Antarctica (Country Guide)
Selected Book Details
- Paperback
- Edition: 4
- Author: Jeff Rubin
- Publisher: Lonely Planet
- Release Date: November 2008
- ISBN-10: 1741045495
- ISBN-13: 9781741045499
- List Price: $27.99
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryJust looking at the hauntingly sculpted blues, vast horizon-touching Shelves, and towering behemoths of Antarctica's ice formations makes the traveler know why she wants to go there and why she needs a good guidebook. Lonely Planet has once again done its homework. In addition to a thorough and succinct history section, useful overviews of Antarctic tour companies, information about how to plan your trip, detailed maps, and interesting facts about the places you'll visit, this book includes a 32-page color wildlife guide that introduces you to Chinstrap penguins, elephant seals, and eight types of whales. LP has sought out the experts on Antarctic issues to write about science, environmental, and exploration issues. Shaded boxes offer in-depth highlights about topics such as traveling by zodiac (the small inflatable boats used by tour companies--ideal for cruising among "bergy bits"), Antarctic fiction, glaciology, and icebergs: "The Antarctic ice sheet is the iceberg 'factory' of the Southern Ocean. The total volume of ice calved from the ice sheet each year is about 2300 cubic km, and it has been estimated that there are about 300,000 icebergs in the Southern Ocean at any one time." This book offers sage advice and is not afraid of the stark and sometimes dangerous realities of traveling to such a harsh and foreboding land: "If you fall overboard, you will die. Although this may not be true in every single case, it is almost certain, for human survival in the -1.8°C water of the Southern Ocean is calculated in minutes. Since drowning is thought by some to be preferable to freezing to death, one bit of only half-cynical advice for those who fall overboard is to swim as hard as you can for the bottom." |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Surprisingly good guide from Lonely Planet
Rating:
I usually associate Lonely Planet guides with backpackers and big cities. However, Lonely Planet did a great job with this tour guide for Antarctica. I used it this past winter during my cruise to Antarctica. It provides very useful background on the key sites and maps on the continent. It covers the history of exploration and international treaties covering the continent. It also has a decent section on Antarctic wildlife (although I would still recommend a dedicated book on the wildlife). More importantly, the book suggests the best sites for pictures and wildlife-viewing. While Lonely Planet isn't a replacement for a book on Antarctic wildlife, this book will help you take advantage of everything the "white continent" has to offer.
Should be considered an essential guide for anyone traveling to or through the region of the Antarctica
Rating:
While visiting the Antarctic Circle isn't in most people's plans when they think of traveling the globe, there is a great deal to interest both the causal visitor, the scientist, and the commercial traveler. That's where Jeff Rubin's compact, 380-page travel guide compendium of facts, maps, advice, and descriptive commentary comes in. A wealth of essential background information that includes how to start planning for a trip to antarctica, itineraries, history, expeditions, culture, environment, wildlife, as well as antarctic science are all relevant issues, and provided with solid information for the curious reader. The remaining chapters of Jeff Rubin's "Antarctica" guide book is organized regionally beginning with the Southern Ocean; and continuing with South Georgia, Shag Rocks & South Orkney Islands; Falkland Islands/Isles Malvinas; South Shetland Islands; Other Peri-Antarctic Islands; Antarctic Peninsula & Weddell Sea; Ross Sea; East Antarctica; and the South Pole. Enhanced with the inclusion of a directory, the Antarctic Treaty, a section on Transportation and another on Health, a glossary, an Index, the World Time Zones, and more, Jeff Rubin's "Antarctica" should be considered an essential guide for anyone traveling to or through the region of the Antarctica.
Yep, this is what you should get.
Rating:
Just got back from Antarctica. You don't have much choice on guidebooks, but I felt this was really good. I read another one also. Several of my fellow travellers agreed. One person (and there is always one) thought it did not give you enough beyond the obvious information. Most of us felt we needed to know the obvious.
Best travel guide for Antarctica
Rating: 
Not only is this the best travel guide for Antarctica on the market, but it is incredibly fun to read! Much more than a travel guide, this book teaches you about the history and culture of Antarctica and its surrounding islands. As might be expected, wildlife also comprises a significant portion of the book.
A few shortcomings:
I wish that more detail would have been given to the sub-Antarctic islands. Wikipedia covers these in more detail than the book, and that is disappointing. I also expected more maps, particularly in the islands component. I would have also liked to see more color pictures and would have gladly paid extra for them - LP should realize that most purchasers of this book are not going to be able to go to Antarctica anytime soon and so we are experiencing it through these images.
Again, outstanding book - be sure to pick up the Falkland Islands LP guide if you like this one!
Best Guide You Can Buy
Rating:
I am involved with a Canadian research group that takes high school students to Antarctica for research and study. The Lonely Planet Guide to Antarctica was sent to us by the group to use as a primary source for learning about and preparing for the trip.
My daughter and I both utilized a copy of the book for advanced planning prior to her depature. She took a copy with her and I had a copy with me. I read the majority of the book while she was preparing and continued to consult the book while she traveled. I found it to have an amazing amount of information and I really could not find anything missing from the book that I thought I needed. In addition, my daughter found it incredibly useful as the ship she was aboard traveled from site to site. She could research the next stop at night, and be totally prepared for arrival by morning.
If you are planning to get only one guide book for a trip to Antarctica, I would recommend this book highly. Small enough to take with you in your carry on, yet large enough to be able to answer almost any question you can imagine!
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