This is a superior travel atlas, with easy-to-read maps of anywhere you would like to travel within Indonesia. Handy travel hints and highlighted points of interest. This is the perfect companion to your Lonely Planet guide. My only problem is with the less than sturdy binding; future editions (and all travel atlases) should have a strong binding and more travel-ready front and back cover. I've laminated all of the pages for my travels, and it's held up very well.

This book is indispensible for scholars researching the transmission of the Mahabharata from India to Indonesia. I cannot recommend this book too highly. The translator begins with a listing of various manuscripts and their histories. The translation section has the Kawi text on the left pages and the english translation on the right along with verse numbers. This book is a must for serious students of the Mahbharata and of Wayang. It's really worth the money

I like phrasebooks and dictionaries, but the one thing that surprised me was when I took this little book to Bali. Practically everything I needed to know or look up... was in there! However it was managed, the choice of words to include was very practical.

This book is for those who are very interested in digging deeper into the culture and daily lifestyle of Thailand and its people. It is more than just a toursist guide to the highlights of the country. The book explains the history behind many of the cultural traditions we see in Thailand today. It is wonderfully expressive in talking about the daily lives of the average Thai person. How religion effects their daily lives. It is a great book and well worth reading if you want to begin to understand the real life of a Thai person and their culture. It is one of the favorite books I have on my bookshelf.

This is the guide that I read and reread before my first trip to Burma. The incisive text and wonderful photographs enabled me to more fully comprehend the nature of the country and its people. When at last I arrived in Burma, I felt informed. No one could ask for more than that. Had I not read the text, the photojournalism alone would have provided sufficient knowledge of the country. This truly is an "insightful guide." A word of caution: one would be well advised to seek out more concrete and specific information regarding hotels and restaurants as I found the yellow pages at the back of the book to be somewhat outdated.

Insight Guides are generally worth buying for the pictures alone, and the Burma/Myanmar volume is no exception. Background sections are generally good, although there is not much on Buddhism or nat worship (these topics are filled out more in connection with individual sites, however). Covers the entire country (unlike the Odyssey guide). Although it is sometimes a little dry, this guide manages to convey virtually all of the facts you will need about each place you visit, along with the associated mythology, significance of the site, and so on.

This guide is detailed but still manages to fit into a small size. The maps are very useful.

This is an easy-to-use dictionary and is very comprehensive for a small dictionary. I'm learning Vietnamese to prepare to live there for a fews years, so my needs may more advanced than those of someone visiting Vietnam for 2 weeks. This is the best Vietnamese dictionary out of the 6 or 7 I've tried.

This book has current words in politics and basic computer terms. I tested it with words like "keyboard", "computer games", and "server" and found good translations for all of these. It also has basic American slang. However, it doesn't have "router", "ISP", "chemical weapon", or "bilateral trade agreement".

There is an English-to-Vietnamese section and Vietnamese-to-English, so it would be useful for native speakers of either language.

My friend and I picked it up on a lark and she (non-Thai) started reading the phrases, and I (Thai) was able to understand perfectly. It's small fits-in-your-pocket size is toteable, accessible and the phrases range from the utterly useful to the hilariously absurd. You will speak understandable Thai, EFFORTLESSLY, and it will be fun, and you will be amazed. I've looked at dozens of these, and for quick and easy fun, and some good doses of usefulness, this is the one you MUST have.

This book is an excellent introduction to the complexities of the Vietnam war. It is particularly strong on the subject of South Vietnamese politics, though it makes clear that the American side was the more byzantine. In particular the book indicts both military and civilian advisors to LBJ. It is thinnest on the activities and motivations of the enemy.