| | |  | Our Asian Art Collection | Home » » Jerusalem and the Holy Land (Eyewitness Travel Guides) | | | | | | | Description: | | From the green hills and sun-drenched coast of Galilee to the sacred sites of Jerusalem's Old City; from the dramatic desert of Wadi Rum to the vibrant reefs of Dahab, there is much for pilgrims and holidaymakers alike.
This relaunched edition has new features and three brand new walks, as well as clear maps and extended hotel and restaurant listings. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| DK Publishing | | Paperback:
| 328 pages | | Publisher:
| DK Travel | | Publication Date:
| August 20, 2007 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0756628776 | | Product Length:
| 8.68 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.34 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.81 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.28 pounds | | Package Length:
| 8.5 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.1 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.8 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.1 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 29 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 29 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 42 found the following review helpful:
 A clear-eyed view of Jerusalem in 2007Jan 09, 2008
By Robert C. Ross
It's tough to pick the "best" guidebook for a particular destination, and the proliferation of free travel information on the web makes choosing "the one" even tougher. My wife and I always start with a copy of an EyeWitness guide for the destination: there are pictures on every page, and we find the images help us plan our trip: the guides are particularly good for architecture and art. The practical guides in the back cover currency, hotels and restaurants.
This guide to Jerusalem is a particularly good example of the DK offerings: the images, paper, text, all are up to the high standards of other books in the series.
Having written that, there is really only one page that matters in deciding whether to buy: the newer the guide the better. This book appeared first in 2000 and was my companion to Israel. It was substantially revised in 2002, and revised again in 2007. If you like the Eyewitness series and have any interest in the destination, armchair or on the ground, your decision is made.
Note: DK maintains an excellent website at TravelDK , with updates on many of its guidebooks.
Robert C. Ross 2008
99 of 112 found the following review helpful:
 Fine guide, but biasedApr 30, 2008
By Globetrotting Mom
As someone who has lived in Israel for almost a year, I know that every tiny thing is politicized here. So I don't really hold it against this guide that it has an obvious anti-Zionist slant. It's hesitant to mention the word Israel (note the title), but sometimes it does. It does not acknowledge that Jerusalem is in Israel, but you'd only notice that if you're paying attention. Any section that discusses the modern history of Israel is severely biased. The tone is appropriate, but the facts are presented in such a one-sided manner that relying just on this book would give you a seriously skewed perspective. There aren't many up-to-date guides to Israel, and this one is pretty good (I also like the Frommer's). So go ahead and buy this guide, but read about Israel from a couple of other sources to offset the bias. The Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict is an easy to digest overview, though it's biased in the other direction -- sadly, I don't think objectivity on this subject is achievable.
Purely as a tour guide, this doesn't quite stand alone; it's a great supplement if you have another guide. Hotel and restaurant listings are very brief, and they aren't included on the maps.
19 of 19 found the following review helpful:
VERY HELPFULApr 13, 2009
By BOOK WORM
"BOOK WORM"
My wife and I spent a week in Israel in March 2009. The 2007 edition of "Jerusalem & The Holy Land" was extremely helpful in preparing for our seven-day tour. This guidebook is packed full of information. I was able to plan ahead on what to look for at a given site. For example, from this guide I learned that the Church of the Nativity had faded paintings on columns done by the Crusaders. I was able to actually see them. This book is very practical. The photos of Israeli currency are very helpful as most of my purchases were made in Shekels (Incidently, a 2-shekel coin has been introduced since guide's publication).
The Hebrew phrases in the book are helpful. My only suggesting would be to add a few basic Arabic phrases as one will encounter many Arab shopkeepers.
I hope to return to Israel in a few years an will again purchase a DK Eyewitness Travel book.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 Returned this book yesterday...Jun 28, 2011
By Grateful2Christ!
I had researched Israel travel guides for quite some time before selecting this book. I wished I had gone with the Fodor's like I had originally planned. There are 2 reasons for returning it...
First, the font size is incredibly small! It can't be more than an 8 pt font. I'd read the review commenting on this fact but didn't think it would be that bad. It would be impossible to travel with this guide AND the magnifying glass that would be needed. Before purchasing, I used the 'Click to look Inside!' feature to check it out. Looked fine to me (and no, I did NOT zoom in on the text). I compared the book with the page on my monitor and they were nowhere near the same size. I feel this is very misleading.
Second, the book is absolutely anti-Semitic/Christian and even anti-Islam! I do believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but come on...this is a travel guide!! Not the opinion page of the New York Times. Here's a perfect example from page 21:
"The Old Testament as we know it was compiled from a variety of sources, no earlier than the 6th century B.C. These narratives might well contain kernels of historical reality, but by the time they came to be set down they were essentially no more than folk tales."
Folk tales?? Why would anyone spend several thousand dollars to travel to Israel to visit the various sites of 'Folk Tales'? And why would we need to buy a $16 travel guide to do it? I'm going to Israel to visit documented historical and archeological sites... and I'll be using Fodor's Israel!
BTW - the newest edition of Fodor's Israel (8th edition) will be available on 8/9/11.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Good Job for the Holy LandSep 07, 2009
By Jon B. Buffington
"Sharp Shooter"
"Jerusalem" and the Holy Land" was a great help to me while on my recent Sabbatical. It was small enough to carry and yet informative enough to be worth carrying. However, since I was visiting 5 countries, I made a habit of leaving each guide book to lighten my load as I was picking up other items along the way. I bought this one to replace the original and couldn't have been happier to receive it on time and in great condition. It helped me remember places and stories and, more importantly, label my photos.
See all 29 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
