I generally love Lonely Planet guides, but this one is factually inaccurate in many of its addresses, locations, etc. The introductory sections, however, on history, language, and such are as good as they get in a travel guide.

Disregard Amazon's reader reviews that precede this one. The earlier comments aren't based on this book at all, but were simply ported to this page from the previous edition's. The well-deserved complaints about "Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou," Ninth Edition, do not apply to "Hong Kong and Macau," 10th Edition. Note that "Guangzhou" was dropped from the title.

I never go on vacation somewhere without first buying the Lonely Planet travel book on the destination. So it's been with some frustration that for the last three years, the Hong Kong book has been among the weakest of the series, at least among those I've bought. But the long-awaited update has some badly needed changes and updates.

The previous edition came out in January 1999, several months after Lonely Planet had released another, entirely different Hong Kong book titled simply "Hong Kong." The "Hong Kong" book was pretty skimpy, including a mere 10 pages or so on Macau. But it did have some helpful color maps at the back of the book.

When "Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou" came out, it included some badly needed material on Macau, as well as the Chinese border cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. Unfortunately, the book also lumped in about 90 pages on Guangzhou, and another eight-page supplement on "Hong Kong Film." For 99-plus percent of the people who are visiting the Hong Kong area, these pages were only dead weight. Virtually nobody visiting Hong Kong plans to visit Guangzhou, and why should they? It's a long trip, and by the book's own admission, there's nothing there for tourists anyway.

Even worse, this book was out of date from the moment it hit the streets. Both the "Hong Kong" and "Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou" books gave the location of the Hong Kong Museum of History as Kowloon Park. But the museum had already moved when I visited Hong Kong in November 1998, when the "Hong Kong" book had just came out. And so I was more than a little surprised that "Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou" repeated the same mistake in its January 1999 printing!

But what *really* annoyed me was that "Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou" didn't have the easy-to-read, easy-to-find color maps of the earlier "Hong Kong" book. Instead, the larger book had ugly, hard-to-read black-and-white maps scattered willy-nilly throughout.

This has changed under the book's all-new author, Steve Fallon. (Damian Harper does not get credit in this edition, despite what Amazon says.) Fallon has dropped the Guangzhou section and other useless padding, making the book a lot more portable. The Museum of History's current address is in there now. And the color maps from the slim "Hong Kong" book also are in the back of the new "Hong Kong and Macau." The new book still uses the hard-to-read, hard-to-find B&W maps for the border towns and Macau's islands, but that's a quibble I can live with. Other general information throughout also seems to be current.

I've been looking over the new book for several days now, and overall, it seems that while the worst parts disappeared, the best stuff carried over to the new edition. For instance, I was glad to see that the map of Shenzhen still has the names of landmarks and hotels in Chinese, as well as English. Showing the Shenzhen taxi drivers the Chinese name of where you want to go is usually the only way for non-Chinese-speaking tourists to communicate their intended destination.

While the new edition is a great improvement, it was at least a year overdue. Three years is a long time to have to wait for an update when so much has changed here, given the change in sovereignty in both Hong Kong and Macau. The ninth edition came out just a couple of months after the Hong Kong handover, and *before* the Macau handover, for crying out loud.

I don't know if I could have honestly recommended the ninth edition of "Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou," but I certainly can do so for the 10th edition of "Hong Kong and Macau." Even if you don't plan on visiting here in the immediate future, it's an interesting read.

I found this guide useful in all the usual practical ways (accomodation, eating, getting around, etc), and I visited the few tourist sites thanks to it, and I LOVED the hikes in the unspoilt New Territories countryside, but I have to say I was grateful for the way the guide alerted me to the unexpected side of Hong Kong - the huge, unruly, pushy-rude crowds, the unpleasant actions and attitudes of so many people, the frankly dreary-quality of much of the over-concreted urban areas (so different from Hong Kong's famous harbour setting, which only looks good from a ferry boat or a hilltop). The comments on why this all was so - the long, sad history of the Chinese refugee movement, pouring into Hong Kong when it was British, the subsequent (also sad) insecurity that resulted, helped me appreciate more the "effervesence" of the city which didn't seem so exhilherating after a few days, but, if anything, more fascinating.

It also led me to some fascinating books on the subject. I highly recommend Jan Morris's book Hong Kong, which gives great and moving detail on the whole refugee origins of modern Hong Kong and made me realise what an intense human story there lies behind the tourist bureau image of the place (there is much info on the interesting history on British days, too). The book also led me to some fascinating hill walks in the unspoilt north-east of the New Territories (Plover Cove - a world away from the jackhammers, noise and spitting).

Bo Yang's book The Ugly Chinaman gave me a Chinese account of where all this insecurity and unhappiness and rude behaviour comes from - the centuries of stagnation that went on inside China (he calls the process "the stagnat soy-vat barrel"), the insistance on imitating the past rather than looking forward - there's a lot more to China's story than Confucious and the poetry of Li Po, he insists (I thought Bo Yang's book much more helpful than the Culture Shock guide because it explains to western readers the Chinese actions that actually cause you culture shock; the Culture Shock books tend to just tell you to say "everything's great".)

