No comments about Time Out Bangkok 1 (Time Out Guides).

No comments about Thailand's Political History: From the Fall of Ayutthaya to Recent Times.

1 comments about Thailand Map (International Series).

1. I bought this map because I will be touring around Thailand for two weeks. The map is titled 'Thailand' but upon receiving it I was immediately dissapointed to see that it was really a map of most of Southeast Asia. The map covers all of Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, southern China, northern Malaysia, parts of Indonesia and the Philippines. Thailand is right in the middle and only takes up about 10% of the map area. This map is huge, so the detail is decent but it is cumbersome to unfold/fold. The only Thailand city that is detailed is Bangkok. If you are travelling all over in Southeast Asia, this map would be useful. However, if you are only intrested in Thailand, pick something else.

No comments about Old Bangkok (Images of Asia).

No comments about Thai Ways.

No comments about Exploring Thailand (Fodor's Exploring Thailand).

No comments about Fodor's See It Thailand, 1st Edition (Fodor's See It).

1 comments about Travellers Thailand, 3rd (Travellers - Thomas Cook).

1. Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (11/06)
   
   "Travellers Thailand" is a useful, informative, but relatively basic guidebook to the charming country of Thailand. It follows the well-established and always handy format of some background information in the first few chapters, recommendations on the must-see places next and a handy directory for the important things such as shopping, entertainment, accommodations and more. The writing is accompanied by a vast array of great and colorful photographs.
   
   Although brief, all of the sections are apparently well researched and written with respect for Thai culture and way of life. The background information in the first section will provide the reader with a well-rounded understanding of the land, history, people and culture of Thailand, including the amazing array of absolutely fascinating festivals that indeed abound in Thailand. The following section, called First steps, will give you an even deeper understanding of how things really work in the land of smiles and why they are that way.
   
   The "sight-seeing" section includes numerous excellent tips on what one really should see in a certain part of the country as well as how to do the sightseeing. The described tours include such various offerings as walking, biking and even a tricycle tour. Easy to read and very detailed maps accompany all of the recommended sight-seeing descriptions. The interesting "features," featured in highlighted sections, include such diverse topics as spirits, Buddhism, rich harvest, hill tribes, the people of Isaan, royalty, wildlife and markets. A traveler would be well advised to read those in advance to avoid unnecessary culture shock and culture clash.
   
   The Directory section is surprisingly comprehensive in view of the grand total of 192 pages in the book. Excellent recommendations are given for a variety of activities, each section of the chapter starting with the description of the activity and useful tips and ending with addresses and phone numbers.
   
   My favorite section is probably the one on food and drink, in which the author managed to provide an excellent overview of the unbelievably complex matter of culinary arts in Thailand. It certainly made me wish to be able to go back to some of my favorite Chiang Mai restaurants real soon.
   
   I found "Travellers Thailand" to be an excellent guide for the first-time visitor to Thailand with a limited amount of time to spend there. The guidelines provided within will make your stay there safe, enjoyable and fun; and the compact format is great for carrying it around.

1 comments about Bangkok : Great Cities Series (Great Cities).

1. I've got to admit that the reviews below are somewhat misleading. I really have to disagree with the author's husband that the book is "breathtakingly beautiful", and can't understand the other reviewers' comment about the photos being "gorgeous".

   In fact, the photography is an utter disappointment, and nowhere close to being what I'd call professional quality.

   Focus is weak in far too many photos, and most of them have no compelling centre of interest. This being the case, the reader has to rush to the caption to try to understand the relevance of the photo, and in far too many cases is left puzzled by how the photo is meant to match the description. A good example of this, taken at random, is Photo 110 where the centre of attention, and the only subject in focus, is a man's head poking about a street vendor's cart. In the foreground, a single out-of-focus young girl stands with her back to the camera. The caption, however, reads "Little girls dress up for a New Year's Eve party". I'm afraid that the quality of photography and lack of relevance of the captions are equally bad in the majority of the photos. They really are very disappointing photos.

   The writing *is* generally "clear and lucid" (first reviewer), but not what I'd call "beautiful" (second reviewer). It also suffers occasionally from statements that betray the lack of detailed understanding of Thai history and culture ... but to be fair, only country specialists would pick up on most of these inaccuracies. The writing is not the problem with this book.

   I would not recommend anyone to buy this book without having a chance to look through the photography and decide for themselves if it is worth the money. Personally, for me it was a great disappointment.

No comments about AZU's Dreams of Thailand Pattaya (Dreams of) (Dreams of).