Lonely Planet A La Carte
Now here's a groovy little move by the guidebook giants at Lonely Planet. A new "Pick & Mix" feature on their website allows customers to buy PDF downloads of only the guidebook chapters they want most.
Options include Montreal - Dining ($2), Cayman Brac Dive Sites ($3.50), Eritrea (part of a larger book on Eritrea and Ethiopia; $9.50) and so forth, from an extensive selection of books. A soft-cover country guide (such as Lonely Planet's Germany or Argentina) costs about $18 on Amazon.com.
Much like the 100-calorie pack phenomenon in the snack industry, there's a premium to be paid for smaller portions here. But the possible bonuses are ample: downloads weigh no more than the technology on which you view them (laptop, PDA, on paper as a printout), they're there for you when you're unexpectedly caught in a foreign internet cafe with nary an English bookstore in sight...and, of course, they're easier to conceal so you don't have to feel so touristy when you whip them out.
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· Buy by chapter [Lonely Planet]
[Photo: bibicall]
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