Lonely Planet Jerusalem (Lonely Planet Jerusalem)

Rating:
Summary: Get the Israel LPG instead
Review: The information in this slim volume is taken directly from the Lonely Planet Guide to Israel, and the coverage in the latter guide is better for the day trips North and South that you'll want to take. Buying both is a complete waste of money, and I'd really recommend getting the LPG Israel even if you don't plan to stray far from Jerusalem.

Rating:
Summary: Prejudice with misinformation to boot
Review: This book is so biased against anything Jewish in Jerusalem that it borders on an anti-semitic screed. It waxes hysterical about ultra-orthodox Jews and neighborhoods. In real life, these are the safest places in the city, and offer some of the most interesting sights and shops. Beautiful churches and mosques are described in detail, but the one decorative Jewish place of worship, the Great Synagogue, is dismissed with a single statement: that its construction was a waste of money!

The relentless axe-grinding leads to some dubious advice. Readers are told to patronize Arab taxis and hotels to make up for their loss of business during the intifada. That's an awful lot like the Jews of Germany being billed for the cleanup after Kristallnacht.

Ordinary misinformation makes this guide next to useless. The Botanical Gardens are not free, entrance is about $10--and well worth it. Descriptions of Jewish ritual are skewed and include some real howlers. I wonder if their source was pulling their leg.

In addition, while I'd always thought that it's impossible to take a bad picture in the Holy City, this guide is peppered with the most boring photography I've ever seen. Any kid with a disposable camera could have done better.

Rating:
Summary: CONDENSED YERUSALHAIM
Review: This fascinating city, eternal and enticing in all its aspects, is here visited in a summary but useful way. The Capital of David's Kingdom and seat of the Temple, as well as Jesus' place of crucifixion and Mohammed's ascent to Heaven, Jerusalem is also a laboratory of modernity. From the holy places to the most fashionable night clubs, this guide leads you to discovering the immortal city, one of the most complex and intriguing in the world. The book includes excursions to Betlehem, Jericho, Masada and the Dead Sea. Good value.