Refreshing honesty and splendid wit, 27 Sep 2008
Quite apart from its sheer range and depth in tackling its subject, this book is really entertaining. It blows a welcome blast of fresh air through the fragrance business, exposing some of its frailties ('We *never* change our fragrance formulas' is the lie you hear most often) and gambolling in the glittering light of enthusiasm when reviewing favoured scents. The fragrance reviews are splendidly opinionated, but it's always clear that what's being praised is quality, coherence, balance, rather than 'niceness', so you're still free to exercise your own preference when you're shopping. I'm particularly impressed by the authors' recognition of the part appearance and presentation play in our enjoyment of fragrance, so they tell you when the packaging is the best thing about a scent, and when the opposite is true, too. They're also very good at pointing out that where fragrance is concerned, you very rarely 'get what you pay for', because some of the cheapest products on sale are very good, and some of the most expensive are not. Even if you fall into the least favoured category of person - someone who wears fragrance because they're frightened of smelling of themselves, rather than because they actually like what they're wearing - you'll find constructive suggestions here, with splendidly direct warnings about pitfalls you might want to avoid. A splendid read, and a reliable guide - which will need updating with new editions every few years!

A trip down memory lane.., 18 Sep 2008
I spent last night poring over this book with my friends, male and female, looking up the various scents we have proudly worn then laughing and reminiscing while reading out the dead-on reviews. E.g. Poison 'The fragrance that everybody loves to hate...a must for every collector but please don't wear it to dinner'! It's warm, witty and wise - unlike anything else I have read on the subject.

A must have for handbags and manbags alike!, 09 Sep 2008
A danger to credit cards everywhere! This book is so evocative - descriptions of the good perfumes make you want to rush out and buy them without even smelling them first and reviews of the bad ones are screamingly funny. It's absolutely beautiful and a perfect present - also a brilliant way to drop a hint to your boyfriend, either because you want one of the scents or if you don't like his.

Refreshing honesty and splendid wit, 27 Sep 2008
Quite apart from its sheer range and depth in tackling its subject, this book is really entertaining. It blows a welcome blast of fresh air through the fragrance business, exposing some of its frailties ('We *never* change our fragrance formulas' is the lie you hear most often) and gambolling in the glittering light of enthusiasm when reviewing favoured scents. The fragrance reviews are splendidly opinionated, but it's always clear that what's being praised is quality, coherence, balance, rather than 'niceness', so you're still free to exercise your own preference when you're shopping. I'm particularly impressed by the authors' recognition of the part appearance and presentation play in our enjoyment of fragrance, so they tell you when the packaging is the best thing about a scent, and when the opposite is true, too. They're also very good at pointing out that where fragrance is concerned, you very rarely 'get what you pay for', because some of the cheapest products on sale are very good, and some of the most expensive are not. Even if you fall into the least favoured category of person - someone who wears fragrance because they're frightened of smelling of themselves, rather than because they actually like what they're wearing - you'll find constructive suggestions here, with splendidly direct warnings about pitfalls you might want to avoid. A splendid read, and a reliable guide - which will need updating with new editions every few years!

A trip down memory lane.., 18 Sep 2008
I spent last night poring over this book with my friends, male and female, looking up the various scents we have proudly worn then laughing and reminiscing while reading out the dead-on reviews. E.g. Poison 'The fragrance that everybody loves to hate...a must for every collector but please don't wear it to dinner'! It's warm, witty and wise - unlike anything else I have read on the subject.

A must have for handbags and manbags alike!, 09 Sep 2008
A danger to credit cards everywhere! This book is so evocative - descriptions of the good perfumes make you want to rush out and buy them without even smelling them first and reviews of the bad ones are screamingly funny. It's absolutely beautiful and a perfect present - also a brilliant way to drop a hint to your boyfriend, either because you want one of the scents or if you don't like his.

