Travel Books

Eyewithess Travel Guides give the most complete overview of any travel book or other travel product - good organization; great pictures, maps and other graphics; interesting & concise text and descriptions about history, national foods and beverages, etc.; good suggestions for lodging and eating. They are excellet resource and reference books, but they are concise enough to give a relatively complete overview but short enough to quickly convey information, especially if you do not have a lot of free time.

I believe that carefully reading about a desination is important for planning any trip. The Eyewithess Travel Guides are the best way to obtain that overview and prioritize where you want to go. Australia is a large country and this book covers alot of territory. The Australia guide is enormous help to us with our planning.

I live in Australia and wanted a nice guide, and have always been drawn to the DK travel books with their lush photos, beautifully illustrated maps, building cut aways etc. In addition, this book was the 2006 version, latest update and later than many of its competitors.

As another reviewer has noted, all these photos and illustrations come at a price, which is lack of detail. In addition, I am not sure how rigorous the update process is. For example, the 2006 version does not cover the most significant new building in Brisbane, the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), which cries out for inclusion in such a guide. This building was completed in 2006 and under construction for some years before.

Probably best as a supplementary guide or photo history of your travel.

I love the DK eyewitness travel series because of the fine detail in describing geographic regions of the world while also including useful information about accommodation based on your budget, how to get around etc. The books have valuable information about each country ranging from culture and history to government and natural beauty.

The Australia book was very useful on my holiday over to Queensland and New South Wales. I had never been to Australia and so it was nice to have a guide that provided not only visual appeal with its pictures of the landscape and coloured maps but also had info detailing places to stay and see. I highly recommend this book and any other DK books offered for your next trip because unlike other travel books they not only offer an insight to the history and culture of the region but also offer info on the sights you may want to see. The thing I love the most is unlike other travel guides DK isnt just in black and white (thin pages) which are sometimes difficult to read and not as appealing to the eyes. DK books make you want to engage and get you excited to travel.

Only downside to the series is that they can be a bit more expensive than other books though amazon has good prices compared to other stores. Also they havent got books for many other countries/regions of the world, so Ive had to use other brands, I recommend Fodors Exploring series, theyre also colourful and affordable.

The DK Eyewitness Travel book for Australia is a decent travel guide, which includes a lot of pictures to help the traveler see what the attraction is while doing their planning. This 2006 revised edition runs over 600 pages, and includes an introductory section as well as 8 sections on the various areas of Australia, including one for Sydney by itself. It also has a section for Travelers' needs, which include accommodations, restaurants, and shopping information, and a section titled "Survival Guide" which contains a lot of useful information for travelers.

While the pictures are quite striking, they do seem to come at a price of more information about each of the attractions as well as the general areas. For my trip, I found the section on Tasmania to be rather sparse. The section on Melbourne was significantly better, but even there it would have been nice to have more information. I also question the practice of grouping all the hotels and restaurants together in a single section for the entire country. It seems as if the traveler would be better served if information of that sort was included in each of the sections rather than all together. They do organize the items by region within those sections, but in a hurry one might not notice if they stray outside of their area.

This is a useful reference, but I think it works best as a supplemental reference along with other material. If one needs a single reference, you should look elsewhere.

Two fine new travel guides use the popular 'Eyewitness' approach DK fostered in its children's books to provide adult travelers with clear, eye-catching and fun guides. AUSTRALIA packs in the color photos, maps and illustrations and not only covers the usual places to go and stay, but adds tips on local foods, cutaways and floor plans of all major sights, town listings of sights and beaches, timelines of festivals and special events, and more.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I got this book for my husband for Father's Day. He has been on a little search of his own for the best burgers around. He loves the book and we can't wait to try some of these on our travels this summer.

this book was really fun to read and so much information about the best hamburger places in the country. Makes you hungry the minute you start flipping through it. The DVD that came with it was a great bonus and very entertaining. This is a great buy.

More American than Pizza and the Hot Dog, is the Hamburger. "Hamburger America: A State-by-State Guide to 100 Great Burger Joints" is a guide to finding the simply the best burger one could find in any corner of the country in any state of the union. Covering these burger joints who have stood strong against the juggernauts of McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy's, on the sheer quality of their food alone. Enhanced with a full color map reflecting the locations of these burger joints across the nation and a accompanying DVD, "Hamburger America: A State-by-State Guide to 100 Great Burger Joints" is highly recommended for any lover of the hamburger who also loves traveling.