Timothy Mo's novel, The Monkey King is a great read and a great description of many Hong Kong Chinese attitudes and actions I encountered on my trip - it centers around a fascinating, eccentric Chinese family living in 1950's Hong Kong but I was amazed at how much was still relevant.

Paul Theroux's novel, Kowloon Tong, set at the Handover, captures well the sleazy side of Hong Kong money-making and greed, focusing (democratically!) on British, Chinese and American characters living in the city. Really fine description here, and dark irony worthy of Saul Bellow and Gore Vidal.

And Austin Coates' classic Hong Kong book, Myself a Mandarin, will enrich any westerner's trip (it's the story of a British magistrate in 50's Hong Kong, and I found his stories of dealing with the Chinese, the clash of cultures, the insights he gained, fascinating, hilarious and, once again, oddly relevant and accurate for today's Hong Kong).

Peter Maas may be a successful non-fictionn writer, but on the basis of this book, as a novelist he has no talent. Taking anecdotes from real life (as Maas does over and over in this book) and arranging them in chronological order is not fiction writing -- its lazy commercialism. This book is terrible.

The authors past books lend him a lot of credibility with this topic. I found the information about Chinese organized crime to be fascinating, but some of the "love interest" storylines weren't that important to the gist of the story. I would definatley recommend the book.

have read non fiction stuff by maas, so decided to give this novel a try . . . interesting, though not great . . . (i prefer his non fiction stuff) . . . but got to listen to cassette tapes of book, so i would recommend it on that basis (though don't know if i would have enjoyed it as much had i actually read it).

Unreliable (and some apparently secondhand!) information punctuated with annoying feminist innuendos. For the sake of political correctness the author lists gay spots which is OK with me, but he goes out of his way to label men who go into the girlie bars in Wanchai as "pathetic." This misses the point entirely. A typical Rough Guide would mention the reason to watch out for those places: one can unknowingly rack up a bar bill of US $500 (that's US dollars!) within a few minutes just by buying drinks. They bill you on the way out and there's no getting out of it by arguing with the management. (I steered clear because I learned that on the Internet before going, and a local American expat living in the Wanchai district corroborated it.)

The author chides prurient men in the streets of Macau whom he labels "creeps." Then he touts the Kingsway Hotel as "one of the newer and most glam of Macau's hotel creations," having a "sauna and health spa"! Had the phony actually BEEN to the hotel instead of just hearing that, he would have learned that the "sauna and health spa" is actually a brothel next door to the hotel, and that the entire second floor of the hotel itself is a sex club (advertised by large color posters in the foyer and all the elevators and the lobby). This is inconsistent with the book's condescending, I-respect-women-as-people rhetoric. (Around the corner I saw some disturbing graffiti proclaiming the name of a sex worker with AIDS.)

The Nathan Road addresses listed for accommodations in Tsim Sha Tsui (an area of Kowloon known as "TST" among English-speaking locals) are switched around! I had *never* before seen a Rough Guide blow it in this regard! I got tired of trying to make sense out of his wacky directions, whipped out my credit card, and stayed at the Holiday Inn. (US $150/night but worth it! Ooh-la-lah what a room! It was a well-deserved happy ending to the wild goose chase.) The author probably had someone else garner address numbers for him; I wondered if he had really been to TST at all.

One more example of how this book falls short: I took the tram up to Victoria Peak --that was a great suggestion. It was dinner time, so I went to the expensive restaurant on the tram level and was told there was a 45 minute wait with little hope of getting a window seat (with a view of Victoria Bay). I found my way to another level (downstairs) and discovered a fast place simply called "Eat Noodles." It was inexpensive with good-sized portions, and the food was very clean and delicious. They brought it out to me on their spacious, uncrowded outdoor patio, where I enjoyed a *spectacular* unobscured view of the bay on a clear night and mingled with some neat people out there as well. It was a real find! But the book makes no mention of any restaurant at the tram terminal.

I give the book two stars for its lists of things to see and do. It should mention that Ocean Park is primarily an activity for families with children. The index could use more detail, but is adequate. I paid for a Rough Guide and got something else. For Hong Kong, I suggest giving another guide book a chance.

I purchased the guide because it seemed to give more background information than others I've seen such as Frommers. However, when we tried to use the maps to find our way around, we realized they were not well thought out, and were more confusing than helpful! Also, the restaurant section could be better organized, and give information such as price and address. We were frustrated over and over again with this guide.

