Eyewitness Travel Guide to South West USA and Las Vegas (Paperback)

by DK Publishing (Author), DK Travel Writers (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Encyclopedic in scope, it's meant to be used before, during, and after your stay. (Travel & Leisure) Both novice and experienced travelers will be captivated. (U.S. News & World Report) Each book is a visual as well as informational feast about a particular place. (The New York Times) The best travel guides ever. (Sky Magazine) For comprehensive advice that is attractively presented, publisher Dorling Kindersley's guides for serious travelers are tough to beat. (US News & World Report) Hats off to DK for the Eyewitness Travel Guides...[they] raise the bar for all others. (Dallas Morning News) The most graphically exciting and visually pleasing series on the market. (Chicago Tribune) Eyewitness Travel Guides are marvels of writing, color photography and illustration. What makes these so special is their thoroughness. (New York Times Syndicate) This is a guidebook series that always seems to inspire smiles...You feel, looking at them, as if you could close the book and step into the street. (Contra Costa Times ) Want to know where to get a great espresso on your way to the Uffizi? Or how much to tip a hotel maid in New York City? Try these travel guides, each an intricate trove of 3-D aerial views, landmark floor plans, color photos and essential eating, shopping and entertainment info. With titles covering Paris, Prague, and London, these pocket-sized guides are like a Michelangelo fresco: deliriously rich in detail. (People Magazine) Eyewitness Travel Guides, considered to be the world's best travel resource to over 30 destinations around the world, make it easier to plan a splendid vacation. (North American Press Syndication) Each new Eyewitness Guide adds more of the world to this wonderfully visual series.... What sets these guides apart from others is their striking, three-dimensional cutaways of key sites. (New York Daily News)

Product Description
Over 900 full color photographs. Cutaways and floor plans of major sights. Easy-to-use maps and plans. Over 350 hotels and restaurants. Tips on gambling in Las Vegas. Touring and outdoor activities. Visiting the Grand Canyon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: DK Travel (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789480247
• ISBN-13: 978-0789480248
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 4.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,257,883 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Only Guide Books I can Stand Reading, March 12, 2002

By	Mark Seemann (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Being a pretty busy person, and usually hating to read travel guides, I find that the DK Eyewitness Guides are the only ones I can stand reading - in fact, I find them enjoyable.

Their main force is that you don't have to imagine whether a destination would be something for you - the guide shows you what to expect, where others just tell you about it. That is the series' main force: They are very easily digestible.

That said, an Eyewitness Guide can't stand alone, so my wife usually acquires a Lonely Planet guide for the place, and I read the Eyewitness Guide, and the two complement each other nicely.

This guide to the US South West I bought in preparation for a vacation there, and although it had always been a dream destination for me, I can only say that I looked forward to it more and more for each time I read the book!

One has to know that the book covers quite a large area: The complete states of Arizona and New Mexico, as well as Southern Utah, the area around Las Vegas, and a little bit of Colorado. This means that for most people, myself included, there are parts of the book which doesn't apply at all to the trip one is planning. As an example, a rather large (in my opinion) section of 38 pages (or 17%) is dedicated to Las Vegas. For an area guide like this, it can't be any different - one just has to know this.

Although the overall quality of the book makes for a very attractive read, I still miss more detailed information, such as approximate entry fees. The area maps of the attractions could be better, too, as I often found myself wondering if a road marked on the map would be accessible to normal cars, or four-wheel drive only, etc.

Although I liked the book and found it a great preperatory tool, as a travel companion it leaves a lot to be desired: The maps aren't detailed enough and it's a little too evident that this is a first edition. There's just one too many errors to make you completely comfortable with it, but the errors are in the details, and for the large overview, it can't be beat.

My overall conclusion would seem to be, then, that it is a very attractive book that gives one a good general feel for the area.

3.0 out of 5 stars Viva Las Vegas! Baby!, March 21, 2005

By	Jon James Bochnik "Jon Bochnik" (Yonkers, New York United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Typical of the DK guides, more fluff than substance, but nice to have as a souvenir. Nice color photos throughout, and nice drawings, too. Buy this afterward to remember your trip. Buy Frommers beforehand to get the real meat and potatoes.