Engrossing as ever, 13 Sep 2008
As usual this guide makes compulsive reading, if you're interested in good food. For the last two years there's been a greater use of colour printing and the whole appearance of the book is more attractive. It's inevitably weighted towards more populated areas with very few entries for far-flung places, where in truth one needs guidance even more. The Guide is limited by he fact that it is alerted to good places by recommendations from the general public to which it then sends inspectors. So, for example, an excellent eating place in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland will have a lesser chance of inclusion if a volunteer inspector is unavailable to travel and stay there (at their own expense) to do the inspection--most inspectors only get the meal reimbursed. In recent years the Guide's entries have been categorized by region rather than by an alphabetical list of towns/cities, which is fine if you know that, e.g., Salford would be under Greater Manchester--not so easy for parts of the UK that one isn't familiar with let alone for foreign visitors. There's an alphabetical list of restaurant names--it would be helpful to have a similarly ordered list for recommended restaurants by the name of the town or city. I think this Guide is the best of the bunch of Guides as the entries are not paid for by the establishments listed and there is a big input from the paying public.

The Rough Guide to Pregnancy and Birth sets out to offer "the soundest, sanest, wittiest advice you'll ever get" about life as an expectant mum. Covering "the scary parts, the funny parts and your private parts" Australian author Kaz Cooke counts down to motherhood using a week-by-week format, at each stage explaining what's going on to you and baby, exploring common health complaints, suggesting remedies and looking at what will happen at antenatal visits. She also includes a semi-fictitious weekly diary account that provides a friendly and very funny voice to reassure you that you're not alone.

Overall, this format works well, particularly if you're a reader who dips in and out. Not least, it means you can check up on whether you're growing out of your clothes at a normal rate! It's also good to sneak a peak at a couple of weeks in the future and suss out what's in store. Its readable, illustrated layout lends itself to perusal when symptoms are getting you down, not just because it makes you laugh about morning sickness, constant weeing and leaking breasts, but also as it make you realise that actually things could be worse! Having sneaked a peak at week 41 you could be disappointed that the diary birth is eventually by Caesarean. Obviously this prepares you for the worst case scenario but it results in skipping over the protracted labour stages which, for most new mums, makes required reading, not matter how scary they sound.

On the whole this book is funny, frank and perfect to dip in and out of but it's not one you'd really use as a reference guide, particularly if you were genuinely worried about an aspect of your pregnancy. Being the work of one sole author it's obviously a rather subjective view of what is for everyone, a uniquely personal experience. It complements the likes of Miriam Stoppard and Sheila Kitzinger but (despite being much more entertaining) really couldn't begin to replace them. Pregnant women are notorious for reading every book they can get their hands on, and despite The Rough Guide to Pregnancy and Birth presenting itself as a definitive guide, it's not going to change that habit any time soon.--Shona Campbell

Refreshing honesty and splendid wit, 27 Sep 2008
Quite apart from its sheer range and depth in tackling its subject, this book is really entertaining. It blows a welcome blast of fresh air through the fragrance business, exposing some of its frailties ('We *never* change our fragrance formulas' is the lie you hear most often) and gambolling in the glittering light of enthusiasm when reviewing favoured scents. The fragrance reviews are splendidly opinionated, but it's always clear that what's being praised is quality, coherence, balance, rather than 'niceness', so you're still free to exercise your own preference when you're shopping. I'm particularly impressed by the authors' recognition of the part appearance and presentation play in our enjoyment of fragrance, so they tell you when the packaging is the best thing about a scent, and when the opposite is true, too. They're also very good at pointing out that where fragrance is concerned, you very rarely 'get what you pay for', because some of the cheapest products on sale are very good, and some of the most expensive are not. Even if you fall into the least favoured category of person - someone who wears fragrance because they're frightened of smelling of themselves, rather than because they actually like what they're wearing - you'll find constructive suggestions here, with splendidly direct warnings about pitfalls you might want to avoid. A splendid read, and a reliable guide - which will need updating with new editions every few years!

