European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 22, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Daily Magazine photo by Lynda Sparks Mark Retzlaff browses through travel a guide to the by Linda White travel editor once there was a Man who read guide he read them so and so that he never lifted his eyes to see what he was Reading he knew that the City Wall around has 88 bastions and towers and that Switzerland Jungfrau Joch towers feet but he never Rev eled in the Sunset at either the Cit Yor the an extreme you but with the flood of guide books on the it is easy to get so bogged Down in Reading that you miss some of the fun of the Best bet is to select a couple of Good read them before you and take along the you might even want to clip out the Section that you need for the Staple it and slip it Back Between the covers when you with All the specially guidebooks in print these you can probably find one that is tailor made for there Are shoppers food lovers sports mens rail hotel Chapie guides and luxury but some of the Best guidebooks Are not guidebooks at All they Are Travelous or they Seldom give hints about but that is the easiest information to they May have been written a Century but there Are classics among them that Are among the Best Are Venice observed by Mary my the colossus of Maroussis by Henry Goethe italian the greek islands by Law rence Durrell and a considerable town the town is Marseille by Heinrich Henry Miller and Lawrence have written fascinating travel a there Are Many As for the True there Are Many reliable names the Blue guides and Baedeker among but sometimes Only locally Are also the larger the area covered by a the less detailed the information will decide if you need a general Survey or a Book to take you step by Good guidebooks Are not so browse through several before you pick one to take with guidebooks Are too old ones May make interesting read but for update at least every five Here is a Survey of a few of the bes known most Are available in the stars and stripes not All Are sold in every Bookstore the More localized guides will be available in the areas they Are if the Bookstore Doest have what you ask for a special Michelin the Green guides Are for sightseeing and the red guides Are for hotels and Miche Lin stars for rating restaurants and sights Are still the most despite attempts by other books to get into the rating and Are extremely the Green books hit the High Points and Are designed especially for car but Are Topnotch for the a they Are available in English for most Western european with separate books for various re Gions of London and Paris have their own Green Fedors Good Basic with Brief sur Veys of culture and the chatty style is easy to read and packed with it covers getting around by All types of night the weather and hotels and Frommert the old series keeps get Ting i have found that its As cheap to travel with any other this one relies heavily on tips from it is Good for such things As where to find a self service laundromat in countries where they dont exist on every lets go this budget guide is fast stealing the Thunder from it is Strong on How to get hotels and Bare basics on the i have met a number of americans on trains who swear by Fieldings the Book packs in information with tight is heavy on hotel ratings with there is also an Economy Europe a selective shopping guide to chock full of markets and mail order and a Europe with children guide which has lots of Good ideas for family Baedecker this reliable Book has been around for years its information is Brief and to the bae Decker is available both in country and City As a there Are big foldout maps tucked into the plus Small maps inside the pages of such sights As Parks and the Well known phrasebook maker puts out a series of min books for the bigger an alphabetical Section of practical tips in the Back includes use Ful and everything from where to find baby Sitters to where to find menu master this series consists of phrase books with a specially food and dishes Are categorized for Quick but problems often crop up with dialect or localized names for Sunset discovery trips this up dated has some Good ideas for places off the beaten tourist it is especially Good for begin Ning but after a few you will find your military living designed for military and retired the books Are encyclopedias of Tempo Rary military lodging and space a tips for travel the world phrasebooks these can be Handy if you have the space to carry but i have always found a Small dictionary is More the phrases trans lated in the books never seem to apply to the and words usually work better than individual books not All Good guidebooks come in some of the Good on shot guides Are a food lovers guide to eur rail Europe wonderful Little hotels and inns and the wine roads of Check out such titles As Day trips from Lon Don and Britain by Brit working published annually by the Cen trial Bureau for educational visits and sey Mour London w1h is one of the Best for tips on How to work your Way around the Book is in its 33rd in addition to regular there Are plenty of atlases from Road atlases to ski Auto clubs Are Good sources for As Well As for camping picture Book while not actually practical Are a Good source of inspiration for they also make Good souvenirs and among them Are great great palaces and great cities of the read As much As possible about a place before going there it saves time and frustration because you know exactly what you want to look for once you but once explore local bookshops and take a look at the offerings of the local tourist information those Are the Best places to find tips about the about the things that there is not enough space for in a generalized and dont forget the a Good map is More than a network of it will Mark Scenic Sites of Many maps also contain Short paragraphs about the main May the stars and stripes Page 13