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Summary: An indispensible guide to India
Review: A comprehensive guidebook to India which proved indispensable during our three month trip. Detailed descriptions of the history and layout of the various tourist sites renders local guides and guidebooks largely unnecessary. A broad based guidebook of nearly 1400 pages, it includes digestible background sections covering history, language, religion and politics which enhanced enormously our appreciation of Indian life and culture. Despite the wealth of information its handy size, hardcover and tough binding stood up well to the rigours of backpacking. The up-to-date hotel and restaurant sections cater for the full spectrum of travellers - from budget back packer to luxury holiday makers. The opinions offered are balanced and fair, providing enough information to plan and enjoy your trip without unfair bias - in contrast to many of the other India guidebooks we consulted. An added advantage of using this little known guide was that we avoided the ubiquitous "Lonely Planet" bores who tramp through India reciting parrot fashion the recommendations and opinions of the LP authors and researchers.
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Summary: The how and why of the India Handbook...
Review: I discovered the value of a good travellers handbook on my first overland trip to India in September 1966. Driving a battered old Land Rover with two friends we almost got stuck in Turkey when we discovered the wealth of places to visit from Nagel's stubby little guide, packing a wealth of historical, geographical and architectural detail into its small print. It was the only guide we had on that trip, so all the way through Iran, Pakistan and ultimately India we travelled with only the help of previous reading and a minimalist AA route map.On arriving in India for a year's research I stopped off in Palwal, the dusty small town of my birth, before travelling to the far south, working in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, with only the benefit of word of mouth advice from Indian friends and local guides. I hadn't yet discovered Murray's guide, which subsequently became an invaluable source of esoteric information, especially for those with an interest in British colonial history. The light blue Land Rover needed periodic running repairs, but that just gave me the chance to travel by train and bus instead. In the late sixties accommodation could often only be found in PWD bungalows - a kind of government rest house for travelling officers, usually with the barest minimum of facilities, the odd rat in the room and a "chowkidar", or watchman, who would bring in an omelette for your breakfast - stuffed with chillies. But while the food had its hazards and the heat was often oppressive, I slowly began to discover India and its fascinating diversity. My rudimentary Tamil stood me in good stead, particularly for later visits when I worked extensively in villages across Tamil Nadu. The thesis eventually got written and I was given a job lecturing in the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, giving me both the incentive and opportunity to continue to research across India. My wife Roma, Bengali by birth and upbringing, was able to introduce me to many aspects of Indian life at first hand I had never seen, and my frequent visits brought home just how much of India remained scarcely ever visited. This became even more obvious with the arrival of the first editions of the LP guide to India. With its hippy image, limited range of "recommended" budget accommodation, and flip guide to "culture", the LP India quickly encouraged thousands to follow a route which has become all too well worn, yet often travelled with little understanding. So when in 1988 the Dawson brothers asked me if I would write a guide to India in the same style as their legendary South American Handbook I felt there was room for exactly that kind of guide. Designed for use by people travelling, they wanted it be be a guide which would help people understand and appreciate India's diversity. We were determined that it should be the most comprehensive guide ever available to India, encouraging people to get off the beaten track without simply creating a new well-worn path. We also wanted to give succinct details based on first hand reports of a wide range of accommodation, and full practical details of how to travel. We wanted to encourage people to travel widely, while keeping them fully informed about possible risks. For this purpose the annual updating has been invaluable, enabling us to keep up to date on current events in India's rapidly changing society while also pointing out danger spots and no-go areas. The first edition was written with the help of William Whittaker, whose extensive experience of trekking across the Himalaya was invaluable. We are delighted to hear from travellers from all over the world who have enjoyed using the Handbook. In response to many helpful suggestions the format has been continuously revised. We hope you will enjoy the India Handbook - and write to us with your comments.
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Summary: Could not be better
Review: I spent one month travelling all over India with the 1999 edition of the India Handbook and what a life saver it was. The book was fantastic with its information and right on the money everytime with hotel rates, ferry schedules, etc. The brief anecdotes were especially helpful and I really appreciated the open mind the book had quick not to judge a country full of many different aspects. The book was enlightening and in my hand all the time, but my mind was still open to new experiences which were not preconceived by the authors. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to anyone who really wants to experience India in a different light!
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Summary: A thoroughly well-researched guide.
Review: The India Handbook is a thoroughly well-researched and detailed guide. The most informative guide on the market, it provides invaluable information which is useful to both the short and long-term visitor to India, particularly by the inclusion of accurate large and small scale maps. It is also strong and compact. However, perhaps the most appealing feature is it's direct and non-chatty text, packing important and need-to-know facts into a notey yet precise format, leaving the reader to form his/her own opinions on people and places.
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Summary: Comprehensive Guide
Review: This "Handbook" series on India is well researched and thorough; the cultural and historical information is especially good. If you have this book and the Lonely Planet Guide you have the Subcontinent well covered. It is hard to find a place that one or the other book has not investigated.
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Summary: Fantastic trip through non-touridt areas of India
Review: We hav just completed an excellent three week journey through India. Much of this would simply have not been possible without the help and guidance of this excellent guide. For instance we have just come back by road from Goa to Mumbai through some very varied and interesting countryside including a trip up into the Ghats which was quite hairaising anlong narrow, twisty roads. The road conditions were such that it took us much longer than we anticipated. The Handbook did not let is down but suggested an excellent hotel at Kiplung. In addition, we found that the descriptions of the sites more than compensated for not having guides available at Orccha for instance. The only time we had problems was when we did not consult the guide sufficiently!
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Summary: Bye-bye Let's Go, Hello Footprint
Review: We started our five week tour of India with Let's Go India Nepal, and found the Footprint guide four weeks into our tour. After looking it over, we quickly realized how much detail, clarity, and completeness we were missing. We didn't open Let's Go again, other than to retrieve our bookmark. Some of the telephone numbers were slightly off, but that is par for the course in India. The correct numbers were easily located via directory assistance, which the book informed us of. We stayed at two of the highly recommended hotels between US$5 and US$6 a piece and were delighted by the overall quality and cleanliness we found. Its descriptions of some of the sights surpassed even that of our tour guide. We liked this guide so much that we now use Footprint guides for our travels wherever they are available and up to date. WARNING: The guide warns that the prices for many tourist attractions will go up on Jan 1, 2001. They actually went up on October 18, 2000. Now at most major tourist sites in India, foreigners pay the same number of dollars as Indian's pay rupees.
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