Lonely Planet Great Britain Guide
New 7th Edition of the Guide to Britain: as Controversial as Ever?
May 23, 2007
Travel guides used to be a case of the bland leading the bland, especially when writing about Great Britain. Who could be less than respectful about Shakespeare, Stonehenge and Buckingham Palace? Well, a few editions ago the Lonely Planet Guide to Great Britain found itself getting acres of press coverage by criticising some of the best beauty spots and praising some unexpected places.
Knowing a good publicity wheeze when they see one, the publishers now seem to court controversy with every new edition, though the 7th edition published in May 2007 is much milder by comparison. Instead it seems to be setting itself as not so much a guidebook as a state-of-the-nation essay. It's a bit like the Queen's Speech but with attitude, although some phrases could worryingly come straight from Her Majesty's mouth: 'many are happy to revel in this diversity.' However, you can't imagine the Queen pointing out that Britain is 'the fastest growing market in the world for internet porn.'
Checking out the Buckingham Palace entry, as one does, did make me wonder if the guide had been updated as thoroughly as it might have been. The entry for the Queen's Gallery concludes by saying that it reopened in 2002 but gives the reader absolutely no idea of what's in there, other than 'displays from the extensive Royal Collection of art and treasures.' To be honest, I think I could have guessed that.
But nitpicking with guidebooks is easy, which is why we do it so readily. It's also all that you can possibly do when faced with over 1000 pages covering Britain from Shetland to the Isles of Scilly. The only true test is to lug it round the country for weeks on end, until it's battered and tattered, and see if it tells you what you need to know. I did enjoy the essay on Literature, which brings readers up-to-date with recent works by Will Self, Irvine Welsh, Monica Ali and, er, Wayne Rooney. That could be stretching the definition of Literature just a tad.
So what are some of the observations the guide makes about Britain today?
- Bath: 'the hills are knackering, the bars are snooty, the hotels are expensive...[but] it's impossible not to fall in love with this finely-wrought jewel in England's crown.'
- Cardiff: 'the epitome of cool, pulsing with a creative energy and relaxed atmosphere...'
- Leeds: 'struts across England's urban stage like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever...'
- Manchester: 'If ever London was to quite being capital...Manchester would be a readymade substitute.'
- Sherwood Forest: 'more tourists than trees.'
Well, the new Lonely Planet Guide to Great Britain is nothing if not entertaining. Bland it isn't.
The 7th Edition of the Lonely Planet Guide to Great Britain is published by Lonely Planet at £16.99 in the UK and $29.99 in the USA.
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