The Rough Guide to London (Rough Guide. London)

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Summary: The "Must Have" book for the London traveller
Review: I am an airline employee, and I travel a lot. Recently, I had the opportunity to spend Easter Weekend in London, England, and a co-worker gave me her copy of the Pocket Rough Guide. It was the best travel guide I have ever used. Small enough to carry in my back pocket, it had detailed street and subway maps, opening hours for shops, entrance fees and hours for sights and attractions, recomendations on where to eat and sleep, history and current affairs. I had it with me constantly, and referred to it on a minute by minute basis as I did my best to see as much of London as I could in two and a half days. Concise and VERY practicle, I would recommend this book to anyone planning a visit here.

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Summary: Left Wing Guide to London
Review: I purchased this book because I am going to London, and I had previously found the Rough Guide First Time in Europe to be a useful, quality book. It didn't take me very long browsing through this guide to determine that there was something very wrong. A quick read of the history section at the back confirmed my suspicions: this book is written by an apparently devout leftist. He vents all kinds of spleen against the accomplishments of Thatcher, and of capitalism itself, with all the usual leftist drivel and lack of understanding of capitalism and free markets.

In short, if you are the type of American who still wears your "Dump Reagan" lapel button, spouts off endlessly about the "Decade of Greed," favors emotion over reason, and thinks Marx and Lenin had it just about right, you will probably enjoy this book. If you are not any of those things, I would advise you to seek another guide book.

Rating:
Summary: A very readable in-depth guide.
Review: I visited London for the first time in March 2000. I selected this guidebook based on favorable experiences with other books from this series. London is a huge, complex city that can overwhelm a first time traveller. This book made it very easy to to find my way around. I don't expect any travel book to be completely accurate in describing accomodations, restaurants and other commercial venues in a fast-changing urban environment. However, I found this one to be right about 98% percent of the time.

Some nice features of this book were detailed sections on activities for children, and better than average information for gay/lesbian and disabled travellers. Another real bonus is the suggested reading section at the back of the book. I found some very worthwhile books there that I have been reading as background for my next London trip.

Rating:
Summary: Very thorough and comprehensive but also very long.
Review: Rough guides, in general, are the BEST. However, I feel that although this book would be extremely useful for someone moving to London or currently living in London who wants to get to know it in EXTREME depth, it is WAY WAY WAY too long (672 pages) for the casual visitor who may be spending just a few days there. It would take you more time to go through the book (even just skimming) than doing the actual sightseeing itself. You are better off getting the RG to England or Britain, both of which have very extensive information on London but information which can be digested on a short visit. The London guide is simply too long for a book on just ONE city - even if that city is London.

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Rating:
Summary: Very thorough and comprehensive but also very long.
Review: The Rough guide to london is the most biased guide book i have ever read. I really don't understand why one would put a political bias in a guide book - but Rob Humphreys seems obsessed with both bashing the Rich and the British Conservative party a as well as gossipping about peoples sex lives. Such things have no place in a guide book. I would suggest you look at the Lonely Planet Guide which is much much better.

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Summary: ridicuolously slanted polemic against parts of london
Review: The Rough guide to london is the most biased guide book i have ever read. I really don't understand why one would put a political bias in a guide book - but Rob Humphreys seems obsessed with both bashing the Rich and the British Conservative party a as well as gossipping about peoples sex lives. Such things have no place in a guide book. I would suggest you look at the Lonely Planet Guide which is much much better.

Rating:
Summary: Very thorough
Review: There isn't much about greater London that isn't covered in this guidebook. The author's tone is often pretty cynical, but if you want to avoid--or at least be warned about--the very touristy and/or the very cheesy, this is probably the book for you.