I came across this book in a bookstore near the Central MTR station in HK on my third visit to that wonderous city. Having never purchased a travellers guide to Hong Kong, I decided on a whim to purchase it. I'm glad I did. After spending an hour or so reading some of the sections I realized I wish I had this book in my possession before my first visit! Part one (Basics) was accurate and a must read before visiting the city. Part two (Hong Kong) was clear and provided just enough detail without overwhelming. I can't validate the Macau section (haven't made it there yet). However, the restaurant section in my mind fell on its face by not lising my personal favorite HK restaurant, Jimmy's Kitchen (Hong Kong side). Jimmy's is a must, especially if you are suffering from chinese food burnout and need a good steak or other sort of western fare.

Honk Kong is an exciting, crowded, fun and interesting place. It's a great place for a westerner to begin exploring Asia-a true blend of east and west. The Rough Guide should be your guide of choice for visiting one of my favorite places on this earth, Hong Kong.

Pretty shallow book. Not good for railfan or travellers. For travellers, one can find much better information some where else. For railfans, it is more disappointing. I don't recommend this book.

For a travel guide, I rate this book 5 stars. A book on China Rail, it's not! There's 1 chapter on the history of Railways in China but no photos of trains. I was looking for a book on "China Rail" and found this.

Well laid out with Rail Maps showing different sections of the country and then the chapters following give the "travel guide" for that section. The usual "where to go, what to do and see" stuff.

A more appropriate title should have been "Traveling China by Rail" It's misleading for someone looking for a railroad book.

I've just returned from a week in Hong Kong, and, halfway thru my stay, chucked this book in the dustbin. It appears it tried to cover everything, and, in doing so, in effect, covered nothing. I found Fodor's guide to be much superior, in locating what might be of interest to me. Oh, by the way, "do" go to Hong Kong, it was the most eye-opening trip I've made in 35 years. But...leave this book at home!

i found this book to be extremely helpful and easy to read. the "overload" of information didn't bother me. in fact, i liked it! for people who have time to do some serious sight-seeing, this book will not only highlight the major sights; it will also clue you into the lesser-known places worth looking into. and a definite plus to this book is its size. it was small and light enough to be carried everywhere in my sidebag (much to the embarassment of my best friend). the only reason i can't give this book five stars is because of a common flaw (i'm told) found in lonely planet guides: the economic places suggested are TOO cheap!

my advice to fellow hk tourists is to: 1) plan to spend at least two weeks there so you don't miss out and 2) be adventurous, don't just stay in central!

The book provides an excellent overview of the cricketing history of Hong Kong, with some focus on all the competitions, teams and players that have graced the local playing fields over the 150 years.

However, the most conspicuous items in this book are the omissions - the major events and matches, both domestic and international, which are not mentioned at all. The statistics and records are also notable for their glaring inaccuracies - which is rather remarkable considering that all the data and information is readily available. It seems odd that the author was unable to provide correct and complete information for cricket played in the late eighties and early nineties !

That said, it is still an interesting read - though I suspect it will be enjoyed mostly by those who have played or participated in the Hong Kong cricket scene.

This book is primarily handy for imagery more than for text. It is a nice addition to the library of someone interested in Buddhism and art history. It may be more suited to the specialist and not the casual reader.

i am happy to find this website! i like vietnam!

You'd really have to be interested in the history of telecommunications in Hong Kong/Asia to pick this up. Except for a few situations and personalities, the telephone industry in Hong Kong seems to have grown rather haphazardly, as opposed to being strategically planned. The book may be of interest today (April 2000), in view of the possible merger between Cable & Wireless HKT and Pacific Century CyberWorks.

This Yellowthread Street entry falls slightly below expectations set by many of the other ones. It rides a straight line--ratcheting up the suspense, mind you--to a bombastic finish without any emotional punch. Instead of "The Italian Job", Marshall tries to offer up "The Hong Kong Job", as a group of faceless bombers rip up the streets of the (fictional) Hong Bay, presumably for some nefarious purpose that merely looks mad, but suggests some secret profit. The problem that Detective Harry Feiffer has with this activity is not so much the damage to his city--heck, somehow traffic runs faster with these explosive changes to the street layout!--but the rising death toll.

It's all as engaging and bizarre as what's presented in any Yellowthread Street book Marhsall has ever written, including a subplot to keep Auden and Spencer busy--at a monastery with a ceiling that's quickly filling up with bulletholes courtesy of some giggling hand-cannon wielder who is always one step ahead of, as well as one floor above, the two frazzled detectives--but the revelations at the finale drag things down. In fact, the subplot gets trite, and is wrapped extra-early, seemingly so Auden and Spencer can amble over to work on a real case, the bombings. Material evidence is sparse (read as obliterated), and clever ideas, like deciding the names of the streets targeted could be significant, don't seem to amount to much.

Suddenly, with the clock ticking, the finale involves mad dashes through the city, one of our brave cops unknowingly at ground zero doing some detecting, and guns blazing in the street as cops confront the bombers, reminiscent of that famous shoot-out in the film Heat. It's very exciting, and not necessarily the clverest ending Marshall has ever served up.