree with my assessment.



3. This is one of the best guides out there, very detailed & full of photos of things worth seeing & comes in a neat, small size so you can easily throw it inside your back-pack.



4. This books gives you the 10 top sites to see and itineraries. I like the itineraries (10), because it's very simple. It reminds you that your on vacation and you don't need to be running around town to enjoy London.



5. Compact, great pictures, well indexed. It won't scream "TOURIST" when you pull it out of your bag. I got this one and the Paris book. Used them exclusively. Barely opened the other ones I got.

5 comments about Henri Cartier-Bresson: A Propos de Paris.

1. As my favourite photographer, Cartier-Bresson has some kind of impayable discernment. His gallery of Paris is his magnum opus. His Leica, his 50mm lens, his mysterious face... all made him a monumental legend. I bought this gallery (hardcover) in 1995 for the price of $US 50 in Hong Kong. What are you waiting for? Just click it and buy it immediately, you will never regret buying this book.



2. As my favourite photographer, Cartier-Bresson has some kind of impayable discernment. His gallery of Paris is his magnum opus. His Leica, his 50mm lens, his mysterious face... all made him a monumental legend. I bought this gallery (hardcover) in 1995 for the price of $US 50 in Hong Kong. What are you waiting for? Just click it and buy it immediately, you will never regret buying this book.



3. As my favourite photographer, Cartier-Bresson has some kind of impayable discernment. His gallery of Paris is his magnum opus. His Leica, his 50mm lens, his mysterious face... all made him a monumental legend. I bought this gallery (hardcover) in 1995 for the price of $US 50 in Hong Kong. What are you waiting for? Just click it and buy it immediately, you will never regret buying this book.



4. This book is one of two Henri's books I have and the best one. The book to go through again and again. Then go shoot some pictures and go through it again. You'll be surprized how many fresh impressions you'll get every time. Very inspiring book. Highly recommended for practicing fotographers.



5. I have many of Cartier-Bresson's books, but this is the one I find myself drawn to.
   
   Time and again I thumb its pages and find something in the photographs that I never before noticed.
   
   This isn't some book full of "pretty" pictures in the conventional sense. One has to look at each picture to understand what inspired HCB to capture it.
   
   I have a few favorites photos from this book, but those that stand out in my mind are of the picnic by the Marne and of the little boy carrying two large bottles of wine.
   
   The Marne photo is so well layed out that, if one didn't know better, it would seem staged. That simply wasn't Cartier-Bresson's way. Although their faces are not seen, I "know" what each of the people look like.
   
   The opposite is true of the little boy. His face is there for all to see and interpret. What is he thinking? Is he happy? Is he proud to be showing off for the little girls in the background?
   
   Many of HCB's photos force us to read his mind and the minds of his subjects. These seemingly impromptu snapshots not only depict what HCB saw, but also depict it geometrically.
   
   To someone like myself who has dabbled in "street photography", HCB epitomizes the genre.

1 comments about Michelin Red Guide 2008 Deutschland (Michelin Red Guide: Deutschland (Germany)).

1. I understand it's terrific -- very thorough -- however, it is written in German so I hope you are fluent!

4 comments about Western Balkans (Multi Country Guide).

1. A pretty typical Lonely Planet Guide, with good practical information on travel through the region.
   
   The problem with the book is that it barely skims the surface of most of the destinations it covers. (If it isn't clear from the title, "Western Balkans" translates to the nations that used to be part of Yugoslavia, and Albania.) If you plan to spend a lot of time in Croatia and or Slovenia, LP's individual country guides for these too countries offer far more depth and detail. For the other countries (Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia and Albania) you're probably better off with the Bradt guides. (Or buy both.) LP only touches on a handful of major cities in each country. Given the low page count, the writers/editors could have easily expanded the coverage by just expanding the book!



2. I agree with the previous reviewe, this book is too superficial and not really necessary for anyone. Those travelling to Croatia and Slovenia will be much better of with Lonely Planet: Croatia or Lonely Planet: Slovenia. Those going to Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia or Albania will find that this book does not provide much information about any of those countries.
   
   Given the fact that there already are a number of guides to Croatia and Slovenia, their inclusion in this guide could be questioned. Taking a little bit more time and publishing individual guidebooks on the rest of the countries covered in this book would have been a far better option instead of a short summary that won't be beneficial to anyone.
   
   Bradt has published extensive guides on each country in the Balkans, as well as city guides to Ljubljana, Dubrovnik and Belgrade. You might find the Lonely Planet guide to Croatia better than Bradt's Croatia guide, but otherwise any traveller to South Eastern Europe or the Adriatic coast should stick to Bradt for more extensive coverage.



