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Book Summary InformationAuthor: Chrid Schuler, Geoffrey Roy, John Man, Nigel Rodgers Edition: Hardcover Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 1998-10-01 ISBN: 0764151215 Number of pages: 224 Publisher: Barron's Educational Series Accessories:
Book Reviews of The Traveler's Atlas: A Global Guide to the Places You Must See in your LifetimeBook Review: Meant to be on a coffee table, but bogged down by guide info Summary: 3 Stars
There's no doubt that this is a beautiful book. How disappointing, then, that it could have been so much more beautiful were it not for the largely useless guidebook-style writing. What I had hoped for was a gorgeous photo-essay to inspire my future travels with places in the world that are not to be missed. What I got was a book with a split personality: one, a handsome book that belongs on a coffee table, the other, an overly ambitious guidebook to the world with no depth and mediocre writing. If only the authors had chosen one personality to go with (preferably the coffee table one), it might've worked. The problem with the guidebook strategy is that no one is going to use this as a guidebook-the dimensions, hardcover binding, and shallowness of content make that impossible. Therefore this information goes to waste, and the sacrifices that it requires, such as having text in every margin instead of full-page pictures, do the book much damage.That the suggested places tend to be overly broad is a significant weakness. Amazingly, one of the featured places is actually the entire state of Florida. Not that Florida isn't lovely, but such a broad notion of a must-see place is hardly compelling to me as a traveler-It's not like I haven't heard of Florida before, and it doesn't give me any new ideas or highlight anything is sufficient depth to make it seem exciting. This lack of focus pervades the book, as the cities of Vienna, Prague and Warsaw are lumped together as another single destination. Still, despite these shortcomings, I do enjoy looking through the book. The selection of places are varied and well distributed around the world, and some of the photos really are breath taking, and so on the coffee table it remains.
Summary of The Traveler's Atlas: A Global Guide to the Places You Must See in your LifetimeHere in one big, handsome volume are more than 60 famous and fascinating places that every world traveler must see. From the dramatic fjiords of Norway to the ancient remains of the mysterious Inca city of Machu Pichu, the authors guide readers along highways and rough trails to the world's most spectacular places. It's a bonanza of inspiration and ideas for adventurous travelers on where to go next and how to get there--but the book's detailed maps and vivid full-color photographs make it nearly as much fun for the armchair traveler! Maps are matched with location shots, and points of major interest are listed with tips on best travel routes, background information, and the best ways to avoid crowds. It also contains a worldwide directory of national tourist organizations, embassies, and many other addresses to help world travelers get the most out of their adventures. Includes more than 300 photos plus 50 maps.
Atlases Books
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