The publisher says: Being a conch is a state of mind, condition of the heart, and foreclosure on the soul. Many throughout the Florida Keys wear that epitaph proudly, yet there is anything but a shared lifestyle here. To the south, Key West has a Mardi Gras mood with Fantasy Festivals, Hemingway look-alike contests and the occasional threat to secede from the Union. It's an island whose melting-pot character allows crusty natives to mingle (more or less peacefully) with eccentrics and escape artists who lovingly call this 4-mile sandbar "Paradise." Although life elsewhere in the island chain isn't quite as offbeat, it's nearly as diverse. Flowering jungles, shimmering seas, and mangrove-lined islands are also, conversely, overburdened. Booming tourism and a growing population have created sewage contamination at beaches and a 110-mile traffic jam lined with garish billboards, burger barns, strip malls, motels, and trailer courts. Unfortunately, in the Keys you can't have one without the other.

Details:
Title: In Focus Florida Keys (1st edition)
Publisher: Fodor's Travel Publications
Pub. date: Sept. 30, 2008
Paperback
List price: $10.95
ISBN-10: 1400007577
ISBN-13: 978-1400007578

The publisher says: Thoroughly revised and updated for 2008, this easy-to-use travel guide is organized alphabetically by province and provides meticulously detailed maps with mileage charts; sections describing annual and seasonal events, visitor attractions, landmarks, and recreational activities; enhanced accommodations and restaurant ratings; helpful travel tips and valuable coupons; and a new, larger, trim size and lay-flat binding. This guide covers Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.

Details:
Title: Canada 2008
Publisher: Mobil Travel Guide
Pub. date: Feb. 1, 2008
Paperback; 354 pages
List price: $17.95
ISBN-10: 0762746688
ISBN-13: 978-0762746682

The publisher says: This Globetrotter Travel Pack to Madagascar offers exceptional value for money by combining Guide and Map in a convenient and durable plastic wallet. Each pack comprises the relevant Travel Guide and a full-size Travel Map. The handy Travel Guides are crammed with useful information, travel tips and recommendations for the traveler. Favoring essential and practical travel data over extended essays, their clearly presented, easy-to-carry format is both attractive and practical.

Details:
Title: Madagascar (2nd edition)
Publisher: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd. (Globetrotter Travel Pack)
Pub. date: Aug. 1, 2008
Paperback; 128 pages
List price: $14.95
ISBN-10: 1847730450
ISBN-13: 978-1847730459

The publisher says: In recent years Gerry Hempel Davis has logged over 100,000 miles on America's highways and byways, stumbling upon sites that range from the trancendent to the ridiculous. Listed here are hundreds of her favorite resorts, spas, hotels, parks, diners, B&Bs, and shops. There's also many other less-easily classified attractions both grand and gauche, as small as a roadside fruit stand and as large as the Waldorf Astoria. Have a yen to see an ostrich farm while toodling along Arizona's Route 10? An urge to shop while leaving Birmingham, AL? A lust for consignment shops in the Florida Keys? Davis did too, and with style and wit she lets readers know where to stop and where to not. A Zagat for the inner Zingaro, 100,000 Miles covers places familiar and foreign, in the process offering fresh and fun perspectives on everything from hot springs to five-star hotels, bakeries to toy factories, bookshops to cowboy museums.

Details:
Title: 100,000 Miles: A Driving Diva's Guide to America's One-of-a-Kind Shopping, Eating, Touring and Sleeping Places
Publisher: Moonlight Publishing, LLC
Pub. date: Jan. 25, 2008
Author: Gerry Hempel Davis
Paperback; 352 pages
List price: $17.95
ISBN-10: 0977960331
ISBN-13: 978-0977960330

The publisher says: World-class entertainment at the Mariinsky Theatre, sultry White Nights in midsummer, ice-skating on the Neva and the sublime architecture of the Church on the Spilled Blood -- Russia's "northern capital" amazes all who visit. This smart, streetwise and stylish guide uncovers the cultural riches, captivating history and carefree nightlife of this magnificent city. Immerse yourself in art, comparing Picasso and Poussin, Gainsborough and Gauguin with a whole chapter dedicated to the vast Hermitage Museum. Catch the scene, dancing on tables or watching world-class ballet; our St. Petersburg expert reveals the complete range of entertainment options. Explore the city with tailor-made walking tours, full color, cross-referenced maps and metro plan. Talk the talk with our detailed language chapter complete with Cyrillic script. Escape to opulent tsarist palaces and charming historic towns with our comprehensive Excursions chapter.