I love this book! I've been obsessed with Hamburger America since I saw the documentary on the Sundance Channel. The documentary makes most of the content tackling similar subjects on the Travel Channel, Food Network, History Channel, etc., seem like insipid, dumbed-down crap. It is beautiful to watch the small-time, low-key purveyors of American tradition talk about the simplicity of what they do. The book is a great read, with beautiful photographs and loving tributes to a vanishing America that's rapidly becoming standardized, corporate-ized,bland-ized, Wal-Martized, Starbucksized, Bush-ized, and stupid-ized. I keep it on my bedside.

I am tempted to take off a star because this sampling of American tradition was actually printed IN CHINA! Nothing against the Chinese, but this seems sad, in a way.

Reading the book and watching the video makes me hungry, but if you eat enough of this stuff, it will probably kill you.

I first saw Motz's documentary Hamburger America (which is included with the book) and was amazed on how he captured more than just places that serve a mean hamburger. Every place he went in the film gave you a look at different types of Americans, their history, their future and all held together by the love of America's favorite food. The book builds upon that. Each entry is written with admiration for the burger, the restaurant and the people that cook them. By visiting different cities, cultures, races, and histories of the many burger joints in this book, Motz is able to bring them altogether on one theme: they all make a great burger. And isn't that what America is about? This hodgepodge of cultures in one place looking for the dream, can all be united by ground beef in a bun. Forget the mass produced fast food chains. It's the local mom and pops, diners, decades old places that Americans hold true to their heart. It was written that if you don't claim your hometown greasy spoon as serving the best burger, then you're a wimp. Well this book covers many of those hometown favorites. Even if you do not especially like hamburgers, this book is essential for reading on American folk-life and its wonderful people.

There are scores of books that help you explore San Francisco. Go with one besides this product. Though the book offers a pithy, colorful guide to the commercial and recreational places of the city, it's really no more than a glorified yellow pages. Instead of putting everything in alphabetical order, the editors merely group places according to the neighborhood.

Bottom line: if you live in Laurel Heights and are looking for the nearest post office, this book is helpful. If you want to easily find great, economical Burmese food or a dog park, this book isn't your best resource.

I bought this gift for by boyfriend, since his parents moved to chicago and while he is not in college in CA he will be in chicago. He was so excited that i gave him it. At first i was looking into buying the Moleskin Chicago edition, but this is SOOOO much better. it has great maps and little blurbs about fun restaurants, museums, bookstores and more. It has sections of fun things to do with children too. overall, i think its a great resource that is small enough to fit in a purse or backpack and packed full of great information. i wish every city had a book like this.

The NFT series are the best city guides produced, in terms of the amount of information covered, detail of the maps, and quality of the product. However, this truly is not a guide for tourists - the book is geared towards helping natives get around the city and find what they need. It does not contain lengthy reviews of tourist destinations, although some recommendations are sprinkled throughout the book. If you are looking for a book to help you navigate your city, this is it - a perfect car companion. If you're just visiting Chicago, the NFT guide won't be very useful to you.

I love this book.... Lots of places to visit and excellent tips. Can't wait to actually use this book in Europe.

A lot of insight and tips on how to move around on a budget. I have yet to use it in the field though.

There's a lot of details on the important things you need to know when traveling. Examples include: what documents you will need in each country, transportation options and their costs, important phone #'s and some detailed maps of the larger cities. It's a good book for people who already know where they are going to but just want more information about it. There are no pictures, just black and white maps.

Easy to to read and plan your route but, I wish it covered all of Poland.

Nice durable planning map. So far it's been very handy and was priced right. Bien Viaje!

Although I haven't traveled with it yet, this map is very lightweight, moisture resistant and folds nicely to tuck away in my backpack. Looking forward to putting it to the test in Italy & Switzerland.

This map is OK, not what I was really looking for. This map is best utilized as a general European map to help you plan for your trip. In terms of having enough detail to be incredibly useful, you would be better off with a map that was more country or region specific. It is just a little to general to be of any substantial benefit while travelling.

I got this thinking it would get me started on planning my trip to Europe. I had a list of things I wanted to see. When I got the map I was so happy to see that all the tourist attractions were ALREADY MARKED on the map! They were clearly labeled and easy to locate and read. Great product...well worth the money!

Very handy as we drove around. Hit the main highlights of every region and even some off the beaten track. Useful maps within each section helped to plan the day's events.

This read on Scotland is a good one, but I feel it could have done a better job of detailing information on Glasgow and Edinburgh. The images and content are great, but I just think it could have provided the reader with more information on Scotland's two largest cities. Worth the read though, especially if you're headed over anytime soon!

I have bought other books on traveling Scotland and this one is by far the best out of all of them. Full of detailed colorful pictures and suggested sites to visit. Wonderful book to look into!!!

