Middle East Travel

» Mari Nicholson - Guide to the guidebooks

Thanks for that advice, Hugh. Can I also put a word in here for guide books with good coloured pictures, an invaluable back up to the text in most cases. Although Lonely Planet and Rough Guides are both excellent, I do find the lack of images a drawback. Your decision to tell us the bad as well as the good is to be commended and I look forward to reading the article.

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» hughtaylor - Guide to the guidebooks

In response to Guide to the guidebooks posted by maritravel:

I like images in my guidebooks too. The Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Guides are exceptionally good and are backed up by first class text. I'm currently writing the Nile Cruising section for their new edition of Eyewitness Egypt. Or rather I should be writing it instead of posting here.

-- posted by hughtaylor

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» hughtaylor - Guide to the guidebooks

In response to Guide to the guidebooks posted by hughtaylor:

I've just been discussing a Turkish guide on another thread so will list it here as well.

It's a particularly comprehensive guide that I bought eight years ago in Istanbul after a Turkish guide told me it was his Bible.

it's 'Turkish Odyssey, A Traveler's Guide to Turkey and Turkish Culture', by Serif Yenen.
I've since found it in other bookshops including Stanfords in London.
You can view the online version at www.turkishodyssey.com
before making a decision to buy it.

-- posted by hughtaylor

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» Mike Gerrard - Best Middle East Guidebooks

In response to Guide to the guidebooks posted by maritravel:

Most Lonely Planet and Rough Guides these days do have colour photo sections - although nothing compared to some others.

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» hughtaylor - Best Middle East Guidebooks

In response to Best Middle East Guidebooks posted by mgerrard:

I prefer guidebooks where the illustrations are on the same page as the text and not in a separate section.

-- posted by hughtaylor

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» Mike Gerrard - Best Middle East Guidebooks

In response to Best Middle East Guidebooks posted by hughtaylor:

I agree. I think it's a shame that both Rough Guides and Lonely Planet felt the need to do this. They're known for being good, thick guides covering every aspect of a place, and were always my first choices. Now they're beginning to lose their identity a little.

It's like the High Street, where every store starts to sell every product and they all end up looking the same - and every High Street looks the same. Long may guidebooks to the Middle East and everywhere else in the world retain their individuality.

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» hughtaylor - Best Middle East Guidebooks

In response to Best Middle East Guidebooks posted by mgerrard:

Absolutely and talking about individuality I have this morning received a couple of review copies from New Holland Publishing.
I'm becoming rather fond of these Globetrotter Guides. I came across them a few years back when New Holland asked me to do some consultancy work on some of their Scandinavian titles.
Since then I've revised their Venice Guide and am now writing Globetrotter Jordan and Globetrotter Best of Cancun and Yucatan.
The two I've received this morning are Globetrotter Turkey, which I shall be discussing in another thread and Globetrotter Israel which was written by our colleague Sue Bryant, Suite 101's Cruising expert.
They both look great but in depth study will need to wait until later in the day.

-- posted by hughtaylor

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