How many have you visited? (The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country - Roz Hopkins)

Member Name: fizzywizzy

Product:	The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country - Roz Hopkins
Date:	18/07/07 (92 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fabulous photography, fascinating information

Disadvantages: Hardback very heavy, makes you want to book another holiday

If I still had my coffee table - I don't because I needed the space for my drinks trolley (St Oswald's Hospice Shop £5.00) - this book would have pride of place on it.

Produced by Lonely Planet, "The Travel Book" has a double page colour spread on every "official" country in the world - that's 218 according to the United Nations by the way.

Each entry usually has one large photograph and several smaller ones with good explanatory captions. As is typical of the Lonely Planet travel publications, the standard of photography is exceptional and the subject matter is a good mix of landscapes, buildings, people, and wildlife and plant life. Some of the photographs have been used in other Lonely Planet publications, but since you are unlikely to have all of the individual books, there will certainly be plenty of new material here to look at.

For each country the listings follow the same format - capital city, language spoken, population and a simple map showing where the country is if it is an island nation, chief religions followed there and a recommendation for the best time of year to visit.

Next up is "Essential Experiences", a section that gives half a dozen or so idea for the must-see or must-do activities: it could be visiting a particular monument (the Blue Mosque in Istanbul), eating a local delicacy (fish and chips in England) or simply enjoying a distinctive part of the country (Transylvania in Romania). The suggestions are a god mix that is sure to please historians, adventurers and culture buffs.

"Getting under the Skin" attempts to help us do just that. For each country there is suggested

- A film - it could be made in that country or simply be set there; it might be fictional or a documentary

- A book - again the setting or the author could be based in that country; it could be a travelogue, a novel or a history book. I have read the recommendations for several entries before going to those countries and found them really useful.

- Music - could be a traditional artist or band, could be a general style of music typical to that country; it could be rock music or something classical and much older.

- Something to eat or drink - maybe the local beer or firewater, maybe some local delicacy.

Finally there are two quirky sections, "Surprises" and "Trademarks"; "Surprises" challenges common myths (it doesn't always rain in England...) and "Trademarks" carefully suggests a few things about each country that might be considered to epitomise it - fairytale castles in Germany, etc.

A nice last touch is the inclusion of a few words in that county's chief language - usually one form of greeting or another but sometimes something more interesting.

At the end of the book there are further entries on nations like New Caledonia, for example, that aren't recognised as a country but that Lonely Planet thought should be included

For the obsessive traveller like me this book is fantastic - all it needs is a companion checklist so you can mark off books you have read, films you have seen and countries you have visited.

I think it would be a good book for young teenagers as it manages to give a good insight in just two pages and is more accessible than most world atlases. It also gives much more than physical geography or standard landscape; it shows real people living real lives.

The terrific photographs and fascinating tidbits of information on every country in the world mean it's the sort of book you can open at any page and start to enjoy.


Available in softback or hardback
Check online retailers for current prices
Pages - 444
ISBN - 1741044510

Summary: Superb coffee table book for the armchair traveller