Everybody has his or her own way of looking at a book up for review - and if you have to provide comparable reviews of guidebooks you better make sure to establish some "standards" as soon as possible. To help you understand my guide reviews of travel guides to Ireland better, here is a short run-down of the things I am looking for.
Up to Date?
My first glance always goes for the info when the book was actually printed - or even better when the cut-off date for the inclusion of information was. Occasionally guides claiming to be the "2007 edition" actually give you a 2005 contents.
Whether this has any major relevance is another question. Most information is actually timeless within a certain framework. Other information simply cannot be included in a printed guide, the collapse of a stairway in the Natural History Museum and subsequent temporary closure being a prime example. But where attractions are mentioned that have been closed for good for some time things get hairy - visitors with kids looking for the National Wax Museum or the Viking Dublin attraction are heading for disaster.
Images and Illustrations
The first question has to be whether the guidebook wants to be "visual" at all or whether images and illustrations are playing second fiddle to the text. Obviously I will look at illustrations in "visual" guides in more depth. For both quality and choice.
And again the question of "are they up to date" arises - the number of guidebooks using obviously out-dated images is low, but some stock photos should be retired as soon as possible. A prime example are views of O'Connell Street before the massive re-built and the erection of the Spire.
Maps
Maps are a sore point with me - I subscribe to the view that almost no map provided in a guidebook is really good. They are simply too small to be of real use. Detail maps of smaller areas being the obvious exception. Unless you stick to the most-traveled routes you should get comprehensive, detailed maps in addition to your guidebook.
Typeface
This is not a question of taste but of readability - if you need excellent light and a magnifying glass to read a guidebook it is useless in many situations.
General Layout
Again less about taste than about how you "navigate" a book. Will you get the important information first, quick and at a glance? Or will you have to wade through sidebars, inserts and graphic gimmicks to find it? And is there a workable index?
"Completeness"
{p]Is everything in the book or are important parts missing?One pet hate of mine are guidebooks that emphasize politics instead of reason. Ireland is an island, a fairly small geographical area that belongs together from every point of view ... except the political. Since the partition Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, true. Yet it makes no sense at all to perpetuate this partition for tourism purposes. Any guidebooks that leave out the six counties in the Northeast are incomplete.
Obvious Blunders
Apart from out-of-date information (it happens ... print is a slow medium), other blunders may influence a review.
Binding and Paper Quality
If a guidebook falls apart after you leaf through it once it is simply trash. It should at least survive your holiday more or less intact.
Size and Weight
Let's face it - an illustrated coffee-table volume on Ireland is all nice and well until you pay excess baggage charges for it. And it might not really fit into the pockets of your coat either. If you want to pack lightly, you should have a look at these factors as well.
Would I Feel Comfortable Using this Book?
Note the "I" in the sentence - this is where gut feeling comes in. Sometimes a guidebook just doesn’t "feel" right. For instance when several minor niggles spoil the overall impression.
Feel Free to Disagree
You don’t agree with a review? Feel free to defend or condemn in the forum - your views are welcome as long as you keep it factual and are not aiming at blatant promotion of an unrelated product.
