Let's Go Britain and Ireland 2000
Let's Go has a reputation for being incredibly thorough, and it's a deserved one. Consider the fantastic info on national parks: websites, buses that stop on request, camping and hostel locations, and even where to get weather forecasts (!). Price ratings for places to eat all fall into the budget category and they give substantial descriptions of pubs. City info is another prime example on how comprehensive they are, with everything from business hours and phone numbers for train stations, boat rentals, American Express offices, laundromats, posts, hospitals, and Internet access. One flaw with Let's Go is that it never really includes more than three hostels in one town, forcing everyone to race off and cluster for remaining vacancies. Another problem is the lack of detail in big city maps, and missing maps for smaller towns. If you can get past a lack of color or visuals (no photos), and can forgive them for not having pinpoint ability with "you are here" maps, than this might be your choice if traveling light on cash (not weight).
Let's Go 2000 Britain & Ireland
St.Martin's Press $21.99
ISBN: 0-312-24452-5
www.let'sgo.com

Lonely Planet Britain
Historical content in guides is usually what interests me the most, but in this case it was excessive. Lonely Planet often leans too much on the history of the sites instead of the sites themselves. Having said that, outdoor activities are well covered (walks, cycling, where to hike etc.), so it may be pardonable that they write very little about other areas of interest. Info on museum collections and entertainment are two things they really could improve. Pubs and hostels are usually on-the-nose, yet listed places to eat are not normally the cheapest. Factual content in this book is on the verge of overload, covering 160 pages before actually arriving at the first stop, London. Lonely Planet is a bit of a tradeoff, heavy on history and practical information and somewhat abbreviated on places to see (sometimes only giving two or three sentences on a site). You can read and learn from this book many things that you couldn't elsewhere, eyebrow-raising stories such as the Stone of Destiny, the Cheddar Gorge and wrecks in the Scapa Flow. These are the stories that make overnight BritRail trips seems just a bit shorter. Incredibly compact, Lonely Planet is a great compilation of many elements, yet sometimes lacking in others.
Lonely Planet Britain
Lonely Planet Pub. $25.95
ISBN: 0-86442-578-3
www.lonelyplanet.com

Eyewitness Guide Books
Eyewitness is the glossy series that promises to "show you what others only tell you." This boast may cause consumers to believe that the guide is concentrated on the visuals, instead of content. Surprisingly the guide maintains an even balance, providing national geographic-quality photography, detailed, illustrated maps, while still giving extensive historical and practical info. One unintended drawback to the format is that the reader may already learn too much about the places they intend to go to. Sections including the more popular sites are chockfull of pictures, leaving little to the imagination (and hence for your sense of discovery). Yet this can be a benefit for those who know very little about a country and want to select where to stop based on images in the guide. The listings for room and board are well above the price range of budget travelers and are useless for student and backpack tourists unless they want to break the bank from time to time. For most students this is a good pre-trip guide to form an impression of England before you go, but don't make space in your pack for it.
Eyewitness Great Britain
DK Pub. $29.95
ISBN: 0-7894-0187-8
www.dk.com

Blue Guide England
Probably the best guide a driver can take with them on the road. Excellent on to and from directions, possible itineraries, and history of places in England, it is the British equivalent to a AAA tour book. Blue Guide offers a bible for road tourism, giving options on routes to a single destination and writing about everything that might be of interest: jockey clubs, abbeys, seaside towns, etc. It could use more photography of the areas, but for most the descriptions are enough to inspire a little detour to hit some countryside town. Two shortcomings are that you have to buy a road atlas (no maps inside but all the coordinates and roads are listed) and there aren't any eatery or lodging listings. For those brave enough to drive in a foreign country and on the wrong side of the road, this guide is a great companion; it's a fantastic intersection of automobile travel and tourism.
Blue Guide England
Black/Norton $24
ISBN: 0-7136-3874-5

Rick Steve's London 2000
Based on his PBS series, "Travels in Europe, Rick Steve's travel guides are often way too similar to his television shows, aimed at audiences of the middle class and retired tourists and geared towards broad based, general info of only the main attractions. Much of the information included can be picked up for free with any entry to the listed cathedrals, museums, and sights. His hand drawn maps are frustratingly confusing for travelers as they walk around lost. Strange that the publisher ok'd a real lack of detail with the absence of side streets yet thought it was perfectly fine to further confuse the reader with a distance scale. A few of the book's saving graces are the helpful ideas for day trips (good choices in Bath, Oxford, and Cambridge) and his summations of important English literature.
Rick Steve's London 2000
John Muir Pub. $13.95
ISBN: 1-56261-523-8
www.ricksteves.com