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The Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss (Xenophobe's Guides - Oval Books)
 
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The Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss (Xenophobe's Guides - Oval Books) (Paperback)

~ Paul Bilton (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)


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  Paperback, July 31, 2008 $7.95 $4.17 $6.95
  Paperback, March 1999 -- -- $1.23

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The opening paragraphs of a Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss set the tone for the rest of an irreverent, amusing and highly informative portrait of the Swiss people.The Xenophobe's Guides to different nations deserves a real cheer."
--The European
-- Review


Review

"The opening paragraphs of a Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss set the tone for the rest of an irreverent, amusing and highly informative portrait of the Swiss people."
--Arts & Culture section at www.swissinfo.org

"An enlightened new series, good natured, witty and useful. The Xenophobe's Guides to different nations deserves a real cheer."
--The European

Product Details

  • Paperback: 64 pages
  • Publisher: Oval Books; 1st edition (March 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1902825454
  • ISBN-13: 978-1902825458
  • Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #849,993 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #90 in  Books > Travel > Europe > Switzerland

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
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 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and very insightful guide to the Swiss, June 28, 1998
By A Customer
I work in the U.S. for the Swiss. This little book (you can read it in an hour or two) is very funny and fun to read. At the same time, it is amazingly insightful with regards to Swiss culture, customs and people. I sometimes give it to others doing business with the Swiss. On the whole, it paints the Swiss in a positive light, but also offers up good fodder for ribbing my Swiss colleagues. For a more serious and scholarly treatment of the Swiss, check out Steinberg's "Why Switzerland".
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Ironic but true, February 21, 2000
By Nikolai Stavros (Zurich, Switzerland) - See all my reviews
As a Swiss I read this book with great pleasure since it is very funny but true indeed. As a foreign reader you will find lots of hints and information to help you understand Swiss mentality and differnces between cultures in one small country. (What is a Luftschutzkeller?) As a Swiss you will realize how others see us... and that much of it is quite true!
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A funny tongue "firmly" in cheek little gem..., May 16, 2005
This book is laugh out loud funny and has many truths, though the Swiss may not want to admit it. All countries have their quirks and Switzerland is not immune either. A a Swiss dual national married to a Swiss, I heard about all these little quirks that all cultures and countries have and always teased my spouse that he was exaggerating regarding Switzerland. Then I spent time in the country and just recently I experienced the "self sustaining bureacracy" at work when the Swiss Govt. charged me $50 for a very fancy piece of paper to tell me what my address is, the state in the US I was born, the date when I got married and who my parents are-that's it, no really that's all it says-nothing more. I am convinced that the $50 was to pay for the fancy paper-that's how fancy it really is. So as the author himself notes on this very subject of family papers...I guess it's in case I forget these facts about myself. Needless to say I howled over this.

Read this book with humor and take into account that it isn't a traditional travel book nor an ultra accurate account on Swiss manufacturing and tourism or the countries stats. But there are some real truths here relayed with great wit. The author himself is Brit married to a Swiss and has made some genuinely funny observations on Swiss culture. I finished reading this book thinking the author genuinely loves and respects his adopted country, but gosh they do some funny things sometimes. A little joshing and humor never hurt anyone-even the staunch Swiss. We should always be able to laugh at ourselves and that's what this book sets out to do, and to my thinking, it succeeded.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Excessive cost for little information
I purchased this book seeking insight regarding life trends/interest of the Swiss. In return I received a very small booklet with little useful information. Read more
Published 9 months ago by E. Teel

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and insulting at the same time...
I bought this book because my husband is Swiss and I thought it would be fun to read together. While reading it, I laughed out loud because some of the cultural differences are... Read more
Published on July 13, 2007 by L. Schafer

5.0 out of 5 stars I am Swiss and I think this is a great book for a good laugh, XENO
This is a short simple to read book about the Swiss. I am Swiss, born there, but did not grow up in this very clean state. My wife who is a U.S. Read more
Published on January 19, 2006 by Xeno Muller

5.0 out of 5 stars Spot on!
I have lived in Switzerland for the past 9 years and this little tongue-in-cheek booklet is spot on - note that it was first published in 1995 and preciously little has changed... Read more
Published on September 17, 2004 by ohanberg

4.0 out of 5 stars A well travelled, part-timer.
I am just finishing up my third year of living in Switzerland part-time (6 mos./yr). This little book is a nice easy read and is not only enjoyable but seems to be pretty... Read more
Published on February 29, 2004 by Jill

1.0 out of 5 stars A silly little book
This cynical, poorly-researched pamphlet reveals little about the Swiss, but much about what certain armchair travelers imagine to be typical American stereotypes about the Swiss... Read more
Published on February 9, 2004 by asdf395

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just yodelling
This is really not a guide book in the traditional sense. That is, you can't find out where to get a decent hotel, day excursion, or meal in Switzerland by reading this book... Read more
Published on April 4, 2001

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