Lonely Planet has a kind of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ring to it. It would be cool if they in addition to calling the series Lonely Planet, they called each book “Mostly Harmless”…
Lonely Planet Taiwan: Mostly Harmless…then again, they publish 100’s of guides so maybe that phrase would be quickly worn out to the dismay of Douglas Adams fans everywhere…
just a random think.
try footprint’s guide to bali… no map of ilan in the last edition, very trying for the damned and banned.
When and where can I buy the new edition.Need some info on this.Dont wanna buy the old one if the new one comes out a month or 2 later.
It’s due out around November.
Brian
I had a look in Caves (Taipei, Zhongshan Rd. branch) three days ago but didn’t see the new edition. Has anyone seen it?
The release date for the new edition is November 15th.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/174059360X/qid=1100248138/sr=8-5/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i5_xgl14/103-2113440-5496655?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
You can buy it via LP online
[quote=“Frost”]The release date for the new edition is November 15th.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/174059360X/qid=1100248138/sr=8-5/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i5_xgl14/103-2113440-5496655?v=glance&s=books&n=507846[/quote]
The amazon site lists just one author, Mr Bender, whereas the LP site says there are three authors.
Aren’t they all co-authors, or was Andrew Bender the chief writer …and Julie Grundvig and Robert Kelly …special section writers? Can anyone clear this up here?
…and US$26 is rather steep, no? amazon brings it down to US$18. Whatever happened to ten dollar travel guides?
I thought Mucha Man was working on the new edition, non? Or have I got hold of the wrong end of the stick?
Frost,
Thanks for the info. Hopefully, I’ll be able to pick up a copy next week.
Omni,
I don’t want to hear about how you’ve been holding your stick again! Okay 
Lane119,
Yes, US$26 isn’t a cheap price, but Taiwanese books tend to be very cheap considering the quality. Plus, there isn’t that much in the way of competetion is there? I’ve bought a score or so of travel guides over the years and not once did I feel that I had wasted my money. In fact, the hassle and dollars they saved have always paid for the book after just a day or two into the trip. Money well spent I think, and not too bad as a bad souvenir.
Mucha Man is a contributer, for sure.
The three (including Muchaman) are co-authors.
Brian
[quote=“nonentity”]Speaking of the next Robert Storey…
[I met an interesting guy last night. A guy named Andrew Bender walked in…and asked to speak to me. It turns out that Lonely Planet is finally completely revamping it’s old Robert Storey version of travelling in Taiwan.
That dated version was a bible for most first time foreigners coming to Taiwan. Now they are completely rewriting it, and Andrew Bender is in Taipei for a month cruising around and eating and partying and looking and visiting and travelling and shopping and meeting and all those other things that travel writers do. What a great job. Working for Lonely Planet.
Apparently you can’t buy your way into their guides with $, but we will be in there when the edition comes out in August 2004… ]
[/quote]
So what is the writer of Lonely Planet doing going around introducing himself as such? If there is any quicker way to corrupt a travel or restaurant guide than that, what is it?
“Hi, I’m writing this guide, so just treat me like you would any common traveller…”
If the original poster (3q2u) is mistaken, apologies to Andrew Bender.
For all the stick that Robert Storey has taken here (full disclosure- he’s a good friend of mine) , he was always careful to avoid any preferential treatment- and yes, by the third edition that’s pretty hard, but you still don’t go around announcing yourself to the places you’re reviewing.
[quote=“Mike N”]
So what is the writer of Lonely Planet doing going around introducing himself as such? If there is any quicker way to corrupt a travel or restaurant guide than that, what is it?
“Hi, I’m writing this guide, so just treat me like you would any common traveller…”
If the original poster (3q2u) is mistaken, apologies to Andrew Bender.
For all the stick that Robert Storey has taken here (full disclosure- he’s a good friend of mine) , he was always careful to avoid any preferential treatment- and yes, by the third edition that’s pretty hard, but you still don’t go around announcing yourself to the places you’re reviewing.[/quote]
Maoman is not, to my best understanding, a restauranteur or publican or hotel owner. He is rather a long term expat who knows a great deal about life on this island. Any travel writer worth his salt seeks out people like that and makes a quick introduction so as not to cause revulsion and suspicion when a barrage of information seeking questions issue forth.
If you’ve been friends with RS, you know that no travel writer can stay at every hotel, or eat at every restaurant. Therefore, gaining the trust of locals is imperative. You don’t always have to reveal who you are but if you meet someone you feel is trustworthy, or you like, it is better to be honest with them. Imagine poor Maoman’s feelings if he discovered that Andrew Bender really wasn’t curious about his favorite eating spots but was just pumping him for information. 
No writer’s stupid enough to go to a restaurant he intends to eat at and announce beforehand he is here to review it. However, if he is there merely to observe the atmosphere, or to find out about the type of dishes they serve and perhaps the local food scene in general, he may wish to tell the manager who he is. It is also perfectly reasonable to introduce oneself after a meal.
When I visited hot spring hotels it was crucial that I introduced myself or the staff would not let me examine the facilities. They would just hand me a brochure and say this is what we have. A few times, when the manager was not around, this happened.
If you’ve been in Taiwan for a while you know that staff are not particularly helpful. Try going to an hotel and asking to see a single, double, triple room, with views and without. Oh, and if it is a good hotel mention you also want to see the restaurants and bars examine their menus, view the health club, and business facilities. Hao mafan! Here’s our brochure. 
Um, Mucha Man, I don’t think Mike N. was talking about Maoman. The quote came from 3q2u, the blog of the owner of a performance space/bar in Taipei. This blogger also posts on Forumosa under another name, which I won’t reveal. (It’s not me.)
Just wanted to clear that up.
According to Amazon, the book has been out for a week and a half. Has anyone seen it here yet?
I just got back from Caves where I asked about it. They said it would be here in 2 to 3 months! 
I just got back from Caves where I asked about it. They said it would be here in 2 to 3 months! [/quote]
The sales manager at LP told me that Caves ordered 200 books earlier this month and should have them by now. Perhaps the clerk who told you 2-3 months was making it up. (Imagine that in Taiwan.)
He also suggested Page One. They also order a number of books and should have them by now.
None in the main Eslite (Ren’ai-Dunhua) yet, and no one there seems to know when they’ll get any.
There’s a bucketload of the new LPs in PageOne now