Lonely Planet The Europe Book (General Pictorial) [Hardcover]

Lonely Planet (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008 | Series: General Pictorial

Following in the theme of the bestselling The Travel Book comes The Europe Book, a focused celebration of the world's most culturally influential continent. It explores Europe in detail, and includes an evocative and in-depth look at each country. Full of arresting images and maps, this comprehensive coffee table book can also considered as an indispensable reference title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741047331
• ISBN-13: 978-1741047332
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,114,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great photography and spot-on (if scant) commentary, February 28, 2009

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet The Europe Book (General Pictorial) (Hardcover)

When I saw this book at my local library I counldn't resist picking it up. I love travel books, and originally being from Europe myself, I'm always interested in how others view Europe these days.

"The Europe Book: A Journey Through Every Country on the Continent" (256 pages) is a coffee table-style book that emphasizes photography over text, and that's fine. The photography is outstanding throughout the book, and is truly eye-candy. Roughly speaking, each country gets 4 pages in this book, which does not leave room for a lot of text. But the scant commentaries are indeed spot-on. When looking at books like these, I immediately check out the chapters of Belgium (where I hail from) and the Netherlands, the two European countries I am most familiar with. The comments on these 2 countries give me confidence that the comments on the other, less-familiar countries (say Azerbaijan, Moldova or Montenegro) are equally worthwhile.

Interestingly, at the very end of the book there are 2 very interesting essays, "Europe's Unrecognised Nations" (which really is a contradiction in and of itself), and "The New Europe" (focusing on the role of the European Union as a political institution within Europe). In all, "The Europe Book" is an eye-pleaser from start to finish, and a great way to get a visual introduction to Europe's rich culture. Amazon smartly sells this at a strong discount, as the original sale value of this book is way overpriced in my opinion. If you are interested in more written commentary and travel trips, I'd recommend any of Rick Steven's travel books in a heartbeat.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stunning photography; capsule travel descriptions of every country in Europe, December 30, 2008

By 

Annie L. "Globetrotting Diva" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet The Europe Book (General Pictorial) (Hardcover)

Lonely Planet's newest hardbook travel book is ideal not only for travelers who dream of Europe's most famous sights but also those who seek more under-the-traveler-radar adventures beyond the typical tourist stomping grounds. In addition to a general overview of the geography, history, and "great journeys" of Europe, the book is organized into the following geographical chapters:

1. British Isles & The Low Countries

2. Western Mediterranean

3. Central Europe

4. Eastern Mediterranean & The Balkans

5. The Black Sea & Caucasus

6. Scandinavian & Baltic Europe

Jampacked with gorgeous photos, The Europe Book highlights each country's most memorable features including history, people, legends, landscape, and major traditions. As a travel consultant and tour guide, I found the "Essential Experiences" sidebars especially interesting. Put this book on your coffee table and your guests will enjoy the superb photography and feast on the cultural smorgasbord that is Europe.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LP The Europe Book, February 3, 2009

By 

Kenneth M. Hunter - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lonely Planet The Europe Book (General Pictorial) (Hardcover)

This volume gives a good overview of the Continent by devoting at least 2 pages of info and pictures per country. The countries with larger populations and political power merit 6-8 pages. The photography is candid, giving glimpses of the places one would see if one visited them as a tourist. This can be invaluable regarding places that have been recently given negative press, to see the inhabitants of such places as being human above all else. The information given about each country is both informative and anecdotal, and can be considerably deep considering the concise nature of each country's coverage. Not meant to be used as a guidebook, it functions well as a coffee-table display book or as an introductory tool to European travel for adults of all ages.