Valencia from Barcelona

Rick Steves books are typically very detailed on the places they cover, and thus very selective. The Spain book is already quite thick, there is simply no room for any new place.
As for Valencia as a stopover on the way from Barcelona to Madrid: interesting idea if there is luggage storage at Valencia Joaquin Sorolla station - this is listed as "temporarily suspended due to COVID-19" on the official website. Valencia city center is lovely and compact, so a few hours is enough to give quite a good overview.

I think Spain is one of the countries where Rick's books can really only be viewed as a jumping off point. There are so many worthy regions and towns that he simply doesn't have the room to cover (and many tourists don't have the time to cover).
Even his Madrid guide was skimpy on neighborhood coverage.
Having said that, he is usually on the mark about which locations offer visitors the best blend of culture / convenience and Valencia doesn't tick enough boxes. The lack of a specific blockbuster site / tourist draw probably accounts for his omission.

rebekah is spot on.

Rick's market are Americans, who also have the shortest vacation time of the first world. From the excerpts I've seen of his guide books, they are very selective and particular. Anything that's not a "blockbuster" is often left out. RS guide books as good for beginners who are new to Europe and want to mainly focus on the well worn paths, and there is nothing wrong with this considering the lacking of paid vacation time in the USA.

If you are looking for more off the beaten path areas, I'd take a look at Lonely Planet and DK Eyewitness, they are my go to.

Perhaps the RS guidebook people should consider expanding the Spain book into two editions (i.e. Northern Spain, Southern Spain) and adding other great places they currently don't cover. They would still have the Best of Spain Guidebook for those looking for the overall highlights in one book.

I am a long time fan of RS and bought books, ebooks, dvd sets, and his backpacks (which I do not recommend). His approach is unique. He essentially allows you to set up your own package tour, with some down to earth advice about what to see and not to see.

However, travel is about exploration and new experiences. A "one size fits all" short tour is a little limiting. For example, Paris - when I go back now I don't get anywhere near the Eiffel, Louvre, or other hot spots. I have since discovered all kinds of other districts and experiences never mentioned. The same is true of entire countries.

Other guide books might have itineraries for foodies, hikers, drinkers, nature lovers, retired people, art lovers, history buffs, etc. There are books for scenic drives and books just for train travel.

I kind of feel that RS is coasting. He writes a great book and then makes minor updates and sells it as a new book the next year. I bought some of Rick's books 15 years ago, and I am not sure if much as changed at all. When I am thinking of buying a country book, I think myself "maybe I could wait a few months and get next years version in case there are any updates.". Meanwhile, I think the competition has gotten much stronger - other books are full of color photos, color maps, and details on each region. And then there are websites/apps like TripAdvisor.

I would be happier if one or both of these things were done :
1. If you buy an e-book, get free upgrades to the same book the next few years or indefinitely - since all you are getting is slight edits, and its kind of ridiculous to spend $20 after $20 for the same info. This would encourage me to buy all the country books I might ever want to visit without worry of obsolesce

1. I think each year, a little more info should be added to each book to flesh them out and keep up with the competition. Suppose you are in Avignon, is it worth a day trip to Lourmarin where the "Year in Provence" guy moved to? If you're in Turin, is it worth it to rent a car to go on the Barolo wine trip, or north to the Italian alps and Aosta or drive under Mont Blanc? If you're in Italy is it worth going to Bari and the eastern coast of the lower boot, or Matara where the new 007 was filmed (more and more people say its a great area)? Or my original question - is it worth 1:40 of train time total to visit Valencia where I assume the oranges of that name come from, where El Cid died? Or in the Portugal book - it assumes you will fly in for a week - how about getting there via ferry or overnight train from Spain?