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 .... in an era of brief and meaningless descriptions, this book stands out .... 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 .... full of detailed background and interesting information (Blue Guide Central Italy) .... 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 its hidden treasures .... Traveled all over Umbria and took this book (on my kindle) everywhere and referred to it often .... I know of no other guide which gives as full, detailed and expert a description (Blue Guide Central Italy) .... 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 .... excellent detail that you will not get from most guidebooks .... 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

Sites of Antiquity
From Ancient Egypt to the Fall of Rome

A reviewer called our beautiful coffee-table format book Sites of Antiquity ‘the PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT for any travel-hungry friend’. That was some years ago, we still have a few copies left, hence the SPECIAL PRICE of £10 (reduced from £25).
See Sites of Antiquity

Blue Guide Venice Amazon review
The best got better
“You know what to expect from a Blue Guide – a solid and detailed survey of the art and architecture, free of pretension, fashion and recommendations of what’s ‘happening’. And so this new edition is satisfying and unsurprising, except it’s now illustrated fully in colour! And not just the photos – the maps, plans and drawings get a clarifying colourful spruce up too. It’s like a Dorling Kindersley guide mated with a Blue Guide. Almost, there’s still more text than pics. Anyway, this guide is now even more the best to get.”
See Blue Guide Venice

Recent article
Lying in state
The tradition of the lying in state, when the deceased is laid in his or her coffin and mourners are invited to file past to pay their respects. One might think that this was a custom hallowed by the centuries. The truth is rather different…

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.

Most recent Blue Guides

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.

Blue Danube titles

Our new imprint, details here»

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