Madrid sí, Barcelona sí, pero Valencia, no. ¿Por qué es esto?

Here ya go: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/why-is-valencia-not-mentioned-in-rick-steves-book-at-all-skip

A similar topic from a few months ago :)

Remember Rick hits the highlights for folks with limited time.
Some love Valencia but most would recognize it isn't a top tier tourist city.
It is a great place for a fatigue break as small and managable. There is nature close by, some historic ruins, a beach and the home of paella.
I bussed from there to Barcelona airport. Looks like some interesting coastal towns with hilltop bastions worth checking out.
Read Moon, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide guidebooks, they all have sections for Valencia and that coast.

Muchas gracias. Debo agregar que no me gustan los libros de viaje Lonely Planet o Rough Guide. Sin embargo, agradezco sus sugerencias.

Oye tío, y por qué no te gustan las guías de Lonely Planet o Rough?

No creo que sus intereses en los viajes sean similares a los míos, por eso prefiero las guías de Rick Steves.

Ah, vale entiendo, personalmente me gustan las guías de DK :)

¡Sí! Me gustan todas las fotos aunque el texto no sea impresionante.

Si, las fotos son lo mejor! Deberías mirar en las guías de "DK back roads", son en Inglés, pero tienen un montón de información y diferentes rutas, como esta - https://www.dk.com/us/book/9781465440433-back-roads-spain/

¡Muy bien! Que usted por la sugerencia.

There are many places that are not in the RS guidebooks. He tends to pick a few places in each country that are well-known or otherwise notable, close to the main tourist path to make it easy. Valencia is out or the way and does not offer the blockbuster sights that you will find in Barcelona or Madrid. That does not mean it is not worth visiting. If you do not care for the guidebooks like Lonely Planet and Rough Guides, try the Valencia forum on TripAdvisor.

Or just get crazy and go, finding out for yourself. You speak good Spanish, so just go for it.

https://www.valenciaturisme.org/
https://www.visitvalencia.com/va

Good Spanish.....but in Valencia, they speak and signpost in Valencian.....closer to Catalan than Castilian.
If you are interested in expanding into third tier Spanish cities, take a chance on a different guide book too. I get mine from the local library and either take notes or copy the relevant information. Doesn't mean you have to totally convert, just add to your RS preference. 😊
For what it is worth, if the library isn't an option, Lonely Planet sells ebooks, often by the chapter, so for $3 you can get the info on Valencia without having to contend with it in total.

Regarding language in Spain here is my personal advice for travelers:

-Know that English is really not spoken much outside of the main touristy areas/hotels.

-For practicality's sake, I would first learn some key phrases in Spanish (Castellano), this is the "Lingua franca" so to speak, almost everyone in Spain, across the regions, will know how to speak or understand Spanish.

-Signage will always be in Spanish, no matter the region, and then also in the local language (if there is one), like Catala, Galego, or Euskara.

-Once you have the practicalities down, then by all means learn some polite words in the local language, if you are focusing on a specific region. It will make your travel much richer and allow you to connect with the local culture.

-If all else fails, Google is your friend :)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch......my question regarding the absence of Valencia RS guidebook inclusion has "cousins" in Europe's two similarly sized countries.....Germany and France. Just as there is "No Valencia" in the Spain guidebook, there is also "No Stuttgart", "No Dusseldorf" and "No Dortmund" in the German RS guidebook and "No Toulouse", "No Nantes" and "No Montpellier" in the French.
Finally - I think I get it....although I don't know what it is I get. Many thanks for the suggestions and replies.

I think the answer, as someone already suggested, is the RS guidebook is aimed at Americans with limited time. Valencia is delightful and a popular "long weekend" break for Brits and Europeans. Indeed I think Valencia is well worth three nights.

But there's a difference. Someone in England or Germany can take a €/£50 flight after work on Thursday evening and return on Sunday to be back to work on Monday. Going to Valencia is just the same as going to your local lake for a few days. It's not the same if you're coming from California with all the travel time and cost involved. In that case, nice as Valencia is, I'd suggest it's not one of Spain's top must see places if you only have limited days.

I was just in Valencia in March. Loved it! Easily combined with either Barcelona or Madrid or just by itself and surrounding places. I also visited Tarragona which was great as well.

Here's my trip report for that part of my March trip (which also included Mallorca and Ibiza.
https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/blog/2019/5/spring-in-spain---part-2-tarragona-and-valencia

I've been to Valencia twice, both times for the Las Fallas festival in March, including this year. I love the festival, and Valencia is fine, but I wouldn't put it as high on the list as Seville, where I went after Valencia.

I went to Spain again last month, and did the RS Basque Country tour. My first time to this area--I absolutely loved it, and plan to return in the future.

Chicos, he encantado mucho sus conversación en español. Gracias.