Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing! Buy the Rough Guide instead.
Review: After using the Thailand Lonely Planet guide (also written by Joe Cummings) extensively this summer (it was extremely helpful), I found the Laos guide really disappointing.Laos is changing at an alarming rate and a lot of the information in this guide was out of date. Also, unlike the Thailand guide which is quite detailed, I found this book to be kind of skimpy. The maps aren't very good, a lot of towns weren't included, transportation details were no longer correct or not included, and because of the surge in tourism and high inflation rate, the prices listed were meaningless. Until edition 4 of the Laos Lonely Planet guide is published, I would recommend buying The Rough Guide Laos which was published in January 2000 and was getting good reviews from other tourists.
Rating: 
Summary: dangers and annoyances- this book
Review: I have recently completed a 12-month backpacking journey around the world, a trip that included Laos. In each of the 20-some countries I visited, the Lonely Planet I carried proved invaluable. However, after having read some of the other Amazon reviews of the LP Laos book before using it, I was expecting this particular guide-book to be worthless. But in fact, after using Cummings' book for nearly a month in Laos, I was pleasantly surprised to find it as useful as any other LP that I have used. Actually, expecting this guide-book to be useless, I brought along another Laos guide-book, which proved to be much less useful on the road when used side-by-side with the LP.
Not only did I find the accomodation and eating sections for popular locations as accurate and update as I would expect, but Cummings' did a fine job of briefly describing many off-the-beaten-track places, providing initial ideas for numerous adventures into the unknown.
And of course, as in any country to see the "real-thing", it is always rewarding to venture to places that you have not read about in a guide book. For this reason, I would certainly not criticize Cummings for not writing more.
All in all, in my opinion this book certainly meets the lofty standards set by Lonely Planet.
A bit of advice to would-be travelers: During my 12 months of diligently using Lonely Planet guides, I have been amazed by the travel-blunders made by fellow travelers who have carried travel guides, but have not used them. Some travelers perfer to do it "on their own", but I have seen numerous costly, time-consuming, and uncomfortable mistakes made that could have been easily avoided if they would have simply consulted the book in their hands. A little diligence goes a long ways.
Rating: 
Summary: A fine guide book, typical for Lonely Planet
Review: I have recently completed a 12-month backpacking journey around the world, a trip that included Laos. In each of the 20-some countries I visited, the Lonely Planet I carried proved invaluable. However, after having read some of the other Amazon reviews of the LP Laos book before using it, I was expecting this particular guide-book to be worthless. But in fact, after using Cummings' book for nearly a month in Laos, I was pleasantly surprised to find it as useful as any other LP that I have used. Actually, expecting this guide-book to be useless, I brought along another Laos guide-book, which proved to be much less useful on the road when used side-by-side with the LP.
Not only did I find the accomodation and eating sections for popular locations as accurate and update as I would expect, but Cummings' did a fine job of briefly describing many off-the-beaten-track places, providing initial ideas for numerous adventures into the unknown.
And of course, as in any country to see the "real-thing", it is always rewarding to venture to places that you have not read about in a guide book. For this reason, I would certainly not criticize Cummings for not writing more.
All in all, in my opinion this book certainly meets the lofty standards set by Lonely Planet.
A bit of advice to would-be travelers: During my 12 months of diligently using Lonely Planet guides, I have been amazed by the travel-blunders made by fellow travelers who have carried travel guides, but have not used them. Some travelers perfer to do it "on their own", but I have seen numerous costly, time-consuming, and uncomfortable mistakes made that could have been easily avoided if they would have simply consulted the book in their hands. A little diligence goes a long ways.
Rating:
Summary: dangers and annoyances- this book
Review: I'm sorry, but did the author even go to Laos before writing this book? Don't get me wrong- Joe Cummings does an excellent job in his Thailand books, however, in Laos, he falls short. The descriptions are incorrect (and sure, things change but not that much) and the maps are totally off. Skip the bike routes (eg. the one to Buddha Park) in Vientiane, especially after the rainy season.
Rating:
Summary: A Very sad piece of work
Review: It appears that the more Mr Cummings writes, the worse his pamhlets degrade. If you have an intense interest only in how to locate the cheapest noodle stands and flea invested "Hanoi Hiltons" this book is for you. If you desire to learn something of the culture, people, ethnic minorities and diverse locale of Laos, please look elsewhere. This book was of very limited use to me in a country that already has so little written of it.
Rating:
Summary: A Very sad piece of work
Review: It appears that the more Mr Cummings writes, the worse his pamhlets degrade. If you have an intense interest only in how to locate the cheapest noodle stands and flea invested "Hanoi Hiltons" this book is for you. If you desire to learn something of the culture, people, ethnic minorities and diverse locale of Laos, please look elsewhere. This book was of very limited use to me in a country that already has so little written of it.
Rating:
Summary: No wonder the planet's so 'Lonely'..
Review: Joe Cummings' 'Lonely Planet Laos' is the most pedantic and useless guidebook I've ever been unfortunate enough to use. Cummings seems desperate to show the reader how much he knows about the country, going off on endless tangents that lead nowhere and tell the reader nothing (especially in his 'Dangers and Annoyances' section). Does your average traveller really need to know how the licence plate system in Laos works? His information on hotels, restaurants and other attractions is shockingly out of date and inaccurate. I once used the 1997 edition, and I noticed that very little in the book has changed. Don't waste your money.
Rating:
Summary: No wonder the planet's so 'Lonely'..
Review: Joe Cummings' 'Lonely Planet Laos' is the most pedantic and useless guidebook I've ever been unfortunate enough to use. Cummings seems desperate to show the reader how much he knows about the country, going off on endless tangents that lead nowhere and tell the reader nothing (especially in his 'Dangers and Annoyances' section). Does your average traveller really need to know how the licence plate system in Laos works? His information on hotels, restaurants and other attractions is shockingly out of date and inaccurate. I once used the 1997 edition, and I noticed that very little in the book has changed. Don't waste your money.
Rating: 
Summary: road map for roadless country
Review: Laos is an amazing place, almost without infrastructure, cars and factories. The Laotians are too poor even to have rich people. They sell roasted rats and crickets in the local markets. Joe Cummings does a great job desribing the history, culture and politics of the country, but ignore everything he says about places to stay and eat. Above all, don't take his words as the final truth. There is so much to see and experience that he misses. And whatever you do, make sure that you find a comfortable boat for that arduous journey up the Mekong.
Rating:
Summary: road map for roadless country
Review: Laos is an amazing place, almost without infrastructure, cars and factories. The Laotians are too poor even to have rich people. They sell roasted rats and crickets in the local markets. Joe Cummings does a great job desribing the history, culture and politics of the country, but ignore everything he says about places to stay and eat. Above all, don't take his words as the final truth. There is so much to see and experience that he misses. And whatever you do, make sure that you find a comfortable boat for that arduous journey up the Mekong.
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