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by Rosalyn Thiro (Editor), Jonathan Cox (Editor), Marcus Hardy (Editor), Tim Hollis (Editor), Lesley McCave (Editor), Sean O’Connor (Editor), Philip Blenkinsop (Photographer), Stuart Isett (Photographer), Kim Sayer (Photographer), Michael Spencer (Photographer)

Accurate, even from a Thai point of view, August 21, 2000

By	"winyu" (Cambridge, MA, USA)s

I recommend this book for people who search for cultural aspect rather than hotels and restaurants. I’m using some books from this very series to travel in Europ too.

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by Steven Yang (Author)

Be a voyeur to a connoisseur of life!, November 25, 2006

By	Elliot (Boston, MA.)

Aside from learning a great deal about sexual positions and how to live and enjoy life, Steven Yang shares with his readers lots of true to life nuances like the physical build and temperament of the women he encountered in Thailand, Cambodia and The Philippines. In true artist’s fashion he elaborates on the minute details of his experiences, teaching us how to be cognizant of life in all its facets. He also teaches a great deal about Southern Asian society and their women in particular. He shows an uncanny ability to quickly read a personality, something few of us men are adept at.
Steven’s writing style allows one to vicariously share his voracious appetite for life. By generously allowing his readers access to some of his intimate thoughts, he shares experiences with us that we would ordinarily never have.
Overall I realy enjoyed his writing style. Some of his material is peppered with humorous and poignant remarks, like when he comments about some young US solders who visited an area with seasoned working girls "they looked like they had just fallen off a cabbage truck". Many lines throughout the book are worthy of being emblazoned in bronze.
As a person, Mr. Yang seems quite the sophisticate. He has clearly been around the block many times and I’m astounded at his scope and wide grasp of many subjects…. Most importantly, he knows himself well.

I presume his portrayals were of actual events (they seem real enough) and this gives the added dimension of a guide that others can follow should they choose to. In fact he teaches throughout the book, from tidbits of Thai language to locations and much more. A virtual treasure trove of information!

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 Thai: Lonely Planet Phrasebook (Paperback)

by Bruce Evans (Author), Lonely Planet Phrasebooks (Author)

Key Phrases: prûng née, têe nài, dâi mài, North Thailand, Chiang Mai, South Thailand (more…)

Will help you learn much more than the basics, March 9, 2008

By	Joseph Barrett "thailand english teacher" (Bangkok, Thailand)

 I’ve been to Thailand twice now and am planning to live there for a few years. This book has taught me the basics and beyond. I recommend it because the tone marks and pronunciations are easy to understand and the book teaches you the rules so that you can figure out different variations of a word. There is also an English/Thai, Thai/English dictionary in the back and the book is small enough to fit in your pocket. Thai script plus phonetic thai is included. The only downside I can see is that the words are so tiny that it’s sometimes hard to see thai script vowels and tonal marks.

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by China Williams (Author), Aaron Anderson (Author), Brett Atkinson (Author), Tim Bewer (Author), Becca Blond (Author), Virginia Jealous (Author), Lisa Steer (Author)
Key Phrases: Getting There, Chiang Mai, Phi Phi (more…)

The best all-country Thailand guidebook, September 24, 2007

By	M. Baum (Sometimes West, Sometimes East)

Beating up on whatever LP guidebook applies to wherever you find yourself is a favorite pass-time of the road-weary or the jaded ex-pat. You instantly become a cool-guy for bashing the guidebooks. Yawn. Then you try to offer (or sell) you own advice! Let’s back up for a second and review this guidebook for what it is: a guidebook.

About me, I’m a perpetual farang (Thai for westerner). I’ve used at least 4 of LP’s Thailand books, a handful of competitor’s Thailand books, and at least a dozen regional guides and city guides that overlap with this most rececent LP Thailand. I’ve been making trips to Thailand for more than a decade. I’ve worked there, taught there, and been a student there. I love Bangkok. I love it when a guidebook can tell me something new about BKK or Thailand. And ust when I think I knew it all, this one manages to show me a thing or two!

This LP Thailand is moving in the right direction. From the first few pages you can tell that LP has cut and cleared some dead wood from the old editions and has freshened things up significantly. The voice is new and lively, not like some loudspeaker at a bus terminal calling out bays and destinations. Production value is up. Content is fresh but still reliable. Hello LP: The key to being a good guidebook is to avoid what’s ultra-new and trendy and instead give the reader dependability. When I want to know about the hot new club or the latest border-crossing info I go to the web or I talk to other travellers. Those things change weekly. It seems like LP has figured this out with this volume. When others say that it’s missing from this book I wonder if they really know what they’re asking for.

Looking back, the older LP Thailand books listed a bunch of places to stay in the main tourist spots like Khao Sarn. I always thought that was a silly waste of space. By and large those backpacker boxes are all the same. And as soon as one of them gets in the LP, the price goes up and they stop changing the sheets. It’s that simple. Ever go to one of the listed spots and look around (look up from your LP book) and see everyone else there with their LP book? Please folks: do yourself a favor and use this book as a guide –it’s not the phonebook. There are hundreds of excellent places to stay in BKK and in Thailand that aren’t listed in this book or in any other book. Use this book to get a feel for types of accomodation being offered and corresponding prices. Then make your own choices. This book will help you make choices; it won’t choose for you.

I applaud LP for thinning some of its listings and focusing more on important attractions and providing valuable and interesting cultural insights. Going forward, with message boards and emails flying around the world in a blink, listing-type info (just bare facts about place and price) really isn’t what I need from a guidebook. LP seems to be keen to this idea and appears to be working hard at giving me more than that.

Finally, let me say that this latest LP Thailand is really fun to read. It makes me want to go there right now! Some guidebooks read like a laundry list. Not this one. Read the book before you go…use it while you’re there. Then give it to someone who’s coming in as you head for the airport to go home –that’s if you can find someone who doesn’t already have it.

And when someone bashes a guidebook or suggests you do something in particular, always ask yourself: "what’s this guy trying to sell me?"

Chok dee. (Good luck.)

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