Rating: 
Summary: A useful general guide to travelling in Europe.
Review: I travelled abroad for my first time this past year. It was, in fact, the first time I had left the USA at all (despite my parents living in Michigan, I have never even been to Canada). The first book I bought to prepare for the trip was First-Time Europe : A Rough Guide Special. This was after I had already gotten through about a third of it in the bookstore. As this indicates it is a very readable book, much more than I generally expect most travel guides to be. Of course, I should emphasize that it is not, in fact, a 'country-specific' guide book. It doesn't tell you what to see or where to go in any particular country. It is designed as a general guide, a companion to such a guide book, basically covering the sort of information that something like Let's Go Europe tries to fit in its first chapter: pre-departure preparations, what to expect, how not to get your luggage stolen, etc. This is not to downplay the value of First-Time Europe at all. It covers a lot more than the general introduction of a travel guide. And more importantly, at least for me, it is designed for readability. A country-specific guidebook is usually more like an almanac, designed for maximum information in the least amount of space. They are great if you know what you are looking for (i.e. the phone numbers of youth hostels in Berlin). Yet important reminders and notes that stuck with me from the passages of First-Time Europe are often reduced to single sentences in other guidebooks. And with my style of reading and retention, that means I'll often miss them. In fact there is even a great anecdote illustrating this in the book, where the author, Louis Casablanca, recounts the effort he spent trying to get directions to a hostel, before noticing the directions were in his guidebook the whole time. So could I have gotten by without reading it? I'm sure I could have, especially since the first part of my trip was a 'Study Abroad' experience, so I had someone to hold my hand in the beginning. And honestly, a good deal of the information in the book could probably be found elsewhere. I'll stop short of calling invaluable. However I'm still glad I bought it. Even if all the information isn't new, it is presented in a much clearer way than other books. Reading a country-specific guide book before going was generally a frustrating experience for me - they are much more useful once you are all ready there (and have made a couple mistakes). First Time Europe is a much more satisfying read. No, I can't tell you exactly how many potential blunders it actually eliminated. Yet just in the number of perceived worries it answered, and my corresponding growth in confidence about going to Europe, it was well worth the read.
Rating: 
Summary: First Time Europe - Rough Guide
Review: As a European living in London I felt this book gave very misleading information. I would not recomend it to anyone. One example is to "use McDonalds because the toilets are always clean". Great... $5.00 to use the worst toilets in the UK after the ones in Trainspotting.
Rating:
Summary: If it is your first time, read this!
Review: Buy this book if A) you are saving up for the "graduation trip to Europe," and B) you can admit to yourself that learning from someone's experiences can help you. I saw the author at a college travel seminar and decided he had told me enough travel. A week later I realized that I had lots of questions, so I bought the book. It is an easy read, and yes it might be full of some common sense advice, but I think it is definitely worth it. I went to Europe last summer and I can say that the info about the McDonald's bathrooms is true, and based on a friend's experience, knowing the difference between Florence and Firenze is key if you want to see Michealangelo's David. Even if you are traveling on a budget you will still spend quite a bit of money on your trip. The author's tips about packing light, keeping your gear safe, and how not to get ripped off will make this book worth while.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best General Information Guide
Review: First-time Europe touches upon the most important "must knows" of European backpacking. It is well written and informative. Read this book before any other guide book just to get your barrings.
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Summary: What a help!!
Review: I have been preparing for a few months for my trip to Europe. I had been floundering because there were a lot of things I had no idea about. I have other guide books that gave lots of information that was basically common sense. This book gave information that I hadn't even thought about, such as, using phones in Europe. It is very organized and takes you step by step. It is a must by for anyone going to Europe for their first or even second time.