Details:
Title: St. Petersburg City Guide (5th edition)
Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
Pub. date: April 2008
Author: Mara Vorhees
Paperback; 268 pages
List price: $21.99
ISBN-10: 174059827X
ISBN-13: 978-1740598279

The publisher says: Rio is famous for its spectacular natural setting, its Carnival celebrations, samba and other music, and hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana and Ipanema. With a new design and unbeatable price, DK raises the bar on travel guides with its new Top 10 Travel Guide series. Whether on business or vacation, take the work out of planning any trip with DK's Top 10 Travel Guides. Building on the success of the Eyewitness Travel Guides, DK has created a new series that makes finding the best every destination has to offer even easier than before. Whether searching for the finest cuisine or cheapest places to eat, the most luxurious hotels or best deals on places to stay, the coolest family destination or hottest nightspot, the Top 10 format allows travelers to use the insights of experts to make the most of their vacation. Accompanied by a companion website, readers can share their experiences and vote for their own personal Top 10s.

Details:
Title: Top 10 Rio de Janeiro
Publisher: DK Publishing
Pub. date: Dec. 15, 2008
Paperback: 128 pages
List price: $12.00
ISBN-10: 0756636507
ISBN-13: 978-0756636500

The publisher says: Slim, stylish and pocketable, Barcelona Directions is full of ideas for stop-overs, long-weekends and flying visits to one of Europe''s most popular city break destinations, richly illustrated with hundreds of specially commissioned photos. The full-color introduction features 28 themed spreads -- from shopping and designer bars to architecture and art galleries. The main section of the guide, "Places", gives a district-by-district account of the sights, restaurants, shops, transport links and nightlife -- all generously illustrated. Every listing and review is pin-pointed on accompanying user-friendly maps.

Details:
Title: Barcelona Directions
Publisher: Rough Guides
Pub. date: May 19, 2008
Paperback; approx. 200 pages
List price: $11.99
ISBN-10: 1858282802
ISBN-13: 978-1858282800

The publisher says: Thoroughly revised and updated for 2008, each easy-to-use regional travel guide is organized alphabetically by state and/or province and provides meticulously detailed maps with mileage charts; sections describing annual and seasonal events, visitor attractions, landmarks, and recreational activities; enhanced accommodations and restaurant ratings; helpful travel tips and valuable coupons; and a new, larger, trim size and lay-flat binding. This guide covers the southwestern states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

Details:
Title: Southwest 2008
Publisher: Mobil Travel Guide
Pub. date: Feb. 1, 2008
Paperback; 448 pages
List price: $19.95
ISBN-10: 0762746661
ISBN-13: 978-0762746668

The publisher says: Thoroughly revised and updated for 2008, each easy-to-use regional travel guide is organized alphabetically by state and/or province and provides meticulously detailed maps with mileage charts; sections describing annual and seasonal events, visitor attractions, landmarks, and recreational activities; enhanced accommodations and restaurant ratings; helpful travel tips and valuable coupons; and a new, larger, trim size and lay-flat binding. In addition to Alaska, this guide covers Washington State, Idaho, Oregon and Canada's Vancouver, British Columbia.

Details:
Title: Northwest & Alaska 2008
Publisher: Mobil Travel Guide
Pub. date: Feb. 1, 2008
Paperback; 400 pages
List price: $18.95
ISBN-10: 0762746629
ISBN-13: 978-0762746620

The publisher says: An outstanding overview of the country, featuring hundreds of photographs and observant essays on history, culture and nature. With separate chapters on Istanbul, Ephesus, the Aegean Coast, Lycia, and Cappadocia.

Details:
Title: Turkey (5th edition)
Publisher: Insight Guides
Pub. date: June 2008
Paperback; 439 pages
List price: $22.95
ISBN-10: 9812587136
ISBN-13: 978-9812587138