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Gemma Pitcher | |
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List Price: £14.99
Our Price: £5.99
Author:
Gemma Pitcher, Patricia Wright
By Lonely Planet Publications
 Not bad, but not the best, 2008-06-11
Having visited Madagascar several times in recent years Ive used a number of guide books so I was eager to see what this new edition of the Lonely Planet Madagascar & Comoros guide book is like.
Perhaps its main advantage is its size. Its pretty small, so if baggage space is at a real premium this could be an advantage for you. However the small size comes at a cost - much of the information is not very detailed. Its largely the sort of information you might easily find out yourself travelling without a guidebook. And remember, a quarter of this book is about the Comoros - not useful if you're only going to Madagascar.
(I should mention here that I have never been to the Comoros, so if you're considering buying this for a trip to the Comoros rather than a trip to Madagascar, Im not realy qualified to review its quality as a Comoros guide.)
I was disappointed with the quality of some of the background information. Its evident that the writers are not really experts in Madagascar and there are many mistakes in the historical detail and information about the wildlife, including incorrect names for animals. On one page it says "Madagascar's wildlife is so little known that as recently as 1986 a new species of lemur was discovered". This is a laughably out-of-date comment given that there have been numerous (dozens) of new lemur species described since 1986!
All things considered, if you need something lightweight and all you want is some lists of phone numbers and addresses for hotels and restaurants, this is a useful little book. But if you need a guide that gives you the more detailed background information you need for planning a trip to Madagascar, then I highly recommend the Bradt guide written by Hilary Bradt. She is evidently a leading expert in the country and that book has contributions by countless experts on other aspects of Madagascar from its culture and history to wildlife and specialist travel advice (like travelling independently or cycling).
List Price: £12.99
Our Price: £15.97
Author:
Neal Bedford, Gemma Pitcher
By Lonely Planet Publications
 Lonely Planet guide to Austria, 2010-06-24
Good guide to Austria, quite comprehensive. Nevertheless, it could insist more on the various cultural aspects of this country.
List Price: £16.99
Our Price: £13.38
By Galley Publications
Safari style recipies, 2009-11-24
I received 'Safari Living Recipes' instead. I presume it to be one and the same book though. Not bad but standard recipes as other books.
List Price: £21.99
Our Price: £11.99
Author:
Gemma Pitcher, David Andrew, Kate Armstrong, James Bainbridge, Tim Bewer, Nana Luckham, Vesna Maric, Harriet Martin, Matt Phillips, Nick Ray
By Lonely Planet Publications
- New
- Mint Condition
- Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon
- Guaranteed packaging
- No quibbles returns
aka the Bible, 2006-08-06
Objectively, this is the most hardcore guidebook in the world. Covering nearly 50 countries, a dozen war zones, a thousand languages - it's Africa in 1000 pages.
This will give you the very basics: how to get to/from a country, lots of details on crossing borders overland, transport options, basic accomodation and eating solutions. Think of it as a normal Lonely Planet guide but covering only the highlights, with far fewer maps (only capitals) and much less history and background.
It's not perfect, of course, but if you're covering large swathes of the continent than it's by far your best option. Some people may be better off with a Southern/East Africa guide (from LP or others), but if your backpack can't accomodate multiple guidebooks, this is the one for you.
have fun on the trip.
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