In general I favor Lonely Planet and Frommer's, but of course they
vary from place to place and everyone's interests are different. I've
found extremely valuable tips in just about every guidebook series at
least once.

Lonely Planet is the best for independent travel logistics, and for
low-budget travel. I love the way they're organized. They do list mid-
and upper-price restaurants, but their heart really isn't in that. LP
is also the most fun to read. And it has the best maps.

Moon Publications ("the ___ Handbook") is similar to LP. Depending on
the freshness of the guide and the particular authors involved,
sometimes it's better. But I prefer LP's format and writing.

The Rough Guides and Let's Go also emphasize budget travel. I'd rate
Rough Guides 3rd in this market and Let's Go an amateurish 4th. But
again, I've had trips greatly enhanced by info I've found in each of
these.

Frommer's is best for mid-range hotels and restaurants. For major
cities you can also get their listings on the web. Fodor's is similar,
but not as reliable or comprehensive.

Access Guides is great for wandering in cities (e.g., Paris).

Insight Guides can be fun for photos and background, and may help you
choose areas you want to visit.

And of course there are special-purpose guides for one or a few
destinations (e.g., Guide Michelin, Time Out). These days I always
seek out a book on visiting the destination with kids, which is
invariably not part of a series.

Finally: Consider Guide Routard, a French-language series that all
French backpackers seem to carry. It's like LP but more biting and
with way better taste in food (of course). They have books on all
regions of France and lots of countries frequented by French tourists.
If you can read a little French, give them a try. You can order them
on the web.

Bruce Burger
Seattle, WA, USA