Our brick-sized companion during four months on the subcontinent has been The Rough Guide to India, 5th Edition, by David Abram, Devdan Sen, Nick Edwards, Mike Ford and Beth Wooldridge. Although I was a bit put-off with the book’s overly-vague price ranges (which sometimes spanned 2000 rupees, or more than US$50!), I know this is not the fault of the authors who, I am glad to say, did an outstanding job.
My biggest praise goes to the authors’ spot-on descriptions of accommodations, which are precise and wonderfully reliable. I like their sparing and dependable use of “immaculate,†a word I consider sacrosanct in my guidebook writing, and I’ve grown accustomed to British-isms like “poky,†and “grotty.†Equally impressive is the authors’ knowledgeable treatment of history, religion, and other background information which was obviously researched with great care.
All in all, good show, lads!
