Rating: 
Summary: More than just Rio
Review: An excellent guidebook is intended to guide and not lead. The Lonely Planet Brazil guidebook is a great guide. Its maps are accurate, its plces to stay and eat are reliable, and it offers extensive info on the sights and activities for every town included in the book. But Brazil is a dynamic country, particularly its economy and that has an impact of all prices quoted in the 5th edition (2002). The actual prices in 6/2003 for meals, accommodations and transportation were consistently 15 to 20 percent less. Bus schedules changed, but not their itinerary and frequency. Unfortunately the guidebook does not offer the names of the bus companies which would be of great help, especially when departing from Rio, where there are over a hundred bus companies.The guidebook has 752 fact filled pages including well researched Facts about Brazil, Facts for the Visitor, and Natural Brazil. A few weak areas: The language area should be strengthened by providing more information on pronunciation. The information they give for consonants t, d, and r is incorrect because it is only partially complete. Where and how to exchange money needs to be updated, especially when exchanging cash. Budget and moderately priced accommodations for Rio should be expanded. (Frommers does a better job in this area.) Visa information needs to be updated. A Brazilian visa now costs $100 for US citizens.
Rating:
Summary: More than just Rio
Review: An excellent guidebook is intended to guide and not lead. The Lonely Planet Brazil guidebook is a great guide. Its maps are accurate, its plces to stay and eat are reliable, and it offers extensive info on the sights and activities for every town included in the book. But Brazil is a dynamic country, particularly its economy and that has an impact of all prices quoted in the 5th edition (2002). The actual prices in 6/2003 for meals, accommodations and transportation were consistently 15 to 20 percent less. Bus schedules changed, but not their itinerary and frequency. Unfortunately the guidebook does not offer the names of the bus companies which would be of great help, especially when departing from Rio, where there are over a hundred bus companies. The guidebook has 752 fact filled pages including well researched Facts about Brazil, Facts for the Visitor, and Natural Brazil. A few weak areas: The language area should be strengthened by providing more information on pronunciation. The information they give for consonants t, d, and r is incorrect because it is only partially complete. Where and how to exchange money needs to be updated, especially when exchanging cash. Budget and moderately priced accommodations for Rio should be expanded. (Frommers does a better job in this area.) Visa information needs to be updated. A Brazilian visa now costs $100 for US citizens.
Rating: 
Summary: something is missing here
Review: as many other reviewers have mentioned, this LP is a bit below the standard of the other LP country guides, and i am 100% certain that this is because brazil is such a huge country to deal with... i only traveled to some of the main cities in brazil, but on those evenings when i sat down to flip through the LP as improptu reading material, i could tell that information was missing on huge portions of the country... when i have used other LP country guides, i had the feeling that i could go to almost any small town, whether of tourist interest or not, and the LP would help me out...in brazil, i felt just the opposite: i'm sure it doesn't cover dozens and dozens of places which, though not interesting to the tourist in general, may become an unforeseen stopover on a trip, or a destination for a long-term traveller getting a more in-depth view of brazil, or just a place with some sort of alternative interest... the pros: the maps and city plans are substantially better than in the competitors' guidebooks (where footprint is severely lacking, for example)... lonely planet is one of the few "backpacker"-style travel guidebooks that gives you information on at least a few hotels that are not youth hostels, dives or other forms of bottom-barrel accommodation; in other words, they at least give you a few mid-range and expensive options if you wish to go that way (which ends up being often in an inexpensive country like brazil)... all the essentials are there, with great suggestions on places to sleep, eat and visit the cons: as with ALL of the backpacker/youth travel guidebooks, the info. on sights/monuments/museums, etc., is SEVERELY lacking... there is just the most basic of information on the history of the sights that you have gone so far to see... which makes it necessary to buy another book, pay an expensive guide or some such thing... (for instance, you will rarely read detailed descriptions of the artwork to be found in a church and are often left wandering about saying 'this is so beautiful, i wonder what it is...i wish the guidebook would tell me more!') i know that giving all the information i have mentioned would make the brazil guidebook the size of the encyclopedia britannica, but even 50% more information on the background of sites and 25% more locations would be wonderful! despite LP's quality, i would take another guidebook (especially one with specific historical and cultural info.) along, just in case...
Rating:
Summary: something is missing here
Review: as many other reviewers have mentioned, this LP is a bit below the standard of the other LP country guides, and i am 100% certain that this is because brazil is such a huge country to deal with... i only traveled to some of the main cities in brazil, but on those evenings when i sat down to flip through the LP as improptu reading material, i could tell that information was missing on huge portions of the country... when i have used other LP country guides, i had the feeling that i could go to almost any small town, whether of tourist interest or not, and the LP would help me out...in brazil, i felt just the opposite: i'm sure it doesn't cover dozens and dozens of places which, though not interesting to the tourist in general, may become an unforeseen stopover on a trip, or a destination for a long-term traveller getting a more in-depth view of brazil, or just a place with some sort of alternative interest... the pros: the maps and city plans are substantially better than in the competitors' guidebooks (where footprint is severely lacking, for example)... lonely planet is one of the few "backpacker"-style travel guidebooks that gives you information on at least a few hotels that are not youth hostels, dives or other forms of bottom-barrel accommodation; in other words, they at least give you a few mid-range and expensive options if you wish to go that way (which ends up being often in an inexpensive country like brazil)... all the essentials are there, with great suggestions on places to sleep, eat and visit the cons: as with ALL of the backpacker/youth travel guidebooks, the info. on sights/monuments/museums, etc., is SEVERELY lacking... there is just the most basic of information on the history of the sights that you have gone so far to see... which makes it necessary to buy another book, pay an expensive guide or some such thing... (for instance, you will rarely read detailed descriptions of the artwork to be found in a church and are often left wandering about saying 'this is so beautiful, i wonder what it is...i wish the guidebook would tell me more!') i know that giving all the information i have mentioned would make the brazil guidebook the size of the encyclopedia britannica, but even 50% more information on the background of sites and 25% more locations would be wonderful! despite LP's quality, i would take another guidebook (especially one with specific historical and cultural info.) along, just in case...
