Rating: 
Summary: What can you believe?
Review: As a member of what the authors call the "culturally oblivious" U. S. Military, I am not sure what to think about the repeated anti-American statements in the book. One the one hand, they certainly have a right to dislike me and what I stand for. On the other hand, if they will print some pretty bizarre rumors (Korean War casualties hidden in Greenland?) I begin to wonder what attitude they bring to more mundane matters like lodging recommendations. At any rate, service people and veterans, who seem to make up a significant portion of the people who are interested in the Artic regions, should expect to be treated pretty roughly in this guide.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent as always, but with an evident author's partiality
Review: As always, Lonely Planet provides excellent and authoritative up-to-date guidebooks, and such an endeavour deserves no less than four stars. Yet, even the best guidebook writers can commit errors and flaws. In this particular guidebook, I find a strong and definite partiality by the author, positively biased towards the places and peoples he writes about. It is of course understandable, that an author would like her or his area of coverage to be the nicest in the world, with the most marvelous people, and everything else wonderful. Unfortunately this is not always the case. And it is certainly not the case for this particular part of the world. Indeed, it would be far worse and horrible, if the author were biased against - rather than in favour of - the people and land they are writing about (which is rare, but happened in the Armenia chapter of the LP guide on Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan). So, here once again we find a great LP guidebook, but which turns a particular part of part of the world into the most fantastic thing on Earth, without flaws or bad sides to it - which unfortunately is not the case. Iceland may be a nice country, but Reykjavík is one of the most boring and ugly cities I ever found, and Icelandics can be very introverted and stiff. Nature of course is beautiful, but it is not found everywhere on the island. Greenland is also nice, but the author seriously fails to mention - among other things - that Kangerlussuaq (the only international hub, to where you are bound to fly if you come from Copenhagen) is no more than an airport and some old military barracks, and its population of 400 souls are all airport staff ! So I planned a nice couple of days in Greenland, and that is where I found myself for a good start... The Faroe islands also offer some beautiful sights, but I really did not find it any more interesting than Ireland or Scotland or so many places in continental Northern Europe or Scandinavia. The capital city, Tórshavn, is probably one of the most boring places on this planet, full of locals getting drunk and being nasty to visitors. I found the Faroese people (described as very "warm" in the book) to be the most rude and cold I have ever met - and I have been to 157 countries so far ! I would therefore recommend readers to buy this guidebook nevertheless, but take its enthusiasm with extreme caution. First of all, by all means, do not set off to that part of the world just because you are captivated by this book. Secondly, once you do get there, do not take everything in the book for granted, and try and use other sources (local tourist offices are usually helpful, as they are run by the state). This book is an excellent tool of publicity for the region, and I cannot blame the author for falling in love with it, but readers should be warned of the book's excessively positive coverage of just about everything.
Rating: 
Summary: A bit sterile...
Review: Being a Lonely Planet devotee, I was actually quite disappointed with this book. No more than the most rudimentary information, even about Rejkyavik, was presented. This made actually deciding what to see in Iceland particularly difficult - everything was listed, but there where no subjective judgements as to what was the most worthwhile use of a traveller's time and budget. And budget is a very important thing to consider when travelling to Iceland, as it is eye-poppingly expensive.There are some interesting anecdotes, and the pictures are lovely, but real guidance was lacking.
