Insight Guides are generally worth buying for the pictures alone, and the Burma/Myanmar volume is no exception. Background sections are generally good, although there is not much on Buddhism or nat worship (these topics are filled out more in connection with individual sites, however). Covers the entire country (unlike the Odyssey guide). Although it is sometimes a little dry, this guide manages to convey virtually all of the facts you will need about each place you visit, along with the associated mythology, significance of the site, and so on.

I don't know if or when any of you is going to find himself / herself in this particular area, but anyway here it is...

This is the latest edition (8th) that was released only about a year ago. Things really changed in this edition compared to its predecessor; more authors are involved and new and updated information is added (though many sections remain).

Important note: When it comes to Myanmar, things can change for better or worse overnight due to the nature of the ruling government, while some other things tend to stay the same. Especially here, pay close attention to all the small details given in the chapters "Facts for the visitor", "Getting there and away" and "Getting around" - they matter greatly.

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As a whole, the guide will be a valuable asset for you if you're planning on traveling there, and there is absolutely no doubt whether to buy it or not - it's an essential purchase. To a great extent it will help you plan your budget, your destinations, how to get there and when, what to bring and so forth.

You should know that there are some beautiful places to visit in the country. One of them, the Shwedagon Paya in Yangon, strikes me as one of the most beautiful man made structures in the world. Imagine a 100 meters high Stupa (Buddhist religious monument), all covered with golden leaves, set on top of a hill, in the center of smaller golden temples and Buddha statues. The sight was breathtaking and alone was worth coming. Another famous place, yet less astounding, is Bagan, the city of Stupas in the north. There you can find numerous Stupas some of which were built more than 1000 ago. And yes, almost in every city and town you will see at least one golden Stupa (that immensely contradict the poverty of the people) that give Myanmar the name "The Golden Land".

The tagline on the cover of this book is "should you go?" It is misleading due to the fact that the answer they give inside is "yes". If you want to go - go, the political status is not of your concern, you're a traveler not a world freedom fighter. You wouldn't help the local people by avoiding the country - they benefit from your staying there - and that is all that you should care about.

Nevertheless, the authors don't really prepare you for the level of poverty you're going to meet there (the same way another author hasn't done in the Cambodia book yet); this is one of the poorest countries in the world and that's why you should always be careful and never trust anybody - they're there for your money (mostly). I really don't like, after being around, the attitude of "the locals are so nice and we can learn so much from them"; some of them are really nice and helpful, but others are nice because you spend your money there and it's downright blatant. Expect it; don't fall for it and BE CAREFUL of forced and immediate friendliness. Remember that as a tourist you're regarded as very rich and compared to them you are.

I want to mention the fact that as a traveler and a guest you will receive the best services even in budget hotels - they treated my friend and me like royalty in each and every hotel, and that was something we really enjoyed and appreciated. It's the best service all over South East Asia, and it does say something about the people as a nation.

I hope their days of freedom will come soon. ...

This book contains the teachings of the original Buddha Sidartha Guatama. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the true teachings of the Buddha without all of the additions later added on by Zen and Mahayana Buddhism. I can't say enough good things about this book. If you want to know truth, buy this book. You won't regret it.

This book adds both novelty and inspiration to an otherwise dull coffee table or mind. More touristically, this is one of the special books that make you go to the place and find where the interesting buildings not in the travel guides are. The pictures are excellent, not cropping so much as to glamourise rubbish, and not putting things out of context: in short, well edited text and visuals. One note, it has nothing to do with the experience of being in a third world country, but it is for the visual pleasure only.