Rating:
Summary: Rough Guides at their best
Review: I've been to Europe before, but I still found a lot of valuable advice in this book. Many of Louis CasaBianca's tips are about things you just might not think about unless they're pointed out to you. His book is also a cheaper and, in a way, more condensed form of Rick Steves' excellent "Europe Through the Back Door." If you're on a budget and can't find either book at your library, give "First Time Europe" a shot. CasaBianca tackles travel in a colloquial, Seinfeld-kind of way, but without getting off track. For instance, he clarifies that great facet (or faucet?) of European civilization -- the bidet -- that has inevitably puzzled and fascinated foreign travelers: "A bidet is that funny-looking oval porcelain thing with the faucet that shoots straight up. In the words of Crocodile Dundee, it is for 'washing off your backside.' It is not for laundry, nor is it for washing dishes, nor is it normally used for an ice tub to cool off beers and grapes, although I have seen it used for all of those things." In the arena of human relations, here's some of the author's sage advice: "Greeting a storekeeper on entry, and saying good-bye on exit, is a standard all over Europe." "In my experience, Americans (and Australians) are perceived in Europe as friendly, monolingual, a bit loud, and usually in a hurry. There are reasons for all of these perceptions. Try to blend in wherever you happen to be. Try not to change the place you are visiting with your presence, as with, for example, a loud conversation in English in a cathedral or museum." And "if you are holding a conversation in English, it is a nice gesture to thank the person for speaking your language, and thereby making the conversation possible. Whenever I have done this it has been appreciated greatly by the person I thanked." CasaBianca, of course, covers a lot more mundane matters than these, as well, like rail passes, what kind of a train to take, finding a room, what kind of a room to find, what to do if you've been robbed, what NOT to do if you've been robbed (like running after a Spanish pick-pocket and calling him a "putamadre," a sure invitation to get stabbed), etc. The author gives great tips, too, about places not to visit, or at least not to dwell on -- like Prague and the Louvre -- and suggestions about the best times to see places, like early in the morning. My final verdict: an unbeatable guide for the person uneasy about traveling to Europe, and a valuable refresher course even for the returning devoté. Billions and billions of stars.
Rating:
Summary: Rough Guides at their best
Review: I've been to Europe before, but I still found a lot of valuable advice in this book. Many of Louis CasaBianca's tips are about things you just might not think about unless they're pointed out to you. His book is also a cheaper and, in a way, more condensed form of Rick Steves' excellent "Europe Through the Back Door." If you're on a budget and can't find either book at your library, give "First Time Europe" a shot. CasaBianca tackles travel in a colloquial, Seinfeld-kind of way, but without getting off track. For instance, he clarifies that great facet (or faucet?) of European civilization -- the bidet -- that has inevitably puzzled and fascinated foreign travelers: "A bidet is that funny-looking oval porcelain thing with the faucet that shoots straight up. In the words of Crocodile Dundee, it is for 'washing off your backside.' It is not for laundry, nor is it for washing dishes, nor is it normally used for an ice tub to cool off beers and grapes, although I have seen it used for all of those things." In the arena of human relations, here's some of the author's sage advice: "Greeting a storekeeper on entry, and saying good-bye on exit, is a standard all over Europe." "In my experience, Americans (and Australians) are perceived in Europe as friendly, monolingual, a bit loud, and usually in a hurry. There are reasons for all of these perceptions. Try to blend in wherever you happen to be. Try not to change the place you are visiting with your presence, as with, for example, a loud conversation in English in a cathedral or museum." And "if you are holding a conversation in English, it is a nice gesture to thank the person for speaking your language, and thereby making the conversation possible. Whenever I have done this it has been appreciated greatly by the person I thanked." CasaBianca, of course, covers a lot more mundane matters than these, as well, like rail passes, what kind of a train to take, finding a room, what kind of a room to find, what to do if you've been robbed, what NOT to do if you've been robbed (like running after a Spanish pick-pocket and calling him a "putamadre," a sure invitation to get stabbed), etc. The author gives great tips, too, about places not to visit, or at least not to dwell on -- like Prague and the Louvre -- and suggestions about the best times to see places, like early in the morning. My final verdict: an unbeatable guide for the person uneasy about traveling to Europe, and a valuable refresher course even for the returning devoté. Billions and billions of stars.
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Summary: If You're Thinking About a Trip, Read This Now
Review: It's a really good overview of the little things that one needs to know when planning such an extensive trip. Of course, as one of those who has never been to Europe, I can't say for a fact that all of his ideas are on target. But everything sounds logical, and when I ask my traveling friends about some of the things in the book, they all support what the books says. He covers everything from initial planning to packing to subtle tips about particular places (Be very careful if you're a guy and a woman asks you to buy her a drink in Amsterdam. It might cost $200!). The book has gotten us very excited about such a trip, and we're starting to get more specific in my plans.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely loved it
Review: The information in this book is very general. If you have ever done any traveling and already know the basics (Passports, planes, trains), even if you haven't been to Europe, skip this book for something more detailed.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely helpful
Review: This book (the 2000 edition) contains many good points for beginning travelers, especially backpackers, and for experienced travelers, too. Although I tend to spend my journeys in one city and live in hotels, I found the advice to travel light, be aware of thieves, and to telephone in advance to prearrange reservations for visits to popular tourist attractions good reminders. Especially the possibility of reserving time at museums in order to be admitted ahead of the line, an idea that never occurred to me before. One quibble: the lists of useful agencies and addresses that begin on page 219 are set in a sans-serif type that makes the numeral one indistinguishable from the letter l and, I guess, capital I. This makes some of the mailing codes, especially in London, easy to misread. I hope future editions will feature a typeface that eliminates this problem.
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