Rating:
Summary: As solid as can be expected for unusual destinations
Review: Despite the availability of internet resources, I think a printed guidebook is particularly helpful for unusual destinations such as these because it puts the hard-to-find information in one place under your fingertips. I used the previous edition of this book to take a week long trip to Greenland in January 2001. Even though a winter excursion to the Arctic is not a common vacation plan, this book told me how much sunlight to expect at what latitudes, estimated prices for air travel between towns, what sort of unpredictability to expect in the Arctic, whether or not it was feasible to do coastal travel by boat in the winter, the best times to see the aurora borealis, and the extent to which dog sleds are used as a 'normal' form of transportation, just to name a few. Of course it also provided detailed descriptions of towns which helped me choose my final destination. While providing the standard Lonely Planet maps, listings of places to stay, currency exchange options, restaurants, and whatnot, this particular guide also provides a healthy dose of reality. It makes clear that some places are quite difficult to visit unless you are well financed, and yet it also provides starting points for the extremely determined. Contrary to previous criticism, the previous edition (published in 1997) does in fact acknowledge the existence of the internet, providing email addresses and websites for further information. I can only imagine that this updated version is more complete. To quickly address the negative feedback that the guide is "outdated", please note the publication date of May 2001. That is quite current for any guide book. I do not think this book or say, "Lonely Planet : Antarctica" should be compared to the other Lonely Planet guides for the simple reason that the locales are some of the most remote on our planet with limited accessibility and unpredictable weather patterns. It's not nearly as easy for a writer or photographer to hop a jet to the Arctic as it is to Europe or Latin America. And once the person is there, he or she does not always have the luxury of roads or regular plane service to travel to the next destination. A person could end up waiting a week in northern Canada (as I did) to hop a plane to the next town on the itinerary. Furthermore, these are "niche" guidebooks which appeal to a very limited percentage of travelers. For economic reasons, they are not as likely to be frequently updated because the readership is not as substantial. My only criticism is as follows: because Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands are fairly remote destinations, I think there should be a deeper emphasis on what activities are available upon arrival, other than hiking, sightseeing, or organized tours. While the natural wonder of the area is amazing, the local cultures have just as much to offer. Furthermore, the Arctic can be a lonely place, even when you have traveling companions. Someone spending a few weeks in these northern wonderlands could benefit from more advice on how to best interact with the locals who spend their lives there.
Rating:
Summary: An essential planning tool
Review: Having travelled to Iceland twice and purchased/read three different Iceland travel books, I wholeheartedly recommend LP's book over the others. Although some folks prefer not to plan their trips ahead of time, the high cost of travel in Iceland combined with early sellouts of daytrips outside of Reykjavik necessitate some planning before arrival. This book contains more of the relevant details than the others. While other books have more pictures, LP Iceland is the only one I've seen that contains enough specific facts on where to inquire about activities/meals/daytrips/etc to keep from wasting 1-2 expensive days after arrival figuring out what to do. The additional sections on daytrips to Greenland and the Faroes are also particularly useful as planning tools.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent resource.
Review: I am an Earth Science teacher and was a bit intimidated about going to Iceland: a real hotspot of geological activity. The information contained in the LP made navigating much easier and helped me to understand the culture. Don't be fooled: Iceland is a very expensive place to visit, but the LP helped me to budget my resources efficiently.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Guide-best choice on the market
Review: I bought this book just before I came to live in Iceland and it has helped tremendously. I never leave the house without it, because it has everything from off-season places to eat/stay and buy gas, to cultural stories about random places as you're driving around. The guide will help whether you just want to do the touristy stuff, or if you want to get off the beaten path. Some of the info on restaurants and hotels has changed, and it should maybe be updated again. Definitely worth buying. Recommend picking up a road atlas at one of the chain bookstores when you get here. Internet access also a plus when you travel for up-to-date weather and road info, especially in the winter.
Rating:
Summary: Never leave home without it
Review: I count on Lonely Planet to help make my travels a success. This book is another winner.
Rating:
Summary: Indispensable
Review: I don't think this book ever left my hand from the moment I stepped off the plane at Keflavik Airport until I loaded my bags into the Flybus for the return trip. This was the only book I was able to find specifically on Iceland, with enough information on Reykjavik and the surrounding towns to give me a little confidence while exploring this breathtaking land. The section on South Central Iceland is a must read for anyone planning to see the Golden Circle.
Rating:
Summary: Icelandic History
Review: I have for sometime been an enthusiatic user of Lonely Planet guides for travels in Asia and in Europe. The guides I have used have been excellent sources, not only about the countries and their people but of the historical perspectives on how the country became what it is. For this reason, I was disappointed with the contents of the Facts about Iceland section of the Lonely Planet Iceland Guide. Throughout the guide, there are political biased and incorrect statements about Iceland's recent history, especially regarding Iceland's relations with the United States. Regarding the Post -Indepence section of the guide, American troops stayed on a Keflavik after the end of the war by treaty, mutually arrived at by the two governments. The American forces had come to Iceland by invitation of the Icelandic Government during WordWar II to preserve their security. Iceland has never had armed forces of her own. Iceland willingly became a member of NATO to serve her own interests,especially regarding security during the Cold War. There are other politically biased and incorrect statements in the guide regarding this time period. I e-mailed what I thought was a polite message to Lonely Planet advising them to have another look at their history sections, but I received no reply. I, and I suspect a lot of others, feel that a travel guide should not be a political forum.
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