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Waste Your Money On This One
Review: I lost count of the number of errors in this book. They printed the wrong dates for Carnaval Samba Parades, the prices are in USD rather than in local currency - all wrong by an average 30%, as well. Hotels and restaurants are listed that closed long before the January 2002 publication date, and it's obvious that they haven't been to Brasilia in years - citing it as `treeless` - which I`m sure it was twenty years ago, but not today. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend a better Brazil guide because I don't have any experience with any others, but I enjoyed ceremoniously burning this book when I left Brazil. The most disappointing is that other Lonely Planet Guidebooks (I have used 5 other ones) far exceed the standards that this one set.
Rating:
Summary: Far Below Lonely Planet's Regular Standards
Review: I lost count of the number of errors in this book. They printed the wrong dates for Carnaval Samba Parades, the prices are in USD rather than in local currency - all wrong by an average 30%, as well. Hotels and restaurants are listed that closed long before the January 2002 publication date, and it's obvious that they haven't been to Brasilia in years - citing it as `treeless` - which I`m sure it was twenty years ago, but not today. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend a better Brazil guide because I don't have any experience with any others, but I enjoyed ceremoniously burning this book when I left Brazil. The most disappointing is that other Lonely Planet Guidebooks (I have used 5 other ones) far exceed the standards that this one set.
Rating: 
Summary: Have these people been to Brazil recently?
Review: I made the mistake of trying to travel in Brazil with this book. The new editions come out every couple of years or so, but really don't get updated much, which becomes obvious if you try to use the book extensively. Hotels are listed which closed years ago. Maps are next to impossible to use as they show only hotels and restuarants, not landmarks. Half a page will get devoted to the Carmen Miranda museum in Rio de Janeiro, which is freqented only by people who have read about it in LP, is next to impossible to find, and contains next to no history about her, and no artifacts apart from a couple of dresses. After a couple weeks of frustration (thankfully rescued with e-mail advice from Brasilian friends) trying to travel round Brasil with this book, a traveller I met gave me the Footprints guide, which is much more helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Have these people been to Brazil recently?
Review: I made the mistake of trying to travel in Brazil with this book. The new editions come out every couple of years or so, but really don't get updated much, which becomes obvious if you try to use the book extensively. Hotels are listed which closed years ago. Maps are next to impossible to use as they show only hotels and restuarants, not landmarks. Half a page will get devoted to the Carmen Miranda museum in Rio de Janeiro, which is freqented only by people who have read about it in LP, is next to impossible to find, and contains next to no history about her, and no artifacts apart from a couple of dresses. After a couple weeks of frustration (thankfully rescued with e-mail advice from Brasilian friends) trying to travel round Brasil with this book, a traveller I met gave me the Footprints guide, which is much more helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Inadequate: Lacks focus and opinion; out of date
Review: I never viewed Lonely Planet as one-size answer to all your travels: along with brilliant LP guides to strange and not-so-strange destinations (West Africa and Canary Islands are just two big success stories) there are sad failures (Iceland & Greenland, Bolivia and anything else penned by Deanna Swaney), marred with self-important ideological preaching, poor research and lack of any writing skills. Brazil is somewhere in between. The book does not suffer from excessive ideologization and does not fancy itself as a latter-day Marxist's political history handbook. America-bashing was kept to a minimum. This is refreshing. There is fairly good amount of practical info (some of it is out of date), although nothing has been done to address the chronic ailment of Lonely Planet: shameless recycling of "general info", which in most cases is either misleading or simply insults your intelligence. The guide, as before, has no idea how most people book ticket these days; and nuggets of deep knowledge and inside advice like "your camera can get damaged, lost or stolen" (you don't say - how many years of travel experience helped you acquire this rare insight?) makes you wish you could have your money back. However, useless passages are essentially harmless (apart from making the guide thicker than it needs be). More regrettable is the stuff that's MISSING: that is, focus and helpful informed opinion. It seems that, once a traveller got to Brazil, got a place to stay and figured out the cheapest way to get around, he's not entirely sure why he is there in the first place. Descriptions of the places to see are lazy, unenthusiastic and uninspired. The authors seem to have been going through the motions. With abundance of books on Brazil on the market, there is no compelling reason to stick with this one other than brand loyalty.
Rating:
Summary: Not impressed
Review: Just used this book for a trip in November and was not impressed. LP covers tons of podunk towns and then has very little coverage of tourism hubs, like Salvador. Basically they covered one neighborhood in Salvador. I also found a lot of their information to be out of date (not surprising, since the book came out in 2002, which means the information is probably from 2001) and just plain WRONG. For instance, they made a huge deal about how touristy Porto Seguro is and we saw a total of about 10 tourists there. We almost didn't go because LP made it sound so overrun with tourists. And LP didn't give us any heads up that the beautiful beaches are about 2 hours away from Porto Seguro via ferry and truck, so you should stay near Arrial d'Ajuda or in Trancoso instead. They make it sound like it's super-easy to hop back and forth. Then there was the ridiculous note about the "constant noise of tractors" in Morro de Sao Paulo, which also made me think twice about going. I'm glad I ignored LP, since M de SP was the highlight of my trip. (And I saw a total of 2 tractors in 3 days, and they did not, as LP claimed "disturb the peace considerably.") Skip this guidebook. Rough Guide was better (but still didn't have good info on Porto Seguro). Heck, Fodor's was better. But the LP Rio city guide does rock.
| 