I own at least a dozen books in which the second word of the Title is "Style", but this is certainly one of the best. Well organized, informative and full of beautiful photographs. Looking through this book you can learn about the Architecture and Design of Myanmar. The book is divided into sections dealing with Religious and Secular Architecture, Early and Modern Architecture and Arts and Crafts. At the end of the book there is a section of Textiles and Costumes, and another entitled the Pagoda Market which shows photographs and gives descriptions of vendors of various types of handicrafts. Thus a cross section of the different aspects of the Myanmar Style are given, without adaptations by Western Interior Decorators. Some "Style" Books are misleading because they show the adaptations, primarily in the West, of Stylistic Elements. While these books are ok, I prefer to see the Style as it actually is in Myanmar, not a Architectural Digest type of interpretation. This book is free from this. The text is concise and informative. Not overloooked should be the quality of the photographs and the paper and printing, which in this case are all excellent. Some other books of this genre are not up to high quality. No worries here however. I highly recommend this book. It will make you want to visit Myanmar, or at least think about redesigning in your home.

Finally, a book on art and design in Myanmar/Burma that does justice to the living traditions as well as the colonial and pre-colonial empires. Superb photography, thoughtful text, and some quirky subjects, too, such as the chapter The Great Pagoda Alley. Enjoyable.

Having just returned from a 10 day trip to this beautiful, exotic country, I found the Odyssey guide book which I brought along helpful but it is likely an insufficient source of information for most travellers. The book provides detailed background on the history, politics, culture of the people of Burma. There are also boxes containing interesting snippets of people like Aung Sang, the drug lord Kung Sa, as well as other interesting topics like the making of lacquerware. Unlike most guide books I have used in the past, this one is filled with beautiful, colourful snapshots of the places and people of Burma.

The major shortcoming is the lack of detailed information about the attractions, i.e., details regarding times of operation, location, costs of admission, as well as details about the sites
themselves. Also I believe many of the lesser known attractions in each destination were not covered by the author. Overall I think the target audience for this book is the traveller who has signed up with a packaged tour. Such an individual is likely to visit only the major destinations covered by the text, namely Yangon, Bagan, Manderlay and Isle Lake. This individual also is unlikely to require the details mentioned above.

In summary if I had to buy a guide book again for a visit to Burma, I would choose the Lonely Planet book which I believe remains the gold standard of guide books to relatively obscure destinations of the world.

Excellent background sections covering basic history, the religious lives of the Burmese, festivals, theater and music. Guide emphasizes Yangon (Rangoon), Mandalay and Bagan (Pagan), and their immediate environs -- if you are traveling more off the beaten path, you need the Insight Guide, which also has more and better pictures. Strong on the "flavor" of the country, particularly the last Burmese empire and the colonial years.

Having recently returned from my third visit to Burma in three years, I looked forward to the publication of this new guide. Information for the traveler is current and accurate. The historical and literary references greatly add to ones appreciation and perception of the country. The photographs are wonderful and plentiful. This book is a pleasure to read and more importantly it has added to my knowledge of that country which is Burma.

Robert Taylor has done a good job collecting essays from a variety of experts on Burma, the country formally known as Myanmar. The writings in this collection range from a discussion of human rights in burma, to the work of international non-governmental organizations, to a discussion on the liklihood of reforming burma's political economy. A very short but interesting essay towards the back by Seng Raw gives a look into the ethnic minority perspective -- a perspective by many accounts often discounted by burma's current military government. Contributors to this collection include a number of renowned asian studies scholars including david steinberg of georgetown university and josef silverstein of rutgers. In addition, a number of journalists and scholars who commute back and forth to burma have contributed essays and their work gives this book an up-to-the-minute feel.
While this book is fairly academic it is very interesting. I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a serious collection of essays on burma. For a more emotional read try The Stone of Heaven by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark. It details the corrupt business of jade mining in Burma and is a real heart wrencher. Anyway, for Taylor, A-.

