Customer Reviews

The 10 Best of Everything, Second Edition: An Ultimate Guide for Travelers (National Geographic 10 Best of Everything: An Ultimate Guide)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Lande goes further than you might expect in detailing what is best and why, across a range of travel-related topics. Experienced travelers will find much that's familiar, and even more that is yet untried and ripe for one's "must see, must do" list. Very entertaining; a breeze to read because it's broken into highly consumable small sections.

This book is also a wonderful all-purpose gift for relatives, friends, and even your travel agent, because it has something for everyone who appreciates a bit of sophistication in their travels. Also, the book is composed of high quality paper with graphics throughout to enliven the pages and keep things interesting even for those who don't read a great deal.

I did not see the 2006 copy, so the information was new to me. It was the perfect gift for a couple friends that have a taste for travel and the best.
I was impressed that they listed my favorite beer(Westvleteren)as number one.

This book is a great read for people who like to travel but don't always have time to sit down and read for hours. Going through some of the lists gives me ideas on the next trip and makes me curious to learn more about the places or things listed.

The original edition of this book was terrific, and when I went to order a copy to give as a gift recently, I was delighted to find the second edition. The updates, the even sturdier paper, and the additional recommendations in the new Afterward have made this already excellent guide even better; in fact, I ended up keeping it for myself!

I appreciate more than ever Nathaniel and Andrew Lande's commitment to accuracy and enduring quality, and particularly their effort to ensure that information is as current as possible (especially after my vexing experience in Europe this summer with a different, more expensive, well-known guidebook, which, despite being "updated" every year or two and being touted as a "2010 edition", lists an appallingly large number of restaurants that have been closed for 5-10 years!!).

My 2006 review of the first edition of "The Ten Best of Everything" is below; everything I wrote holds true for the second:

This superb book immediately earned a place of honor on the shelf of Very Special Favorites in my personal library, and has retained that position each time I've succumbed to the delightful temptation of re-reading it. I recommend it enthusiastically and wholeheartedly.

Unique in purpose and content, "THE 10 BEST OF EVERYTHING: PASSPORT TO THE BEST, An Ultimate Guide for Travelers" stands well above today's flood of look-alike travel and "best-of" books, and measures up to top travel literature from the past. Selective without being superficial, it's a great read. It evoked resonant memories of places I know and love (New York, Buenos Aires, the Amalfi Coast...), offered new takes on subjects I *thought* I knew (cameras, coffees, Paris...), and enticed me to add to my agenda much I might never have considered (Antarctica, comfy hand-made mattresses from London, a jet-boat safari through a New Zealand World Heritage area...). And it's great fun: the colorful tales with which these two master travelers and raconteurs regale us ("Waiting for MacPherson", "The Chair: Backstage at the Bolshoi"...) make me wish that I'd been along for the ride on their past adventures and that they'd accompany my future ones -- or at least plan my itineraries!

The clever organization and interweaving of this book's rich contents exemplify "thinking outside the box". It's really several books in one. Aside from the authors' personal recommendations and reminiscences and their wealth of ingeniously arranged lists, from which you'll be hard-pressed to tear yourself away, you also get what amounts to an exquisite art book -- the text is lavished with gorgeous historic travel posters and other travel-related art, providing evocative scenery for an armchair tour.

I marveled at the authors' combined range of experience and expertise, from high-end pursuits (Argentine polo, vintage wines, escapes to paradisiacal Malaysian resorts...) to equally satisfying simple pleasures that fit even the humblest budget (top-rated `burgers, flea/antique markets on several continents, awe-inspiring cathedrals for quiet contemplation, the religious experience of eating Arthur Bryant's barbecue in Kansas City...).

This book is a perfect and very classy gift at a reasonable price -- my holiday shopping will be VERY easy this year! It's already received raves from seasoned travelers to whom I've recommended it, and has inspired some friends who are confirmed homebodies to think about setting out to see the world.

More than all its absorbing narratives and intriguing recommendations, though, the real glory of this book is that it's a rare, totally unpedantic education in how to truly live well -- not necessarily expensively (although those seeking luxury couldn't have more savvy mentors than the Landes!), but to the fullest. The book has been a beacon illuminating the path between my dreams and the memorable journeys they're becoming.

This book is really neat!!!!!! Literally the 10 best of each category in book. Some food categories, restuarants, travel places, etc...etc.... Would make an awesome coffee table book too!!!!!! Would recommend to others!!!!!

if anything, the product condition was better than what was described. flawless transaction from start to finish; highly recommended.

It's not like a million people voted here. It's random lists and entries are questionable. It's also outdated on several things, like cruise ships. And I wonder why Tempur-Pedic wasn't listed as a top bed? It seemed like a great reference book till I read the whole thing. But it's something to start with if you're searching for something on one of the lists.

My husband and I love to travel and this guide opened our eyes to even more wonders that await us. You can't go wrong.

Like to travel? this is the book! Like the best of everything? this is the book! It's a bargain for the whealth of information you get. I buy them to give as present and it makes a great gift.

Surely Mr. Hedge is misguided and perhaps remedial. The Second Edition has a heavier cover and better paper stock, and contractually, 25 percent of the Second Edition updated and changed including an AFTERWARD TO THE SECOND EDITION on pages 466 and 467 by the authors with new information. In our opinion, Amazon is being complicit in publishing a customer review that is inaccurate and not fair or objective to their buyers.