India Handbook, 18th [Hardcover]

...I'm slightly disappointed with this latest edition (18th).

First, let me say that Footprint publishes the best travel guide to India, without question. With edition number 18, they're extending a LONG tradition of bringing India to the rest of the world with fantastic cultural insight. No other guide even comes close. Not Rough Guides. Not Lonely Planet. None.

Keep in mind that I'm comparing the present edition with previous editions, which is why I dropped a star. The new (18th) edition got a good makeover from the previous (17th) edition in certain regions, but was entirely neglected in others.

Bombay (Mumbai) got a nice update this time. So did Delhi, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Gujarat, however, and despite being the fastest growing state in the country, got nothing new at all. That means that this section is not only incomplete, but is significantly out of date. Quite simply India's most rapidly transforming state, it's hard to imagine why the editors failed to write a good update for fascinating Gujarat.

So, yes, it IS an updated edition, but only partially. That said, this book is really indispensable for the European, Australian, or North American traveling to India. It's written so very well, with keen cultural and historical insight without being the least bit boring. The practical information is SPOT ON, even if a few of the listings are outdated.

What makes this book so good is that it can be read at home before you depart, in your hotel room before a long day out, or on the fly while soaking up the experience, with equal enjoyment and effectiveness. This guide also does justice to extremely difficult Kashmir by presenting the best of the state ALONG with the inevitable risks. Trekkers, take note.

Going to India and speak English? This is your book.

This guide is ok, but left me frustrated at times. The editing is pretty sloppy, leaving quite a lot of confusing and contradictory information. For example:

- mentions of festivals without dates
- mentions of sights without locations (especially when they're near train or metro stations)
- information on the roads from Leh to Manali and Srinigar appear in about 4 different places without cross references (see page...)
- for information on monsoons or other things with ranges of time, they'll give the start but not the end (starting in April...)
- bus and train times between places or road distances often don't add up, or appear differently in different places, sometimes by many hours or tens of miles or more.
- maps are often inaccurate, and have like 3 different numbering systems at once that are very confusing.
- etc, etc

The listings and descriptions are good, but they really need better proofreading, from a traveler's perspective.