According to Richard Gassan, the first travel guides in Europe appeared about 1000 years ago and were mostly a narrative read by those who would never have the opportunity to travel. It is believed that early travel guides, because so many authors borrowed from existing guides, tended to perpetuate stereotypes and reported great inaccuracies. In the sixteenth century, ‘Grand Tour’ guides began to be more readily available to and received by student travelers; the notion of the high school and college graduate taking off a semester or year may not be a recent phenomenon as I had presumed. According to Gerrit Verhoeven, the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century yielded more accurate guides as publishers began to to turn a more critical eye on what individuals authors were writing. In some cases a network of writers was beginning to be used to produce more quality guides. ;xNLx;;xNLx; But is wasn’t until the nineteenth century that the travel guide first appeared in North America. The process of expedited printing allowed for inexpensive and disposable genre of the travel guide. In the earlier guides, great lengths were taken to examine road, ship and rail routes with timetables given for the chosen mode of transportation. Today, there is a range of guides that can give an overview of a huge continent or can be as focused as concentrating on one city. Guides can be geared toward hikers, campers, bikers. Guides are available for those who enjoy staying in small country inns and b&b’s. In short, there is a guide for every person, every recreation and refined to the budget of these travelers. The books on this timeline are just a small representation of the gamut of guides published through history and the ones that exist today.
1892-05-28 03:26:21
Chicago by Day and Night
Perhaps hoping to capitalize on the upcoming World's Columbian Exposition, this guide devotes 60 of its 280 pages on 1893 fair that was held in the 'Paris of America'.
1993-10-27 13:42:57
Eyewitness Travel Guides
Modern travel guides take many forms. Some concentrate only on hotels and restaurants while others are text heavy with history, suggested walking tours and pages of top attractions. The Eyewitness Travel Guides are....
2013-10-30 23:11:57
The Electronic Travel Guide
This final entry brings us to present day and the convenience of electronic books. There may not be a more appropriate application for using electronic books than when traveling. Along with favorite fiction titles, the travel guide takes no more room in your luggage than a smart phone, e reader or tablet computer. The images shown are screen shots from an iPhone of Fodor's Paris 2011 that was borrowed from the library. An amazing way to carry your travel guides across the Atlantic...or Pacific...or Down Under!