The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country - Roz Hopkins

...as featuring “Every country in the world, and some others”. She was, understandably, rather confused by my statement about what these other countries actually were!

Whilst the book is a travel book (rather than a reference book or atlas) and does indeed feature every (known) country in the world it has added soem other s under the guise of artistic license. For example, various Caribbean islands and groups which are actually dependencies ...
...as does Taiwan. Neither the UK (nor Great Britain) gets an entry, but England, Wales and Scotland get their own. Northern Ireland is a notable absentee in its own right, and shares an entry as Ireland as a whole . At the back of the book is a list of dependencies and overseas territories for clarification. Also there are twelve mini entries of places the authours felt needed mentioning, although they could not justify their own full size entry. This ... more

I first saw this book in a book shop where I had flicked through it, but first got a proper look at it when a friend bought it as a gift for a mutual friend. Then I knew I had to have it. I described it to another friend as featuring “Every country in the world, and some others”. She was, understandably, rather confused by my statement about what these other countries actually were!

Whilst the book is a travel book (rather than a reference book or atlas) and does indeed feature every (known) country in the world it has added soem other s under the guise of artistic license. For example, various Caribbean islands and groups which are actually dependencies of other countries are featured. Hong Kong and Macau have both been returned to China, but get their own entries, as does Taiwan. Neither the UK (nor Great Britain) gets an entry, but England, Wales and Scotland get their own. Northern Ireland is a notable absentee in its own right, and shares an entry as Ireland as a whole . At the back of the book is a list of dependencies and overseas territories for clarification. Also there are twelve mini entries of places the authours felt needed mentioning, although they could not justify their own full size entry. This includes Gibraltar, Saint Helena and some other more obscure Island territories. My book (published Septembr 2005) is slightly out of date now that Montenegro has had independence from Serbia, as they share an entry. The book starts with a short introductory text and then there is a two page map of the world with a grid. Then each country is featured in a two page full colour spread from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe and each country gets the same treatment regardless of size or influence. The formats are similar throughout the book:

There is usually one large photograph and three to five smaller photos. They take up the whole left hand side of the page and half of the right. They are always colourful and will be the envy of any keen traveler or photographer. Often they feature local people; colourful buildings; distinctive architecture; amazing scenes of nature or something unique and quirky. England’s page for example, features a large photo of Brighton beach, with smaller photos of a seller at Brick Lane market, London; Stonehenge; Tate Modern (at an unusual angle); a Tube sign at dusk and cricketers in Northumberland.
On the right hand side is the text info. Unlike a lot of Lonely Planet books, this one is not text heavy with a few photos – this time the emphasis is on the photos, so the text is not as informative, but what is written is interesting, and often with humor. The sort of info available is as thus:

A small introduction about the country, this often mentions about the cultural mix or geographical features that make up the character of the country. This is followed by the below headings:

Best Time to Visit – Self explanatory. Mentions rainy season, warmth or cold times as appropriate. Example: Yemen “October to March…or 950 BC when the Queen of Sheba still held sway”

Essential Experiences – half a dozen or so ‘must do’ things to visit whilst you are there. These can range from the typical such as watching the sunrise over the Taj Mahal in India to the more obscure, such as diving with sea turtles in Panama. Other suggestions may include sampling local delicacies or visiting unique festivals.

Getting under the Skin - This has up to five subheadings:
Read – Recommended reading such local novel writers or an acclaimed travel book. Example: Israel “…Israeli novelist, Amoz Oz, on his country and culture”.
Listen – Local music styles or a particular musician or artist. Example: Greece “to Demis Roussos – the larger than life singer who spent the 80s strutting the world stage clad in his kaftan…”
Watch – Significant films which are either local or international and featured the country. Example: Kenya “…big screen version of Out of Africa or…Kiki Guillman’s I Dreamed of Africa”
Eat – Typical and unusual cuisines, dishes or delicacies are mentioned here. Example: Mongolia “Mutton: mutton with noodles, mutton with rice, or mutton disguised as something else”.
Drink: Local beers, fruit juices or unusual teas are often listed here. Example: Togo “tchakpallo (fermented millet with a frothy head) or palm wine”.

In A Word – usually a local greeting. Example: Macedonia “Zdravo (hello)”.

Trademarks – what the country is famous for or associated with, occasionally some surprises. Example: Czech Republic “Beer; castles; crystal; dumplings; folk art; acid rain; American students; impenetrable language”.

Surprises – a few little facts that you might not know about a country. Example: Madagascar “…Friday (associated with nobility) is considered a good day to be born…” or Trinidad “…Pitch Lake… the world’s largest supply of natural bitumen.”

After these headings is a piece of text from the appropriate Lonely Planet guide book. This is often completely random. For example, Scotland’s entry refers to the drink Irn Bru!

Below this is a two colour map of the country showing the major cities and who it shares its borders with. I find the maps a bit too simplistic; there are no rivers or mountain ranges marked, and occasionally only some large lakes. This is a shame as often these are the most famous landmark some countries have. There is also a map reference so you can find the country of the world map at the front of the book.

Also, running along the right hand side of the page (meaning you have to turn the book anti-clockwise to read it) are a few facts such as capital city, population, area (square Km) and official languages.

I absolutely love this book. It has been sitting on my coffee table for months and I often pick it up and flick through it in TV ad breaks, and lose myself before the programme starts again. Guests always pick it up and look at it and it is a great talking point. I am actually in competition with some friends as to how many places we have been to in the book. I currently stand in second place at 36, with the winner at a very impressive 62. The photos are amazing, and anyone with a keen interest in photography would probably kill to be able to take some of these shots. I would say this is an absolute must buy for any person with an interest in travel. It is, of course, frustrating that it is not financially viable to visit all these places (at least until I win the lottery jackpot) and politically not a good idea to go an visit the Blue Mosque in Mazar-e Sharif in Afghanistan, however highly recommend it is and stunning to look at. It is, of course, educational, and I have enjoyed discovering countries I was barely even aware of.

I have the paperback version which has an RRP of £20. The book has almost 450 full colour pages, and the ‘paper’ cover is actually very heavy, and is stronger than your usual paperback cover. I paid £13 on Amazon for mine, although I now believe it is about £14. Although I have a few niggles regarding the individual maps, I love this book so much that I cannot possibly give it less than five stars. 

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