Illustrated Guide to Britain

by Automobile Association

Researched by experts and illustrated with s pecially commissioned colour photographs, the Illustrated Gu ide to Britain looks at the historical background, people, c ustoms, things to see and places to visit for each region. '

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, British Literature, History, Scotland

544 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Automobile Association AA (Great Britain) was founded in 1905 to provide vehicle insurance, driving lessons, motoring advice, travel guides & road maps.

Reviews

[Jeff Crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book. It is divided into a series of short driving tours of Britain with maps and illustrations of each section. It highlights historical sites, National Trust properties, DOE properties, cathedrals, privately managed homes and natural wonders.

[Ashley Lambert-Maberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute perfection and my gold standard for travel guides. Massive, heavy—you wouldn't take it with you unless you lived there and were driving—but I devoured it at home in Canada, and when we went to Britain for vacation we were very, very prepared. It really covered every square inch; all the maps lined up; anything of historic interest was listed.

Nowadays there are slimmer guides that specialize in where to stay, where to shop, that sort of thing. But I want to know: what's there? And what's nearby? And I can sort out where to shop and stay by other means.

Since so much of what they include consists of heritage homes, castles, etc., I'm sure it's almost as useful now as when it was written, save for open times which are easy to check online. But what a wonderful way to plan one's dream vacation.

(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good informative read, weak maps though so it was hard to follow where I actually was reading about. But I learned quite a few things about London. It persuaded me to go to the largest Meat Market in the World. It also explained some mysteries of Cornwall.