Rough Guides provide information, and historical background, in a very interesting way and integrate it with touring. They cover off a ton of places, not just the biggies so you can really fill in some holes and discover new things. Having a vast amount of information on n area can help you decide whether to select it as a focus over another place. And, they are opinionated and a little edgy, which I like. No colour pictures, and I never use the restaurant and hotel recommendations.

I like my guide books to help me decide where I want to go and what I want to see there. I find suitable accommodation and food after the "where" is known.