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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8948
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
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Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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Baja guidebook plagerism?
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSSYD21440120080413
A writer for the Lonely Planet guidebook series admitted that he didn't even travel to some of the countries that he submitted information for in his
books. I have not read the Lonely Planet guidebook on Baja (if there is one), but the author is such an important aspect of the guidebook. I hope we
never have this happen to us since Baja (Norte and Sur) are such large states and receiving bad info would suck.
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DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 10020
Registered: 12-17-2004
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What is even worse, IMHO, are maps that don't have a clue. We lost all faith in AAA maps after living in Central America. Their map was not only
incorrect, it was dangerous.
It showed dirt roads as major highways, and some highways that did not exist at all. Our favorite was one road they showed out to the east coast of
Honduras that was a swamp---not even a trail.
Tour books should, IMHO, always been taken with a grain of salt. We have used the Lonely Planet books for a number of countries, but only as a guide.
Things change quickly.
The information in the Lonely Planet for Baja is interesting and some of it is quite good---again, it is just a guide. It is certainly not something
one would use for the real off-road adventures.
Diane
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
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Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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I was amazed that this book could be had for just 1 penny!?!
Amazon - Baja Guidebook for 1 cent.
[Edited on 4-13-2008 by Ken Cooke]
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DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 10020
Registered: 12-17-2004
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That is not the Lonely Planet one we have used in the past. I guess we just can't be too harsh on the Lonely Planet because it did lead us to some
places we really loved.
Mission San Javier
Agua Verde
and the dirt road from La Purisima back to Highway 1
and more.
So while it is not perfect, combined with other information, it is a valuable resource. But I guess we are biased since we have also used the Lonely
Panet series for the mainland of Mexico and countries in Central and South America and have not been disappointed.
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8948
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
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Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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My "Colombia" and "Peru" Lonely Planet guidebooks have been accurate. No complaints.
The Lonely Planet writer [Thomas Kohnstamm] produced a critique on the travel guidebook industry with, "Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?: A Swashbuckling
Tale of High Adventures, Questionable Ethics, and Professional Hedonism"
Review
After pursuing an advanced degree in Latin American studies, Kohnstamm reluctantly took a position as a researcher at a large Wall Street firm. The
restless author quickly tired of the corporate drudgery and, after some hesitation, accepted an assignment to update Lonely Planet's guidebook on
Brazil. The resulting book (a "chronicle [of] events that took me from bourgeoisie working stiff with a repressed travel habit to a full-time
mercenary travel hack, with all the good, bad, and surreal chit that it entails") is a wonderfully picaresque journey through the vibrant Brazilian
landscape. Following a marathon bender through the streets of Manhattan with his friend, "the Doctor" (one of the book's many parallels to the work of
Hunter S. Thompson), Kohnstamm departed for Rio de Janeiro with little more than his laptop and a few changes of clothes. He awoke the first morning
in bed with Inga, a Lufthansa stewardess who proved to be one of many female companions bedded by Kohnstamm, who comes off here as quite the Casanova.
Amidst the hard partying and endless nights, however, the author began to realize the difficulty of gathering adequate information about the countless
locales he must visit. With his paltry funds dwindling, he reached out to previous Lonely Planet scribes, most of whom were far from reassuring:
"Remember that if you are in your room at night writing, you aren't doing enough bar research." Along the way he befriended numerous memorable
characters: Nils, a baggage handler from Copenhagen and singer for a grunge band, Synthetic Jesus; Inara, a Brazilian beauty who shares an apartment
with the author for a couple of weeks (and who turns out to be a prostitute of sorts); Otto, formerly of the Israeli Defense Force; Mr. Yay, so named
for his prodigious coke habit; and Bobby, from whom the author buys Ecstasy tablets in an effort to make some quick cash. Readers will relish the
countless stories of the author's misadventures, but Kohnstamm brings more than just anecdotes: He offers a solid understanding of the mechanics of
the travel-writing industry and a unique ability to illuminate that world to readers.
Notable for its spirited prose and insightful exploration of the less-romantic side of travel writing. Kohnstamm is one to watch.
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Mango
Senior Nomad
Posts: 685
Registered: 4-11-2006
Location: Alta California &/or Mexicali
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Mood: Bajatastic
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I've had generally good experience with Lonely Planet Guidebooks("Mexico", "Yucatan, Guatemala & Belize"); although, I once met a fellow traveler
who told me about an author for Lonely Planet that he met that was writing up stuff merely from brochures out in the field. The writer told my
traveler friend that there was no way they could go/see/do everything listed in the book and that they often just update sections.
I have used Moon guidebooks ("Mexico City", "Oaxaca", and "Baja") and have a few others by other publishers. I've found the culture/history write-ups
in the Moon guides to be more complete than the LP; but, the Moon guide often seem to list only the more pricey places to stay and eat.
When traveling by bus, the LP guidebooks are the way to go. They have the best information about time, approximate cost, available bus lines, and bus
station locations of any guidebook I have.