A trip down memory lane.., 18 Sep 2008
I spent last night poring over this book with my friends, male and female, looking up the various scents we have proudly worn then laughing and reminiscing while reading out the dead-on reviews. E.g. Poison 'The fragrance that everybody loves to hate...a must for every collector but please don't wear it to dinner'! It's warm, witty and wise - unlike anything else I have read on the subject.

A must have for handbags and manbags alike!, 09 Sep 2008
A danger to credit cards everywhere! This book is so evocative - descriptions of the good perfumes make you want to rush out and buy them without even smelling them first and reviews of the bad ones are screamingly funny. It's absolutely beautiful and a perfect present - also a brilliant way to drop a hint to your boyfriend, either because you want one of the scents or if you don't like his.

Engrossing as ever, 13 Sep 2008
As usual this guide makes compulsive reading, if you're interested in good food. For the last two years there's been a greater use of colour printing and the whole appearance of the book is more attractive. It's inevitably weighted towards more populated areas with very few entries for far-flung places, where in truth one needs guidance even more. The Guide is limited by he fact that it is alerted to good places by recommendations from the general public to which it then sends inspectors. So, for example, an excellent eating place in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland will have a lesser chance of inclusion if a volunteer inspector is unavailable to travel and stay there (at their own expense) to do the inspection--most inspectors only get the meal reimbursed. In recent years the Guide's entries have been categorized by region rather than by an alphabetical list of towns/cities, which is fine if you know that, e.g., Salford would be under Greater Manchester--not so easy for parts of the UK that one isn't familiar with let alone for foreign visitors. There's an alphabetical list of restaurant names--it would be helpful to have a similarly ordered list for recommended restaurants by the name of the town or city. I think this Guide is the best of the bunch of Guides as the entries are not paid for by the establishments listed and there is a big input from the paying public.

This book kept me SANE!!, 04 Sep 2008
I read this book cover to cover during my first pregnancy 4 years ago, and now that I am in my second pregnancy I'm reading it again. It kept me sane the first time round and I'm hoping for the same result!!!! It's funny how you can pick up the book at any point during your pregnancy and she mentions something in her diary entry that you can really relate to - almost like I had a question I was just starting to mull over in my mind and then here's Kaz with not just the answer but a hilarious account of her's or someone else's experience!!! The only book I actively reccommend to all my pregnant friends!!

Excellent book!, 20 May 2008
I had been given numerous books on pregnancy, all of which I found were quite patronising really, or do this, don't do this etc.

This is NOT like those other books - it is brilliant and funny, and is my week by week bible/bedtime read! Written by a real person talking about real things in a real language that we can understand and relate to.

I'm now here to buy her next book, which I can only imagine will be just as good! The what to do with it/what to expect when it arrives part!

Great, Informative and Funny, 19 May 2008
I love the week by week layout of the book, it is easy to read and not full of technical jargon, unlike some books. It is not patronising and I feel is an extremely comprehensive guide to the good, the bad and the ugly parts of pregnancy, without scaring you, it makes you feel normal and not at all out of your depth and is full of great advice.

If you want to know how to be a labotomised stepford pregnant woman then this is NOT the book for you! , 30 Apr 2008
I absolutely loved this book! It works in 2 parts - there is a weekly diary written by the author so you feel that you have a really good pal right there with you week in, week out - she is very witty and matter of fact about her pregnancy and her tales had me laughing out loud - knowing exactly what she meant. Surrounding the diary is lots of important, useful information covering all aspects of pregnancy - from the mental side of things, the physical side of things and the external stuff that we all have to cope with such as work, relatives etc.

I am so glad I bought this book as I really feel calm about the last week of pregnancy and what's to follow - I had a really good friend with me every step of the way with this book and when I got to the end of her diary I felt a little sad that I had to say goodbye to her.

The book is so user friendly that my husband has read it cover to cover - unprompted. He saw how much I enjoyed it and figured he'd have a go. This can only be a good thing for me, for him and for the baby.

Highly, Highly recommended. You won't want to lend it to anybody once you've finished it!

At last something fun!, 04 Apr 2008
Why do so many people and authors want to make pregnancy soo very boring and serious!! This book tells it as it is, a laugh and something to be happy about, not label, worry and fret.