After borrowing one from the library-we fell in love with this and found nothing but rave reviews. So, we had to have our own for our trip in June. We have not left for our trip yet, but we will be in great hands when we go. It was also recommended by friends who actually lived in Scotland for 2 years-it was their "life line" there.

We used in August . Found it to be of little value. One small example: By chance we visited the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow. Truly a "must visit" museum. The guide book (revised version dated 2006) says it is closed for renovation. We were told that it had been reopened in 2005.
David J. California

Yes, these books are very simply written, but if your child hates reading, as mine did, then this book series may be a godsend. My 10 year old son finds reading very difficult (dyslexia and ADD) and "good" writing is lost on him -- complicated sentence structures, convoluted plots, and general "wordiness" just confuse him rather than adding to the story. He reluctantly agreed to read Dinosaurs Before Dark because there was a dinosaur on the cover -- and then he couldn't put it down! Not only did he finish the book in a day and a half, he begged for more books in the series. He has now read every Magic Treehouse book at the local library, and I have bought him 6 more. He wants to complete all 37 of them -- and this is a boy who used to sob when he was assigned reading homework! There is a website for this series where you can print out stickers that look like passport stamps as you complete each book, as well as a "passport" to stick them in. It's an excellent incentive for kids who are not usually enthusiastic readers.

I don't care if these books aren't exactly War and Peace -- they taught my 10 year old (and millions of other children) that reading can be FUN and can take you to another place. In a few years he can move on to bigger and better things, but props to Mary Pope Osbourne for getting him started on that road.

My sister gave my five year old daughter the first four books of the Magic Tree House series. We read the first book "Dinosaurs Before Dark" last night together and loved it. While some of the reviews are written negatively, referring to the simplicity of the story and lack of depth of the characters and the plot, I feel the simplicity is what makes it popular with the target age group. My daughter has a vivd imagination and was not bored in the least by Ms. Pope Osborne's writing style. We sat in bed talking about each chapter. Not only did we discuss the story but my daughter began to ask questions about the structure of chapter books. I read "Charlotte's Web" to my daughter awhile back. While she did enjoy that particular book, she had no interest in having me read to her other chapter books. I think the Magic Tree House series is an excellent way to graduate children from illustrated books to chapter books without overwhelming them. Don't underestimate the power of simplicity. When used properly it can open ones mind to greater possibilities. I think Ms. Pope Osborne has mastered that skill wonderfully. I look forward to reading each and every book in the Magic Treehouse series.

I was surprised at the poor reviews I read. Yes, if you are old enough to read on your own, these books are not for you. But here is my take on it: My son (who was able to read these on his own at age 5, but with a little help on new or longer words -- just to give you an idea of the reading level for these) read these at age 5/6/7 and he has a great imagination. He really enjoys these books BECAUSE they are so simple -- ok, the book is read and now he can go act it out and he adds all sorts of aspects to his own play plot. That is exactly what should be encouraged in a kid that age. Not only that, but when he pulls another friend in -- one who may not be familiar with the series -- he can explain the storyline quickly and simple enough to keep them interested.

And what is wrong with "nice"? Isn't that what we want to teach our kids? We tried another couple of chapter books and there were monsters and bad guys and violent people. I don't avoid that stuff altogether, but at bedtime I'd rather not have to scare my son into nightmares later. Like I said -- a good imagination.

So are these as good as tolkien or lewis? No, please. But they are good simple readers for kids just getting into chapter books. Plus they so far have seemed to hit upon a lot of topics that interest my son. Like the Titanic, the Moon, Pompeii...

And the subliminal message .. that books take you on adventures ... is a great thing to teach! :)

Several of my second graders read this book, then wrote and typed their own book reviews. Enjoy!

Sara---4 stars
I like Annie because she is always ready when danger is near. I like Jack
because he always has ideas. I like when Annie petted the Pteranodon and said it felt like Henry. I like that there is a lot of adventure. I liked the part when Jack told Annie "promise you won't kiss it, promise you won't hug it, promise you won't talk to it!"

It was short and I wish it was longer because it had a good ending and I want it to go on.

I think that 2nd graders to 4th graders would like it because it is too easy for 5th graders.

Daniel ---4 stars
I liked when the Tyrannosaurus was chasing Jack and Annie and I liked the
adventure in it. I liked the part when Jack said "Don't hug it, don't
kiss it, and don't pet it!"

It was to short because it only had 10 chapters. I wish Mary Pope Osborne added more parts when they where in the Cretaceous Period, like them meeting more dinosaurs.

Kids from 2-4 year olds should have this book read to them but not them reading it. People older than that should not read it by themselves but they can still listen to it. Older kids like 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders would like it because it is in between long and short.


