Guide to guidebooks

MEXICO (Lonely Planet, $53.50)

Standing at the gateway between North and South America, Mexico is a blend of ancient and contemporary cultures and extreme diversity in geography, traditions and lifestyles. Now in its seventh edition, the guide offers comprehensive advice, including maps and language information.

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK IN NEW ZEALAND 2000 - THE MILLENNIUM GUIDE by Jenny Greene and Hamish Johnston (Greenstone Press, $15)

The annual guide to the places, accommodation, cafes and things to do in the real New Zealand. Its got the gen on those secret gems that mainstream guides ignore. Great help in escaping the madding crowd.

OHAU (Lonely Planet, $32.65)

Think Hawaii, think Ohau. That's the island where you'll find Honolulu, Pearl Harbor memorials, Waikiki, and the towering surf of Sunset Beach and the Pipeline. This is Lonely Planet's first edition of a separate guide to the island. Comprehensive.

THE GROWN-UP'S GUIDE TO LIVING IN FRANCE Rosanne Knorr (Ten Speed Press, $39.95)

Whether you dream of an exciting change of pace or just want to get back to basics, here is a passport to fulfilling a Francophile's fantasies. Knorr uses personal experience to advise how to absorb a lengthy break in France without having to learn everything the hard way.


READ THIS FIRST a series from Lonely Planet, $26.95)

Here's a novel idea. Take 27 years of guide book experience and combine the best tips into a comprehensive guide to read before you leave home. At the risk of taking the sense of discovery out of your trip, the guides may help to prevent some costly blunders. Africa, Europe, Central and South America, and Asia and India are available so far.