Similar in layout to the other New Holland guides. Thereby making it obvious that it is not intended for the scientist. Small and handy, perfect for a pocket. However, do not think it only covers a small number of the best known mammals. Several newly discovered mammals are included (e.g. a strange ungulate called the Saola, and a beautifully striped rabbit only discovered in the late 1990's). Most of these are interesting but would never be encountered by the "normal backpacker". Several rarities are also included for example the Lesser One-horned Rhino, of which it is believed that only approx. 60 individuals survives. Almost all of the larger mammals known to occur in this region are described individually with at least one (usually very good) colour photo. The small number of large species not described are almost always mentioned in the description of a relative. The smaller mammals (bats, insectivores etc.) are described in groups (also with at least one photo) usually comprising a genus. The text is strait forward and easy to read for everybody with average English skills. However do not forget your glasses, the text is very small! The text itself is good and actually quite long with the books size in mind. It usually comprises of id, range (no maps!), behaviour, habitat etc. Each species description (incl. photo) comprises 2-1/2 page. A great thing for the novice is the use of easily recognisable thumbnails (an example being deer). Thereby it shouldn't be a problem finding the species your looking for. In the intro of the book a chapter speaks about finding and observing mammals, and 31 national parks or reserves are also mentioned briefly. The thing I find most annoying is the very small number of dark or unclear photos. Another thing to remember is that the book doesn't included whales or dolphins other than the one species which regularly enters fresh water. With the prise and size in mind everybody travelling to this area should bring a copy.

This book has many wonderful elements, but could have used a good editor to pull those elements together into some kind of meaningful whole. The first 100 pages are photographs of the Shwedagon pagoda itself, the surrounding shrines and images in the pagoda complex, and people worshipping. The pictures themselves are generally wonderful (although a few are out of focus). This photographic section is described as a "circumambulation" of the pagoda, but the pictures do not appear to be in any particular order and jump back and forth confusingly from one side of the pagoda platform to the other. Two pictures of the same shrine may be 25 pages apart. Moreover, the captions often presume knowledge that the reader may not have unless he has skipped ahead and read the text portion of the book.

Following the initial photographic section is a 50-page section of text titled "Shwedagon: Its History and Architecture." This section is also liberally illustrated with photographs, including some from the late 19th or early 20th centuries. The historical information is actually quite brief and the architectural information almost non-existent. Instead, most of this section provides background on Buddhism, the various not-strictly-Buddhist religious practices that are also enshrined on the pagoda platform, and other information helpful to the visitor trying to understand what they are seeing and what is happening at the pagoda. Lots of interesting material here, but it's badly organized and often introduces a topic only to drop it with little real explanation. (For example, the author states that "An intricate system that has little or nothing to do with linear time has determined the location of shrines," but then gives no suggestion as to what that system is, except that it is not "astrology.")

A third section of about 20 pages provides additional information about Theravada Buddhist beliefs and practice, and the significance of the Shwedagon to practicing Buddhists. Though quite brief, this section contains illuminating and moving descriptions of the role of giving in Burmese Buddhism and the power of meditating at the Shwedagon. Unfortunately, because it is so short, this section can only hint at the interesting issues raised by the apparent conflicts between Buddhist theory and Burmese practice.

I am giving the book 4 stars mostly for the photographs, which are beautiful and which provide a range of images that I have not seen elsewhere. The text itself cannot take the place of a good guidebook, although it does provide supplemental information and (in the final section) a different perspective.

Here is a great little paperback to read before setting off on your journey to Burma. (Myanmar) Text is breezy but informative and accurate. Nice pictures too - if a bit in the "travel brochure" style. Contains some insightful information.

A biography of a fascinating man, one of the most determined and unorthodox military leaders of WWII, who to this day can inspire extreme love or loathing. While intersitng to read about, he would have been very annoying to work with.

This book covers both his upbringing and the miliary campaigns he was involved in. (I especially found the influence of religion interesting - he was instrumental in the early ideas on the founding of Israel) Fascinating topic, not so fascinatingly written - could have done with much tighter editing and explanation of many miliary terms and acronymns.

Still, i am pleased i read it to learn more about Wingate, and the interesting story about his reputation, and like T E Lawrence, how it was shaped before and after his death