TRAVEL GUIDES AND INDEPENDENT ADVICE

The classic guide book series for history, art and architecture.  Beautifully presented, meticulously researched, clearly laid out.

“designed for the traveller who desires to understand more fully what he or she sees”

Award winning maps | Detailed floorplans | Architectural drawings | Expert glossaries | Reliable recommendations

.... the best travel guide I've ever purchased .... Best guide book out there for Rome, tells you everything and more, on loan to 4th person now, all impressed .... Wish there was a guide like this on every city I visited .... The best guide on Venice! .... im already a fan of the blue guide rome which has been a great source of knowledge for me during 2 trips to rome, i now have the florence guide and its equally superb .... We had other folks surreptitiously listening in when I'd read out the descriptions as we went; much of the content of other guidebooks seems to be cribbed from the Blues .... The updated version is even better! .... Blue Guides are now back on track! This is absolutely the best guide book to Venice available today .... wonderful for digging out smaller or undiscovered treasures .... To my knowledge it is the only thorough, intelligent, reliable guide to those who want to find and appreciate the overwhelming riches of this city .... Brilliant guide for anyone interested in London and it's hidden treasures .... Traveled all over Umbria and took this book (on my kindle) everywhere and referred to it often .... My only complaint is that they don't publish more of them for other cool cities .... Very authoritative and accurate .... the guidebook of reference for the Eternal City .... have not regretted one moment of my long and happy relationship with Blue Guides .... this edition remains at the top of the list for the more discerning travellers to New York .... a thorough and comprehensive travel reference, with details other books simply ignore .... Blue Guide to India was absolutely invaluable during my month long stay: authoritative, accurate, easy to follow .... One of the best books I have found for information on Sicily .... Damn near every thing you could ever see in Rome

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The Twenty-day Sultan
To be a sultan even for only twenty days is an achievement. Cem Sultan paid for it for the rest of his life… Born the third son of Fatih Sultan Mehmet (the conqueror of Constantinople), Cem could style himself as ‘porphyrogenitus’, being born when his father was an emperor, unlike his two brothers Beyazıt and Mustafa. According to Ottoman tradition, princes were sent out to the provinces while still very young, to learn the ropes…

Recent article
Donatello. The Renaissance
The simplicity of the title of this marvellous exhibition prepares us for the presence of a series of masterpieces by the greatest Western sculptor of all time….

Reader reviews
“They’re really are the best…”
“It really makes every other guide book on the market look like an article in a magazine.” Reader reviews and comments from Amazon.

History resources: Rome
Popes and emperors
Pilgrim’s Rome | 20 key dates in Roman history | 10 top popes | A dictator and handful of Roman emperors

Somerset Books presents
Blue Danube
Blue Danube is a sister imprint to Blue Guides, the august 100 year old guide book series. The new imprint focuses on literature, history and travel in Central Europe.

We publish articles by Blue Guides writers and editors reviewing books and exhibitions and giving updates on the beautiful and historic destinations covered in our series.  We also share comments and updates on each individual title – do feel free to add your own comments or to contact us.

“guide books in the grand tradition of thoroughness and objectivity” Georgia Review;
“the Blue Guides still hold the cultural high ground” Sunday Times;
“a gold standard for accuracy and depth” Daily Telegraph.

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