3. I used this book during a trip through Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, and Montenegro in June 2006.
   
   I'm not sure if there's another book that covers all of these countries so I have no basis for comparison. But while this book provided a skeleton for my trip, it could have been much better. I only give it two stars because it got me through the trip and I didn't die.
   
   Pro:
   Good overview of countries (even if it lacked depth).
   Good basic info, good food section.
   
   Cons:
   Maps were unreliable even in major cities like Belgrade. Not only were the streets wrong on occasion but their icons were off quite frequently, which led to hours of walking around in circles--always fun!
   
   Not enough detail in general. In particular, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, and transport options all need lots of expansion.
   
   Language section was not sufficient at all. Eight pages total to cover four languages. If this is your only language guide and if you don't speak Russian, get ready for lots of hand signals and gestures.
   
   Transport portions were often wrong and some sections directly contradicted others. Some may be because the text is dated but you can travel from Bosnia through Serbia to Kosovo by overnight bus. You can also take an overnight train from Montenegro to Belgrade.
   
   Nearly 100 pages (of 422) are devoted to Croatia. First, this section wouldn't be sufficient for a full Croatia trip and (most importantly) it leaves little room to cover the other six countries + Kosovo. They should cut it and add more content elsewhere.
   
   Information on safety, crime, corruption was spotty. Some places were surprisingly friendly--Kosovo in particular--while others were quite hairy--Albania and parts of Macedonia.
   
   Bottom line: It's certainly lighter than taking 7 books but don't expect lots of depth. And it needs an update.



4. I chose this guidebook because I was still unsure about where I wanted to go in the area. As has been said before, the chapter on Slovenia is great. I found the chapter and maps on Serbia and Montenegro to not be very helpful. The maps would be much more useful if they had street names in both Roman and Cyrillic alphabets (where applicable).

5 comments about Romanian English, English Romanian: Dictionary & Phrasebook (Hippocrene Dictionary and Phrasebooks).

1. After living several years in Romania and studying the language and doing my best to get by each day, I have waded through many Romanian language texts and found most to be cumbersome and trying at the very best. I have encountered a number that were not written by native speakers of Romanian and thus contained numerous grammatical and spelling mistakes which could badly mislead an unsuspecting beginner. Most of the dictionaries I have seen are written for a speaker of Romanian who is studying English rather than vice versa and this makes a big difference when it comes to interpreting the definitions given. Many dictionaries are full of terms that are not applicable to everyday conversation and activity but were added just to impress the buyer with the broad scope (however irrelevant)of the text.
   
   I cannot comment on how easy to understand the grammar and pronounciation guides are in this particular book because I found this book only after I already had a thorough understanding of those two things. I can say, however, that the phrases in this book are very accurate and very natural to Romanian conversation and will come in handy to any traveller whether you are in Romania for business or pleasure. I have shown this book to my Romanian friends for further confirmation and they have agreed with me in full. I still refer to this book myself from time to time when I am writing emails or letters and can't think of exactly the right way to put something. The dictionary may be small, but I think it is more than enough to provide an adequate beginner's vocabulary which you can build on as you learn more. For serious study of the language, this book is only a basic introduction and can never take the place of a real live instructor. But if you just want to know the basics before you step off the plane in Otopeni, I advise you to pick up a copy of this one.
   
   But a couple more words of advice if you are planning a trip to Romania: Do NOT trust guide books or cab drivers. ;)



2. If you're looking for a comprehensive English-Romanian dictionary, look no further! This is one.
   
   However, if you're a little more picky, and you actually want to be able find the translations for common words, you might want to look elsewhere. This book is sorely lacking.



3. Although it may seem funny, I bought this book to improve my English (I am a native speaker of Romanian) and found it helpful. However, if you want more than elementary Romanian I would suggest to buy some English-Romanian/ Romanian-English dictionaries, phrase books, and grammar books published in Romania which are far more complete and accurate (there are now many Romanian online bookstores, just google "editura").



4. I started using this dictionary believing it to be a simple and straightforward way of learning some simple words in Romanian.
   
   However, having learned a number of nouns I then discovered that many of them were old words, no longer used. If you want to learn Romanian that most Romanians will understand then don't use this book.
   
   Nu bine!



5. This was the only book we took on a recent visit to Romania. We thought that it would work very well as it seemed comprehensive and slim for travel. When we actually tried to use it everyday it was better than nothing but practically useless. Many of the words that should have been in the translation part could only be found in the phrasebook part. Not at all useful when struggling to put a sentence together. This happened so often that we just left it behind in the hotel rather than continue on with it. I think that for what it purported itself to be, it is a total failure.