1: Nice Graphics and descriptions, not the best for gettin around
There aren't that many travel guides for Taiwan, and the ones that are out here basically fall into two categories. The first category are ones such as this that are very nice in terms of pictures, descriptions, cultural info, and are very good for pre-planning and deciding what major attractions to visit. The second category are the getting-around type of guides that aren't a lot of help for deciding what to do, but do give you excellent directions and more detailed listings (for instance Lonely Planet is the second type).
I'd say this is probably the best of the first type. I used it quite a bit before visiting my in-laws in Taiwan. All the major attractions are well described and the history and cultural sections were very informative and useful. If you're going to be dealing a lot with people outside of the tourist industry and need cultural guidance, this book is probably as good as any guidebook out there.
Since my wife grew up in Taiwan and is fluent in Chinese, directions and such weren't much of an issue, so there wasn't any need to go to a more hands on guide. If I had really been in a situation where I was getting around my own, though, I think I would have wanted the Rough Guide or Lonely Planet.
I've had a chance to look through most of the Taiwan guides out there, and I'd say for an all-around guide this is middle of the pack. Rough Guide is the only one that really stands out as having both the history/culture/descriptive aspects and the practical getting around aspects. Not surprisingly, it's also the thickest and heaviest.
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