Places to See Before You Die

Boring! ( )

This 1,200 page book isn’t the kind of book you read through--it’s more one you browse. Subtitled “a traveler’s life list” it has entries for those 1,000 choice places around the world, complete with places to stay, to eat, attractions and tour operators and their websites, phone numbers, and current prices. What I looked at is the recent 2011 second edition--the first edition was published back in 2003. Schultz writes that she considered the second edition a revision that she considers “an entirely new book.” This one boasts an internet site (www.1000places.com) where you can access thematic lists. The door-stopper tome “divided the world into 8 regions, which are further subdivided geographically... entries are further divided by country and within each regionally.” On the contents page there are 40 counties listed for Europe, 20 for Africa, 10 for the Middle East, 24 for Asia, 11 under “Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Ocean,” 12 for Latin America, 28 for “The Caribbean, The Bahamas and Bermuda” and a substantial portion devoted to “The United States and Canada” divided by state and province.

I don’t know that this is a great book for an armchair traveler. It’s too... much a yellow pages for that, but I did enjoy browsing it. I was first pulled into looking up the places I had been--as it turned out around 30 of those thousand listed places, 8 in Europe (in England, Italy, Greece) and 23 in North America--if you include my hometown of New York City. It’s amazing how little I remember about some of those places I’m sure I visited. I was only 14 when I visited England. I can’t even remember if I ever made it to Buckingham Palace or the Tower of London--what I remember best of London is that delicious chocolate cake served with cream poured over it--and the plays I saw at West End. I remember Bath and Stratford-Upon-Avon much better (and Stonehenge I only got to see from a distance). But reading this book made me want to go back again. Greece is a complete blur--we saw “The Acropolis” (which gets its own entry) only from a distance. Rome and Florence? All I can tell you is reading this now I want to go back! That’s the primary emotion felt reading this--looking backward and wishing I got more out of where I had traveled rather than wanderlust looking at all the places I’ve never been, and probably never will. For a bucket list, the book isn’t evocative enough for that. Oh, and would you believe there are some attractions listed in New York City, I, a native, have never seen? At least those are only a subway fare away. ( )

A straighforward account of geographic history. Informative and well-written.

A nice list to browse and get ideas. However, the restaurants and hotels are very pricey and not that unique. Far too many resorts, for I don't want to go to any of them before I die--Disney is enough. Give me historical off the beaten path burgs with bed and breakfasts! ( )

The one that started it all. Yes, right now there are scores about books around that list just about any place, train journey, island, golf course, late night diner you have to see before you die, but this is the mother of it all and as such has my full respects even though some of the books that followed it have actually done a better job. This is a very handy compilation of places to visit. So when you're going somewhere just for a day or two there really is little need to purchase yet another guide book, but just have a quick look into this book for some inspiration and then follow your instincts for the rest of the time.
Yes, list books are by its very nature subjective, so I am not going to argue as to what else should have been included, but I do feel that the emphasis here is far too much on hotel and restaurant experience.
Still a great book to have around. ( )