I also have a Blue Guide to Mexico, which has great information about architecture, culture, and history of Mexico; but nothing about places to stay
or eat and does not have a single photo in the whole book. It's great when cross referencing and researching at home; but, I leave it home every
time.
As others have said. You really have to take guidebooks with a grain of salt. I've often arrived at a little town to find four or five people
-guidebooks in hand- at the same little hotel that was a hidden gem and was cheap.. and now expensive and booked full. Now I usually just goto the
center of town, refer to my guidebook for a few options, and shop for a good hotel. I almost always ask to see a room first and will often visit 2 or
3 hotels in one little neighborhood before I settle on one. Often a much better room can be had for less just by looking or asking around.
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bajajudy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6886
Registered: 10-4-2004
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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Ken
Just to set the record straight, the cover of the guide book that you have inserted is the 7th edition. Getting the 4th edition for a cent is hardly
a deal.
I cant comment on whether the author went every place in the book but he has a wonderful section on characters from Baja in the front of the book
which includes Coco, Juanita in San Ignacio, to name a few.
The edition that you have pictured seems accurate and it is the most recent guide book on Baja available at this time. We feel that it is Lonely
Planet's best effort on Baja to date.
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Oso
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2637
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: on da border
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Mood: wait and see
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I've misplaced the LP guide to Baja many years ago but I remember two things; one was a sniffing anti-hunter comment about San Quintin and the gringos
who go there to murder Brandt, the other was in regard to La Bufadora- "Everyone goes there. No one knows why."
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64946
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Too bad they don't make 'em as good as this one was (1956-1970).
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8948
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
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Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajajudy
Ken
Just to set the record straight, the cover of the guide book that you have inserted is the 7th edition. Getting the 4th edition for a cent is hardly
a deal. |
Thanks for clarifying that. I remember seeing the 7th edition at the Barnes and Noble bookstore, while I was purchasing the Peru guidebook. I'll
keep an eye open for the 7th edition in the future.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64946
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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The Cliff Cross Baja Guide (1970-1974) was very popular and had 'bird's eye view' maps that everyone could read and see the area.
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8948
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
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Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Too bad they don't make 'em as good as this one was (1956-1970). |
Thanks for recommending this title to me, David. Its definitely the original, and you can feel the 1950s dust hanging in the air while the writer
painstakingly entered every word on his typewriter.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64946
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Tom Miller was known as 'Sr. Baja' with his highly successful series 'The Baja Book' 1974 (first edition). It used satellite photograhs as a base for
the maps. Tom co-authored three editions (1974, 1979, 1987) and after he passed away, Ginger Potter produced the final edition 'Baja Book IV' in 1996.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64946
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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La Siesta Publications owner and backcountry writer Walt Wheelock worked with Howard Gulick and updated the Lower California Guidebook to include the
new highways and changes in Baja... and renamed the title, in 1975:
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Ken Bondy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3326
Registered: 12-13-2002
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Mood: Mellow
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Here's another good one, particularly for pilots, published first in 1974. I discovered San Francisquito from this book:
[Edited on 4-13-2008 by Ken Bondy]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64946
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Thanks Ken... my copy has lost the cover and is pretty well in pieces... but tons of aerial photos, for sure!
Speaking of aerial photos... the pilots had a great friend in Arnold Senterfitt with his many editions of 'Airports of Baja'!
Here is my 1972 edition:
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64946
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Jim Hunter's 1977 book was a great guide to off road Baja... Many, many off highway roads not found in other guidebooks made 'Offbeat Baja' a great
aid in seeing more of the peninsula. The roads to Mision Santa Maria, the Concepcion Bay peninsula, the remote Pacific (7 sisters), and many more were
well described...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64946
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Another great specialty guide is Patti and Tom Higginbotham's 1996 'Backroad Baja' covering many great side trips in central Baja from Bahia de los
Angeles to Bahia Agua Verde and west to the Pacific...
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8948
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Another great specialty guide is Patti and Tom Higginbotham's 1996 'Backroad Baja' covering many great side trips in central Baja from Bahia de los
Angeles to Bahia Agua Verde and west to the Pacific... |
Backroad Baja is so personalized by the authors, there's no way they could have plagerized it.
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Mango
Senior Nomad
Posts: 685
Registered: 4-11-2006
Location: Alta California &/or Mexicali
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Mood: Bajatastic
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David K, as always I'm impressed with your vast collection of books regarding Baja.
As I'm sure many of us have found out over the years... there really is no single guidebook that covers it all and covers it adequately for every
purpose and person.
I am sure almost everyone regularly refers to multiple books and maps before each trip. It's all part of the fun. Ogling over various maps,
researching where that mystery road goes to that you past by on a previous trip, figuring out why that church only had one tower, etc... It's all
about collecting information on the current and past conditions and history of places we have been or hope to be at soon.
Thanks again everyone for sharing. I regularly find many hidden gems and information here at Baja Nomad.
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