Not for Tourists Guide to London 2010 (Not For Tourists Guidebooks) [Paperback]

Not For Tourists (Author)

Book Description

Series: Not For Tourists Guidebooks | Publication Date: November 15, 2009

Not for Tourists guidebooks are map-based, neighbourhood by neighbourhood guides designed to lighten the load of already street-savvy residents, commuters, business travellers, and yes, tourists too. Each map is marked with user-friendly icons identifying the services and entertainment centres that you look for as you make your way through town: everything from post offices, car parks, bars, DIY stores and gyms to information on hotels, airports, public transport, parks and restaurants. Listings for 2010 have been fully revised and updated to take Londoners beyond the chains. Whether you're a seasoned resident, a returning visitor, relocating, or someone who is completely new in town, Not for Tourists guidebooks help you make the most of your time in the city, while you're in it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Not for Tourists beat rival guides hands down with the sort of tips your mates would give. This one takes on the daunting task of squeezing the delights of London into a pocket-sized book. Handy pointers are given with warm affection: Covent Garden is 'a big set from a [bad] film', Shepherd's Bush 'infamous for shoot-outs at Nando's' and in Marylebone you should visit Claridge's 'to tell Gordon Ramsay to f off'. Ironically, perfect for tourists, but also for any Londoners not too up themselves to enjoy their own city. --London Lite, 27 Oct 2009

Take an A-Z, mix it with a Lonely Planet and throw in all the things a guide book should never say, and voila, you get the Not For Tourists Guide to London...not the sort of book tourists should get their hands on but more of a survival kit for natives --The Observer

A no-holds barred Londoners' guide to the capital... the pocket-sized guide offers the politically-incorrect views on all things London. --London Informer

About the Author

Not For Tourists is the ultimate guide for the savvy city-dweller. Our philosophy is simple: Whether you've lived in your neighborhood for 55 years or 55 minutes, NFT will help you navigate and explore the city like a local. Written and designed by in-the-know city slickers themselves, NFT is mobile-oriented, cartographically-inclined, and to-the-point. For over a decade, our cabal of mapmakers, writers, editors, graphic designers, and urban adventurers have scoured the streets, read the writings, and lived the credos of practical, esoteric city travel. Within the matte black covers of our guides, discover secret city spots you never knew existed—from dive bars and extravagant restaurants to local hardware stores and abandoned buildings (we don't judge).

Product Details

• Paperback: 614 pages
• Publisher: Not for Tourists; 2 edition (November 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 098155914X
• ISBN-13: 978-0981559148
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,303,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hmmm, January 25, 2010

By 

Anna Timm "twobluestripes" (Nothern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Not for Tourists Guide to London 2010 (Not For Tourists Guidebooks) (Paperback)

So I bought this book because of the maps. That's mostly what it is... the maps cover a huge area around London, and most maps in guidebooks or the A-Z only cover central London. I bought it along with two other guidebooks that were more review and advice focused, and that i thought would be more useful in terms of finding authentic attractions and cheap food (they were, check out Pauline Frommer's Spend Less, See More!). But I wanted some good maps, so I got this.

Well, halfway through my two weeks in London I threw it out. Many of the little icons on the maps showing the locations of pubs, restaurants, banks, etc, were way off. The street addresses listed on the right side were correct, but the map did not match up correctly, and I got lost a few times trying to find something, only to realize later that it was a few blocks down the street and the map was wrong. It was inconsistent enough that the book wasn't worth it's carrying weight in my purse anymore (it's a pretty dense little block of a book). I bought an A-Z map at a newsstand and was perfectly happy with it, at is was about the same page dimensions but a fraction of the weight, with a lot more detail in terms of things like museums marked on it.

I just wish I hadn't paid full price for it at the book store! I wouldn't really recommend it, as even when the maps are right, there's no indication about whether a restaurant is cheap or expensive. also, there seems to be a huge amount of banks marked on the maps, when I'd rather have more attractions, pubs, and cafes, and restaurants marked!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great idea, but it's too small, March 13, 2010

By 

James Pernikoff (Marietta, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Not for Tourists Guide to London 2010 (Not For Tourists Guidebooks) (Paperback)

I like the concept of a "tourbook for residents" and this book might carry that off well, but only if you can read it! These books come in two page sizes and unfortunately this one is in the smaller size, which may be small enough to fit in a purse but cannot be read without a magnifier. If it were in the same larger page size as the Atlanta and Seattle books (which are still small enough to fit in a glovebox) I would have given it higher marks. Actually, I gave it a third star only because of the vast area covered: the other NFT books I have contain from 11 to 49 maps; this one has 152! I hope the publishers see fit to do the next edition in the larger page size. This is a great idea, but in this case, not too well-executed.