Rick Steves Europe 101

I really enjoyed the book; it provided a very helpful, concise overview that described and explained the connections between the history and art of the past two thousand years. Of course it is simplified, so be prepared for that. Sprinkled throughout are some great RS puns!

I also enjoyed this book, which Kathleen has well described. You can go to Google Books and see for yourself, you can "search inside the book" and read a number of pages. Then you can make your own decision.

Thanks for the insights. Didn't know Googlebooks existed. I did go inside the book and I think it looks worthwhile.

Glad you found the Search Inside the Book feature of Google Books helpful. I suspect Gene Openshaw wrote more of the book than Rick, but that's just a guess.

The book has been around a long time. It was nice when they went to color graphics a few years ago.

I especially enjoy in the Introduction where they say:

"No apologies. This book drives art snobs nuts. Its gross generalizations, sketchy dates, oversimplications, and shoot-from-the-hip opinions really tweeze art highbrows. Our goal is to * * * bring meaning to your sightseeing."

The book has done that for me over the years.

I loved it and told my 12 year old to read it for social studies since they were studying the same time frame. It is written very well and so easy and fun to read. I learned alot and it made my recent trip really enjoyable.

Elaine,
It really depends on your background and interest. I am an engineer and my wife is a graphic designer. I took one Gen Ed art history class my freshman year of college. She took one math class her freshman year of college and the rest were art classes. After we got merried and go to art fairs and museums I am really starting to appreciate art. I read this book before going to the Louvre and it really opened my eyes to art. I realized that this picture symbolizes the beginning of this age, or this person was the first to use this technique. It has made all of our museum visits much more intriguing and interesting and of course written with the same great RS sense of humor. Of course after the Louvre we did the Paris Sewer tour so I could show my wife real artwork. This is the first city to use underground drainage for rainwater off of the streets. We both know our respective fields very well but the more you know about something you are seeing the more interesting it becomes. I strongly recommend this book to broaden your knowledge of Art and History. Happy Travels.

I love this book. I've read a lot about art and history over the years, but I have trouble remembering it all. [Or remembering anything! :)] This book pulls everything together in a fun and interesting way. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to all - I am going to order it. I know a lot of British history, but much less of the European continent - so maybe this will give a better background. I was Business major so I made it thru university without Art Apprecation 101.

Thanks to each of you who has contributed to this thread. It's a pleasure to discuss something that helps those interested in understanding what 2,500 years of
European history and culture has contributed to our modern world view. You find clues to that in reading books like this and visiting the museums and other places in Europe. It's not just about train schedules and which hotel.

"Should I get this book for a Britain-only trip"?

Diane: Europe 101 covers all of Europe but does not contain any specialized Britain-only sections. You may want to buy Europe 101 anyway, but for a Britain-only trip it's possible you might be disappointed if Europe 101 is the only history-culture-art type book you buy and you expected it to give you a lot of coverage of GB.

The Michelin green guide of Great Britain focus on GB.

There's also The Story of England (Christopher Hibbert), An Intelligent Traveller's (if you can get past the title!) Guide to Historic Britain (Philip Crowl), and many other books that focus on GB.

You may be able search inside the pages of some of these books at Google Books.

I may have to purchase this for future travels, or simply for reference. I am, however, traveling to Britain soon. Should I get this book for a Britain-only trip?

Diane, Go ahead and buy it now when it's on sale, especially since you think you'll buy it anyway. I don't see how you can go wrong. If you don't have time to read the whole thing before your trip, read the parts about Great Britain.

It's on sale from Rick's Travel Store for $17.45, but I just foumd it at the Books a Million website for $16.45. (am I allowed to say this?? )LOL