Fodor's Exploring London, 5th Edition


Book Description

"Alentejo Blue is the story of the Portuguese village of Mamarrosa, told through the lives of those who live there and those who are passing through - men and women, children and old people, locals, tourists and expatriates." "For some, such as Teresa, a beautiful, dreamy village girl, it is a place from which to escape; for others - the dysfunctional Potts family - it is a way of running from trouble (but not eluding it). Vasco, a cafe owner who has never recovered from the death of his American wife, clings to a notion that his years in the USA make him superior to the other villagers. One English tourist makes Mamarrosa the subject of her fantasy of a new life, while for her compatriots, a young engaged couple, Mamarrosa is where their dreams finally fall apart." "At the book's opening an old man reflects on his long and troubled life in this beautiful and seemingly tranquil setting, and anticipates the return of Marco Afonso Rodrigues, the prodigal son of the village and a symbol of this now fast-changing world. The homecoming is the subject of continuing speculation, and when Marco Afonso Rodrigues does finally appear, villagers, tourists and expatriates are brought together and their jealousies, passions and disappointments must inevitably collide."--BOOK JACKET.




Forthcoming Books


Book Description




Fodor's Exploring Italy, 5th Edition


Book Description

"Alentejo Blue is the story of the Portuguese village of Mamarrosa, told through the lives of those who live there and those who are passing through - men and women, children and old people, locals, tourists and expatriates." "For some, such as Teresa, a beautiful, dreamy village girl, it is a place from which to escape; for others - the dysfunctional Potts family - it is a way of running from trouble (but not eluding it). Vasco, a cafe owner who has never recovered from the death of his American wife, clings to a notion that his years in the USA make him superior to the other villagers. One English tourist makes Mamarrosa the subject of her fantasy of a new life, while for her compatriots, a young engaged couple, Mamarrosa is where their dreams finally fall apart." "At the book's opening an old man reflects on his long and troubled life in this beautiful and seemingly tranquil setting, and anticipates the return of Marco Afonso Rodrigues, the prodigal son of the village and a symbol of this now fast-changing world. The homecoming is the subject of continuing speculation, and when Marco Afonso Rodrigues does finally appear, villagers, tourists and expatriates are brought together and their jealousies, passions and disappointments must inevitably collide."--BOOK JACKET.




Directories in Print


Book Description




Fodor's Rome, 5th Edition


Book Description

Exploring Rome, dining, lodging, nightlife and the arts, outdoor activities and sports, shopping side trips from Rome, Italian vocabulary, conversion chart, and menu guide.




Fodor's Exploring Ireland, 5th


Book Description

Covering destinations around the world, these guides are loaded with photos; essays on culture and history, architecture and art; itineraries, walks and excursions; descriptions of sights; and practical information. Fodor's Exploring Ireland gives you great tips on dining and lodging for all budgets as well as tips on basics such as getting there and getting around and when to go and what to pack.




Tours of Vietnam


Book Description

In Tours of Vietnam, Scott Laderman demonstrates how tourist literature has shaped Americans’ understanding of Vietnam and projections of United States power since the mid-twentieth century. Laderman analyzes portrayals of Vietnam’s land, history, culture, economy, and people in travel narratives, U.S. military guides, and tourist guidebooks, pamphlets, and brochures. Whether implying that Vietnamese women were in need of saving by “manly” American military power or celebrating the neoliberal reforms Vietnam implemented in the 1980s, ostensibly neutral guides have repeatedly represented events, particularly those related to the Vietnam War, in ways that favor the global ambitions of the United States. Tracing a history of ideological assertions embedded in travel discourse, Laderman analyzes the use of tourism in the Republic of Vietnam as a form of Cold War cultural diplomacy by a fledgling state that, according to one pamphlet published by the Vietnamese tourism authorities, was joining the “family of free nations.” He chronicles the evolution of the Defense Department pocket guides to Vietnam, the first of which, published in 1963, promoted military service in Southeast Asia by touting the exciting opportunities offered by Vietnam to sightsee, swim, hunt, and water-ski. Laderman points out that, despite historians’ ongoing and well-documented uncertainty about the facts of the 1968 “Hue Massacre” during the National Liberation Front’s occupation of the former imperial capital, the incident often appears in English-language guidebooks as a settled narrative of revolutionary Vietnamese atrocity. And turning to the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, he notes that, while most contemporary accounts concede that the United States perpetrated gruesome acts of violence in Vietnam, many tourists and travel writers still dismiss the museum’s display of that record as little more than “propaganda.”




The Cumulative Book Index


Book Description

A world list of books in the English language.







Fodor's London Companion


Book Description

Completely updated and revised, this guide is an insider's in-depth companion to Fodor's standard gold guide, written in a personal, conversational style by life-long London resident Nicholson. Reveals hidden aspects of the city to even the most experienced traveler through extensive exploring tours, special insider information, and wonderful background details.