Matthew---3 stars
I liked the part when the Tyrannosaurus Rex was standing in between Jack and the treehouse. My favorite part was when Jack rode the Pteranodon.

I think that the book should be longer because at the end they didn't write if they had breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I wish they met another dinosaur.

I recommend this book to kids from 2nd grade to 3rd grade. It should not be for 4th or 5th graders because it would be too easy. If you are learning about dinosaurs, you should read this book.


Nathan-4 stars
I liked that the author really put a lot of research into it. I also liked the adventure that she put into it. Example: When Jack and the T-Rex have a "chase!" I like it that Mary Pope Osborne could put some good "meat" in the book.

I didn't like that the book was short. They could have an "adventure" with dinosaur fossils. They could do many things that I could not think of in the book.

I think kids from 2nd grade to 6th grade would like this book. If people other than that are not in this range want to read it, they may.

I think these books are a pretty good intro to the chapter book concept. You CANNOT expect these books to be literary masterpieces. We are not dealing with Charlotte's Web or A Cricket in Times Square. In fact, we're not even quite dealing with Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys series. But ... when your child is getting a little too advanced for picture books and is ready to read a few chapters, this is a pretty decent place to start. The text is pretty easy to read; there are black and white pictures about every 4 pages, and the plot is at the kids' level. Note - the plot is NOT at the ADULT's Level. It is not sophisticated - but it is not bad -and there is some continuity between books which is nice. My only real complaint is sentence structure. The author loves to write in sentence fragments. Like this. And like this. And it is annoying. Especially for children. Because incomplete sentences goes against what they are taught in school. (Actually I think the sentence fragments are an attempt at a casual literary style that might mimick one's thoughts ... but it just isn't necessary and it gets annoying.)
Aside from the sentence fragments - just be aware that much of the text is in conversation form. That might annoy some parents - but it makes for fairly quick and easy reading. Generally speaking, the treehouse topics are fairly gender neutral - but may especially attract boys who sometimes need to be "won over" with "cool" topics like dinosaurs. Overall, I think the books are pretty enjoyable - just don't expect a masterpiece, and you might be surprised to see that your child likes the series. A final caveat - these books are not meant for an adult to read aloud to a child - there are much better books for that purpose. These are meant for the early reader to read all by him/herself

The Benchmark Atlas series are the most accurate, detailed and attractive maps available. They put all the other atlases of this type to shame. You won't be disappointed with any of these.

If you drive anywhere off the main highways in Colorado, this is the book of maps you need. Best map detail unless you use the USGS maps, that are cumbersome while driving.

This map book is the best! Better than all the others I have seen which cover a state in a book format. I can only wish the mapmakers covered more states.

Excellent source of info. Great details. Only thing better is the Trail Maps that are available for additional detail. This Atlas is a musy have for traveling and camping Colorado.

Since moving to Colorado from the UK in 06 I've been looking for a detailed enough map of Colorado - and I think I've found it. I've worked with maps and GIS back in the UK and have always appreciated the level of detail provided by the Ordnance Suvey, but struggled to find a comparable line of products for the US.

I do a great deal of hiking, mountain biking, 4 wheeling and general exploring of the State, and wanted a comprehensive map which would show me trails, roads and interesting features/places.

The atlas is separated into 5 sections.

Section 1 shows regional maps: Entire US (1:9600000), western mountains (1:4500000) from Dallas in the SE to Bend (Oregon) in the NW, and Colorado (1:650000).
Section 2 shows recreational maps and separates the whole of Colorado into 13 areas. Each one goes into great detail about the recreational facilities of each area, lists climate info and gives addresses and phone numbers for all kinds of services, camp grounds etc. Scale is 1:500000, except for the eastern plains area which is at 1:1350000. The final map shows locations of all the 14ers, major ski areas and 22 popular off road trails.
Section 3 shows landscape maps at 1:200000. These are fantastic and show all the trails I've ever hiked, biked or wheeled.
Section 4 shows the metro areas of Denver, Colorado Springs and the Boulder area at 1:125000.
Section 5 has a comprehensive index.

Overall this is an invaluable resource and miles better than any other Atlas I've looked at (and I've looked at them all!). A great all in one buy and a bargain at the moment on Amazon.

Other products to consider: Latitude 40 produce some great, detailed maps at a smaller scale, but they cover selected areas and some sections are about 15 years out of date. National Geographic maps are best for hiking in the wilderness, but are only available for limited areas.