I would recommend that all other pregnancy books are burned at the bottom of the garden and this can then become your nine month bible!!

We live in an era where image is nearly everything, where the proliferation of brand-name culture has created, to take one hyperbolic example from Naomi Klein's No Logo, "walking, talking, life-sized Tommy [Hilfiger] dolls, mummified in fully branded Tommy worlds". Brand identities are even flourishing online, she notes--and for some retailers, perhaps best of all online: "Liberated from the real-world burdens of stores and product manufacturing, these brands are free to soar, less as the disseminators of goods or services than as collective hallucinations".

In No Logo, Klein patiently demonstrates, step by step, how brands have become ubiquitous, not just in media and on the street but increasingly in the schools as well. The global companies claim to support diversity but their version of "corporate multiculturalism" is merely intended to create more buying options for consumers. When Klein talks about how easy it is for retailers like Wal-Mart and Blockbuster to "censor" the contents of videotapes and albums, she also considers the role corporate conglomeration plays in the process. How much would one expect Paramount Pictures, for example, to protest against Blockbuster's policies, given that they are both divisions of Viacom?

Klein also looks at the workers who keep these companies running, most of whom never share in any of the great rewards. The president of Borders, when asked whether the bookstore chain could pay its clerks a "living wage" wrote that "while the concept is romantically appealing, it ignores the practicalities and realities of our business environment". Those clerks should probably just be grateful they're not stuck in an Asian sweatshop, making pennies an hour to produce Nike sneakers or other must-have fashion items. Klein also discusses at some length the tactic of hiring "permatemps" who can do most of the work and receive few, if any, benefits like health care, paid vacations or stock options. While many workers are glad to be part of the "Free Agent Nation" observers note that, particularly in the high-tech industry, such policies make it increasingly difficult to organise workers and advocate for change.

But resistance is growing and the backlash against the brands has set in. Street-level education programmes have taught kids in the inner cities, for example, not only about Nike's abusive labour practices but about the astronomical mark-up in their prices. Boycotts have commenced: as one urban teen put it, "Nike, we made you. We can break you". But there's more to the revolution, as Klein optimistically recounts: "Ethical shareholders, culture jammers, street reclaimers, McUnion organisers, human-rights hacktivists, school-logo fighters and Internet corporate watchdogs are at the early stages of demanding a citizen-centred alternative to the international rule of the brands ... as global, and as capable of co-ordinated action, as the multinational corporations it seeks to subvert". No Logo is a comprehensive account of what the global economy has wrought and the actions taking place to thwart it. --Ron HoganWe live in an era where image is nearly everything, where the proliferation of brand-name culture has created, to take one hyperbolic example from Naomi Klein's No Logo, "walking, talking, life-sized Tommy [Hilfiger] dolls, mummified in fully branded Tommy worlds". Brand identities are even flourishing online, she notes--and for some retailers, perhaps best of all online: "Liberated from the real-world burdens of stores and product manufacturing, these brands are free to soar, less as the disseminators of goods or services than as collective hallucinations."

In No Logo, Klein patiently demonstrates, step by step, how brands have become ubiquitous, not just in media and on the street but increasingly in the schools as well. The global companies claim to support diversity but their version of "corporate multiculturalism" is merely intended to create more buying options for consumers. When Klein talks about how easy it is for retailers like Wal-Mart and Blockbuster to "censor" the contents of videotapes and albums, she also considers the role corporate conglomeration plays in the process. How much would one expect Paramount Pictures, for example, to protest against Blockbuster's policies, given that they're both divisions of Viacom?

Klein also looks at the workers who keep these companies running, most of whom never share in any of the great rewards. The president of Borders, when asked whether the bookstore chain could pay its clerks a "living wage" wrote that "while the concept is romantically appealing, it ignores the practicalities and realities of our business environment." Those clerks should probably just be grateful they're not stuck in an Asian sweatshop, making pennies an hour to produce Nike sneakers or other must-have fashion items. Klein also discusses at some length the tactic of hiring "permatemps" who can do most of the work and receive few, if any, benefits like health care, paid vacations or stock options. While many workers are glad to be part of the "Free Agent Nation" observers note that, particularly in the high-tech industry, such policies make it increasingly difficult to organise workers and advocate for change.

