bocacpa

Went to the guidebooks part of Fodor's.com looking for something for my iPAD. Hopefully Italy or Northern Italy. Under mobile apps they have Rome. Under regular guidebooks they have some pdf chapters from their Italy book, priced per chapter.

Going to other web sites, I see Fodor's guides in E-book form, but they have a small note that the book is NOT the actual Fodor's guide, but based on it... or some words to that effect.

Has anybody used these E-guide books? How do they differ from the Fodor's paperback books? Does anybody know why you have to go to third party sites instead of buying them here at Fodor's.com?

Thanking you in advance
Steve

laurie_ann

Can't comment on Fodors but Lonely Planet also has downloadable pdf chapters that as far as I have been able to tell are the same as the actual guide books (ok, maybe no photographs, but still have maps, etc.). They have an Italy one and an Italian Lakes one. A chapter is $4.95. www.lonelyplanet.com (under "shop" go as if you were buying the book and you will get to a page where the individual chapters are indicated and you can purchase from there).

bocacpa

Clicked on your link and did not find pdf chapters, but found entire iPAD Discover ebooks, 400 pages for $14.99 through iTunes. Hmm

Don't know much about Lonely Planet series. Any thoughts?

laurie_ann

Lonely Planet is geared toward a more "independent" traveler. They originally started as a couple of Australian hippies in the 60s and wrote guides to more off beat locations but over time they have expanded to include almost everywhere including more mainstream destinations. There's a fun book about them. Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story (Tony Wheeler and Maureen Wheeler).

The Lonely Planet guides are quite detailed, focus on essentials such as getting there, getting around, hotels, restaurants, sightseeing but they also usually have some good chapters of cultural background for the destination.

On Lonely Planet website there is a "shop" tab on the first page (between "forum" and "hotels") to order books including the pdf chapters. I am not an ipad user so I didn't know what else they have specific for those devices.

Like all guidebooks they are always accurate so it is always worth double checking essential information by internet or phone before you rely on it. I think on the website you can download free samples to see if the style is something you are interested in.

If you want more on the background of travel guide writing here's another couple of good books. Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?: A Swashbuckling Tale of High Adventures, Questionable Ethics, and Professional Hedonism (Thomas Kohnstamm) and Smile When You're Lying: Confessions of a Rogue Travel Writer (Chuck Thompson)

laurie_ann

I meant to say, "like all guidebooks they are NOT always accurate".

bocacpa

Than you Laurie Ann. Will go to Barnes & Noble and read through to see if I like their style - it sounds like I should.

Long time lurker and occasional contributor to these Forums, but a newbie with the iPAD.

Thanks again,
Steve

Jean

If you're referring to "Fodor's Guides on Demand" (see the link to the right of your title to this thread), I think these downloads must be very close to the printed version that appears in the Fodor's country guide. In other words, the download for Emilia-Romagna says 60 pages, and that section in the paper version in "Fodor's Italy 2010" is also 60 pages. Likewise, most of the other downloads listed are within a couple of pages of the same section in the paper version, and in a couple instances are longer in the download version. What may not be included in the downloads are photos and/or maps. What is definitely not included is the depth of information offered in a printed book dealing exclusively with one city (i.e. "Fodor's Rome 2011") or area (i.e., "Fodor's Venice and the Veneto 2011").

I would download one chapter and see what you think.