Israel [With CD]

Few guidebooks I've ever seen pack the kind of power and true insight as this tour guide to Israel. Unlike most, which are simply divided by regions and/or towns, this colorful 367-page volume---packed with color plates and "tips" on how best to enjoy the country. The contents are cross-referenced and indexed in many ways, by regional "areas of interest"(listing 11); key towns (6); holy sites (9); archaeological sites (8), "popular attractions (6); maps (14)---and also by transport, accommodations, places to eat, things to do, language---and alphabetically. The articles surrounding all the attractions and highlights are as informative as the practical information about how and where to go and what to do. For example, the discussion of Jerusalem begins with Theodor Herzl's reaction to the squalor he found in Jerusalem when he visited in 1898. Should the Jewish people ever reclaim their ancient capital, he wrote, "I would begin by... [tearing] down the filthy rat holes, burn all the non-sacred ruins, and put the bazaars elsewhere. Then, retaining as much of the old architectural style as possible, I would build an airy, comfortable, properly sewered, brand new city around the holy places." Herzl proved prophetic, the authors note, and outside Jerusalem's Old City, the metropolis is "much more airy, comfortable and properly sewered---it is the fitting capital to the Jewish State that he envisioned." The text is so rich and full of history, and so factual---and truthful---that this book puts many other guides of Israel to shame. My only complaint is that my 2007 edition of this book came without the CD. Even so, the book is fantastic.