But resistance is growing and the backlash against the brands has set in. Street-level education programmes have taught kids in the inner cities, for example, not only about Nike's abusive labour practices but about the astronomical mark-up in their prices. Boycotts have commenced: as one urban teen put it, "Nike, we made you. We can break you." But there's more to the revolution, as Klein optimistically recounts: "Ethical shareholders, culture jammers, street reclaimers, McUnion organisers, human-rights hacktivists, school-logo fighters and Internet corporate watchdogs are at the early stages of demanding a citizen-centred alternative to the international rule of the brands ... as global, and as capable of co-ordinated action, as the multinational corporations it seeks to subvert." No Logo is a comprehensive account of what the global economy has wrought and the actions taking place to thwart it. --Ron Hogan

Refreshing honesty and splendid wit, 27 Sep 2008
Quite apart from its sheer range and depth in tackling its subject, this book is really entertaining. It blows a welcome blast of fresh air through the fragrance business, exposing some of its frailties ('We *never* change our fragrance formulas' is the lie you hear most often) and gambolling in the glittering light of enthusiasm when reviewing favoured scents. The fragrance reviews are splendidly opinionated, but it's always clear that what's being praised is quality, coherence, balance, rather than 'niceness', so you're still free to exercise your own preference when you're shopping. I'm particularly impressed by the authors' recognition of the part appearance and presentation play in our enjoyment of fragrance, so they tell you when the packaging is the best thing about a scent, and when the opposite is true, too. They're also very good at pointing out that where fragrance is concerned, you very rarely 'get what you pay for', because some of the cheapest products on sale are very good, and some of the most expensive are not. Even if you fall into the least favoured category of person - someone who wears fragrance because they're frightened of smelling of themselves, rather than because they actually like what they're wearing - you'll find constructive suggestions here, with splendidly direct warnings about pitfalls you might want to avoid. A splendid read, and a reliable guide - which will need updating with new editions every few years!

A trip down memory lane.., 18 Sep 2008
I spent last night poring over this book with my friends, male and female, looking up the various scents we have proudly worn then laughing and reminiscing while reading out the dead-on reviews. E.g. Poison 'The fragrance that everybody loves to hate...a must for every collector but please don't wear it to dinner'! It's warm, witty and wise - unlike anything else I have read on the subject.

A must have for handbags and manbags alike!, 09 Sep 2008
A danger to credit cards everywhere! This book is so evocative - descriptions of the good perfumes make you want to rush out and buy them without even smelling them first and reviews of the bad ones are screamingly funny. It's absolutely beautiful and a perfect present - also a brilliant way to drop a hint to your boyfriend, either because you want one of the scents or if you don't like his.

Engrossing as ever, 13 Sep 2008
As usual this guide makes compulsive reading, if you're interested in good food. For the last two years there's been a greater use of colour printing and the whole appearance of the book is more attractive. It's inevitably weighted towards more populated areas with very few entries for far-flung places, where in truth one needs guidance even more. The Guide is limited by he fact that it is alerted to good places by recommendations from the general public to which it then sends inspectors. So, for example, an excellent eating place in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland will have a lesser chance of inclusion if a volunteer inspector is unavailable to travel and stay there (at their own expense) to do the inspection--most inspectors only get the meal reimbursed. In recent years the Guide's entries have been categorized by region rather than by an alphabetical list of towns/cities, which is fine if you know that, e.g., Salford would be under Greater Manchester--not so easy for parts of the UK that one isn't familiar with let alone for foreign visitors. There's an alphabetical list of restaurant names--it would be helpful to have a similarly ordered list for recommended restaurants by the name of the town or city. I think this Guide is the best of the bunch of Guides as the entries are not paid for by the establishments listed and there is a big input from the paying public.

