which is the most useful travel book to buy for planned trip up US east coast - budget traveler - not backpack but around $100 per night using public transportation - interested in historic sites, natural wonder etc. Trying to choose between Frommers, Fodors, LetsGo, Lonely Planet.

Frommers for the guide, Fodors for the chat.

Why not look at them at your library or bookstore and decide for yourself?

i have looked at them all but as i have never been to the area i dont know which ones are more accurate? e.g. on this site some people say Days Inn in Savannah is horrible while others say it is OK - of course it is all subjective

I love Lonely Planet- I like their commentaries, and I find their recommendations more accurate than Frommer's. I find Let's Go does not have enough details to suit me. I look at Fodor's Guides, too, but the recommendations sometimes don't fit my budget. When I plan a trip it's usually with the wonderful comments I get on this board with Lonely Planet as my reference. I have used the Lonely Planet New England with success, if that's the area you're traveling. Good luck.

Nola: here's a key.
ANYTIME you see a negative report in a travel book give it more credence than a positive report.
You'll almost never see really negative comments in the mainstream travel books, just a whole lot of (often exaggerrated) positives.

I prefer to find travel resources which will tell me about BOTH the good and bad aspects. That way I know the source is probably less biased.
That's one reason I like this website. If there's something bad about a place, you'll usually hear about it.
Travel books tend to be sugar coated.