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Taiwan: The Bradt Travel Guide
From sword-wielding shamans to unique birds – an in-depth guide to Taiwan’s human and natural attractions.
- GenresTravel
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 25, 2011
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About the author
Steven Crook
10 booksSteven Crook, who grew up in England, first arrived in Taiwan in 1991. Since 1996, he’s been writing about Taiwan’s natural and cultural attractions for newspapers and magazines, including CNN Traveler Asia-Pacific, Christian Science Monitor, and various inflight magazines.
He’s the author of three books about the country: Keeping Up With The War God (2001), Dos And Don’ts In Taiwan (2010) and Taiwan: The Bradt Travel Guide (2010).
Many of his articles can be read at http://crooksteven.blogspot.com.
He blogs about travel in Taiwan at http://bradttaiwan.blogspot.com
He’s the author of three books about the country: Keeping Up With The War God (2001), Dos And Don’ts In Taiwan (2010) and Taiwan: The Bradt Travel Guide (2010).
Many of his articles can be read at http://crooksteven.blogspot.com.
He blogs about travel in Taiwan at http://bradttaiwan.blogspot.com
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 23, 2011
I’ve read several Taiwan travel guides (I lived in Taiwan for 10 years), and quite enjoyed the old Lonely Planet ones written by Robert Storey, but nowadays your best bet for a Taiwan guide is this one, written by journalist and author Steven Crook, an Englishman with nearly two decades experience on the island formerly known as Formosa.
The text in this book crackles with fine writing and intriguing bits of information. The history section, especially, shines brightly, shunning generic treatment and diving down deep to haul up some absorbing obscure facts. The history segment (and others) helps the guidebook do what a good guidebook should: engage the reader while whetting their appetite to explore further, to learn more.
The Tainan section (Tainan is a city in southern Taiwan) also sparkles, but then you’d expect it to. The author wrote a nifty little book called Keeping Up With the War God which describes the metropolis and its folk religion traditions. In fact, the author lives in Tainan, but there is nothing stale in the presentation of the former capital; the writer’s love for the quirky burg is perceptible and enduring, and as someone who spent nearly all his Taiwan time in Taipei, I found this section quite edifying.
Crook is also a passionate outdoorsman, and those keen to get out of the concrete and neon of the lowlands will appreciate data on sanity-restoring, fresh-air sojourns into the island’s green zone. Anyone planning on hiking Taiwan’s Yushan or Snow Mountain, for example, will find heaps of sustaining advice and detail.
Many guidebooks have gone cookie-cutter, but if this one is any indication of the quality of others, I’m going to make a note to check out Bradt in the future. In addition to being a good guidebook, it’s a good read. Five stars. You couldn’t ask for better.
Troy Parfitt, author Why China Will Never Rule the World
The text in this book crackles with fine writing and intriguing bits of information. The history section, especially, shines brightly, shunning generic treatment and diving down deep to haul up some absorbing obscure facts. The history segment (and others) helps the guidebook do what a good guidebook should: engage the reader while whetting their appetite to explore further, to learn more.
The Tainan section (Tainan is a city in southern Taiwan) also sparkles, but then you’d expect it to. The author wrote a nifty little book called Keeping Up With the War God which describes the metropolis and its folk religion traditions. In fact, the author lives in Tainan, but there is nothing stale in the presentation of the former capital; the writer’s love for the quirky burg is perceptible and enduring, and as someone who spent nearly all his Taiwan time in Taipei, I found this section quite edifying.
Crook is also a passionate outdoorsman, and those keen to get out of the concrete and neon of the lowlands will appreciate data on sanity-restoring, fresh-air sojourns into the island’s green zone. Anyone planning on hiking Taiwan’s Yushan or Snow Mountain, for example, will find heaps of sustaining advice and detail.
Many guidebooks have gone cookie-cutter, but if this one is any indication of the quality of others, I’m going to make a note to check out Bradt in the future. In addition to being a good guidebook, it’s a good read. Five stars. You couldn’t ask for better.
Troy Parfitt, author Why China Will Never Rule the World
December 3, 2013
I took this book with me to Taiwan - it has some useful information about the country. Great background reading but not so useful for daily sightseeing.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews