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South American (Footprint Handbooks) (Footprint Handbooks) (Footprint Handbooks) | 
 enlarge | Author: Ben Box
Publisher: Footprint Handbooks (European language editions)
Category: Book
List Price: £22.50
Buy New: £12.06
You Save: £10.44 (46%)
New (42) Used (5) from £12.06
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 7824
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 85Rev Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 1872
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 4.9 x 1.9
ISBN: 1906098360
Dewey Decimal Number: 918
EAN: 9781906098360
ASIN: 1906098360
Publication Date: August 31, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
The South American Handbook was first produced in the 1920s, and has been an essential part of travellers' luggage almost ever since. For the 2000 edition, the old hardback format has been replaced by a less weighty soft-cover version, and for the first time there is a range of superb photographs showing off South America at its best, together with all the old features which make The Handbook so special. Perhaps because of its history, The Handbook manages to do justice to the complexities of history, economics and politics of a region, while at the same time providing the essentials which are the staple of most of its competitors. Most guidebooks trying to cover a land-mass as vast and varied as South America end up as garbled and piecemeal editions which totally fail to do justice to the area and are completely inadequate when it comes to any attraction which is off the beaten track. The Handbook, however, manages to provide crucial information listings and a broader range of accommodation and entertainment options than other guides possess, without losing its knack for leading you away from the favourite haunts of travellers to places which are genuinely remote. This is far and away the leader for guides on the region, and has a position which will be very hard to challenge. If you are packing only one guidebook for your trip to South America, this is the one to take. --Toby Green
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| Customer Reviews:
The best guide book to this continent by far. October 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I travelled extensively throughout South America for almost a year with the 2008 version. While not essential, it does come in handy from time to time.
Strengths:
- Far, far better than the ubiquitous Lonely Planet (all South American editions), which is a complete waste of space for all but the most nauseatingly banal style of travelling.
- Introduces some places a little off the beaten track.
- Gives approximate journey times and transport-company names between many locations.
- Rugged construction.
Weaknesses:
- Tries to do too much (see suggestion below).
- Could be more concise. For example, too much space is wasted waffling on about 'pleasant' (reality: dull) cathedrals.
- A little paranoid and outdated sometimes, especially with regard to some places in Colombia.
- The Galapagos section is weak and biased towards frilly cruises (it's very easy to do almost everything by oneself, and it can be cheaper).
A suggestion:
Why not have two editions - one for real backpackers and one for holiday-makers and armchair travellers? A real backpacker does not need to lug around pages and pages of information about luxury hotels and pretentious restaurants. In fact, the backpacker edition could exclude restaurant recommendations altogether - they're virtually pointless.
Summary:
Despite its shortcomings, it's currently the only worthwhile guidebook to South America published on paper. But it needs work.
 Factually incorrect, out of date April 20, 2008
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
We purchased this book after reading other reviews and were very disappointed. Much of the information was factually incorrect, we disagreed with hotel and restaurant recommendations and often found them to be closed down or some of the worst places we stayed or ate if we did use them. In many cases we wondered if the guide writers had even been to the places and throughout south america these books could be found in any secondhand shop that sold english books!
Also, prices are quoted in USD not local currency which makes it virtually impossible to use them as a reference. Overall very disappointing!
 The Best Travel Guide to South America September 22, 2007
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
I used the 2006 edition last year for six months of travelling the continent. Most of my travelling was done overland, without booking accommodation in advance. If you're thinking of doing the same then this is the guidebook for you. Its accommodation listings are more comprehensive than any other guide to the region. Importantly, it tells you clearly how long journeys are likely to take. The history and cultural commentaries are always well written and informative. Recommendations are usually reliable. I only encountered two errors in 190 days - a business had closed down and a border post had changed its policy. Other than that everything was spot on and in my opinion, its maps were more accurate than RG's and LP's. The large area, colour maps were particularly useful in getting an overview of your journey ahead. You only have to compare Footprint's page count with its competitors to realise it'll be the best thing you pack before flying off to this amazing part of the world.
Comprehensive and easy to use - good value June 26, 2000
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
This guide isn't produced by one of the more obvious travel publishers (naming no names!) but that shouldn't put you off as it's just the best guidebook on South America there is. It's accurate, as up to date as it's possible to be with a print edition, the sections on culture and history help pass the time on buses, what more can you ask for? Not as many pretty pictures as some other guidebooks, but then that's not what you buy it for, is it?
Indestructable, indespencible, informative March 28, 2000
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
This Footprint has helped me travel from Caracas to Lima. It has guided, not led me and has helped in the occasional sticky situation. It has never left my side, and constatly provides me with information I may otherwise miss.The new style paperback actually works and I have had to do very little "patching up", odd for a paperback. Must dash, I'm off to Arequipa.
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