My four year old son is in love with this chapter series! A friend suggested it to us since he seemed ready for a more advanced reading material at bedtime. My husband reads him a chapter every night...sometimes more because they don't want to stop. It's become a great tradition for them, and something they both look forward to. We love that there are so many in the collection! Start with number 1 and just continue. :)

When my son REQUESTED "Magic Tree House" books I knew they had to be great reading! I ordered the complete 40 book series. He's almost 9 yrs old and reading two "Magic Tree House" books a day.

My 1st grader hates to put it down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. In his kindergarten class the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not to give her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!

I read The Magic Treehouse # 15: Viking Ships at Sunrise. This book is very good. Whenever Jack and Annie want to visit a place, they point to a picture and say, "I wish to go there." Morgan sent Jack and Annie to Ireland to solve a mystery. They had many adventures. The most exciting part of the book was when the serpent rose out of the water.

I learned some interesting facts when I read this book. Ireland is a country in Europe. Each day there is a dark hour in Ireland. Vikings were very dangerous.

I would recommend this book for three reasons. It teaches you interesting things about Ireland and its history. The characters were realistic, and you can relate to them. This book was very funny. The Magic Treehouse #15: Viking Ships at Sunrise is a great book.

I think you should buy this book because Mary Pope Osborne has great illustrations in this book.The book is about Jack and Annie.The story is set to Ireland a long time ago and they gt in truble with some vikings.You have to read the book to find out what happens.

Basically the layout and info is good, though some important stuff was outdated,ie current location of the terminal terrestre (bus station) in Quito (This created some testy, but fun conversation with the taxi driver). One thing to beware of---the map symbols and numbers are miniscule. Granted, I am 50 andy eyesight isn't what it used to be. But if there is any one most important info in a travel guide,it's the maps. Grow it please.
Nice size overall for lightwgt travel.
Narratives on history and background just right.

this book is not only informative but gives insight into the ecuadorian people.one feels as though you had already travelled there and were reading some memories.
the pics are fantastic...although i would have prefered more.
the descriptions are excellent and the suggestions are being hi-lited for our trip.
makes for great reading.

Excellent book to give you an idea of Ecuador and help you plan your trip.

I purchased the latest edition of this book shortly after it's release on November, 30 and was very impressed with it's significant improvements over the 6th edition. I bought the previous book 2 years ago and, even at that time, was struck by how out of date and inaccurate some of it's information was. My wife grew up in Ecuador, still has family living there and goes back every year to visit (I go there with her every 2 years). So we, especially she, have a pretty good idea about what is happening in the country in terms of politics, prices and other information relevant to travellers. But we were disappointed how the previous book barely mentioned the major impact of dollarization on the Ecuadorian economy and the substantial increase in prices it has caused. So much so that most Ecuadorian families now have at least one or more family members working overseas in order to send money home just so the family can survive.

Fortunately, the 7th edition provides much more up to date information on this subject and others. Of course, prices for travellers are also more accurate since this edition is "hot off the presses". The book does a good job of covering all regions of the country - the Andes mountains, the Pacific coast and the Amazon rainforest. Lonely Planet, as usual, includes not only the big cities and major tourist attractions. But also small towns and other "off the beaten path" places that may be of interest for those exploring the tremendous natural beauty and cultural diversity that Ecuador has to offer.

Lonely Planet is still among my favorite publisher of travel guides. But, this book, like many LP guides, seems to have moved away from the free-spirited, adventurous approach to travel that characterized it's early years. Nowadays, the guides seem much more inclined to politically correct lectures - no hitchhiking, no intoxicants, be a good little backpacker, blah, blah, blah. Of course, I understand the importance of being respectful towards the environment and local culture, making safe and responsible decisions, etc. But I also feel that LP's writers sometimes have their own political agenda to push and take an overly self-righteous tone that is more indicitative of Western values than Ecuadorian ones. Heck, I'm part of an Ecuadorian family myself now and I know that they would find alot of LP's advice and commentary about "how to behave" to be exaggerated and ridiculous. Ecuadorians are generally a very laid back and fun loving people. Of course, you should be respectful of Ecuador's beautiful nature and diverse cultures. But also relax, enjoy yourself and don't let LP's excessively "politically correct" attitude bog you down.

Still the 7th edition is a big improvement over the 6th and I recommend it for those travelling to Ecuador in the near future.

I went on a one-week long trip in Quito and its surroundings. It was my first trip to South America, also to a country where I do not speak the language fluently. This one had accurate descriptions of places I wanted to see, and it also gave precise directions on how to get to the places that are outside Quito. I have visited extensively the capital and other near areas, and from little-known corner eateries to magical trees, everything is noted in this book. Lonely Planet never failed to amaze me again in this one.