This book kept me SANE!!, 04 Sep 2008
I read this book cover to cover during my first pregnancy 4 years ago, and now that I am in my second pregnancy I'm reading it again. It kept me sane the first time round and I'm hoping for the same result!!!! It's funny how you can pick up the book at any point during your pregnancy and she mentions something in her diary entry that you can really relate to - almost like I had a question I was just starting to mull over in my mind and then here's Kaz with not just the answer but a hilarious account of her's or someone else's experience!!! The only book I actively reccommend to all my pregnant friends!!

Excellent book!, 20 May 2008
I had been given numerous books on pregnancy, all of which I found were quite patronising really, or do this, don't do this etc.

This is NOT like those other books - it is brilliant and funny, and is my week by week bible/bedtime read! Written by a real person talking about real things in a real language that we can understand and relate to.

I'm now here to buy her next book, which I can only imagine will be just as good! The what to do with it/what to expect when it arrives part!

Great, Informative and Funny, 19 May 2008
I love the week by week layout of the book, it is easy to read and not full of technical jargon, unlike some books. It is not patronising and I feel is an extremely comprehensive guide to the good, the bad and the ugly parts of pregnancy, without scaring you, it makes you feel normal and not at all out of your depth and is full of great advice.

If you want to know how to be a labotomised stepford pregnant woman then this is NOT the book for you! , 30 Apr 2008
I absolutely loved this book! It works in 2 parts - there is a weekly diary written by the author so you feel that you have a really good pal right there with you week in, week out - she is very witty and matter of fact about her pregnancy and her tales had me laughing out loud - knowing exactly what she meant. Surrounding the diary is lots of important, useful information covering all aspects of pregnancy - from the mental side of things, the physical side of things and the external stuff that we all have to cope with such as work, relatives etc.

I am so glad I bought this book as I really feel calm about the last week of pregnancy and what's to follow - I had a really good friend with me every step of the way with this book and when I got to the end of her diary I felt a little sad that I had to say goodbye to her.

The book is so user friendly that my husband has read it cover to cover - unprompted. He saw how much I enjoyed it and figured he'd have a go. This can only be a good thing for me, for him and for the baby.

Highly, Highly recommended. You won't want to lend it to anybody once you've finished it!

At last something fun!, 04 Apr 2008
Why do so many people and authors want to make pregnancy soo very boring and serious!! This book tells it as it is, a laugh and something to be happy about, not label, worry and fret.

I would recommend that all other pregnancy books are burned at the bottom of the garden and this can then become your nine month bible!!

would recommend, 09 Apr 2008
pretty hard reading at times, but the content is excellent and certainly gets one thinking about ethical shopping!

Fluent, Thought-provoking but breathtakingly superficial, 21 Jan 2008
As a rule, I am very suspicious of the sharp left-right divide that beclouds any political or economic discussion; there must be truth on both sides. Therefore, I bought this book in order to understand the rage felt by the anti-globalisation movement. I finished the book with the feeling that the book spectacularly failed to deliver. Naomi Klein breezily argues that:

- Multinational corporations have become more powerful than governments and somehow usurped the functions of the government without the accompanying accountability to the electorate

- Multinationals have "stolen" our public spaces and branded them beyond recognition

- These corporations have been responsible for the Post Cold War neoliberal agenda and have exploited the Third World in order to deliver ever cheaper goods to the First World.

The author brilliantly captures the sense of listlessness many people feel in an increasingly interconnected world and how these feelings have coalesced into various anti-corporate movements since 1989. The cozy world in which a person worked for the same corporation for 35 years, vacationed at the company resort and retired at a grand old age of 65 is no more. This feeling has been compounded by the fact that the posterchildren for this New Economy, multinational corporations, do not want to manufacture "stuff" anymore. Instead the corporations have moved into the "image" game. Ms Klein argues that in making this shift that the corporations have demanded ever lower production costs, pushing them to the emerging economies of the Third World. On further examination, this makes sense. Doesn't it? If Western consumers wanted to pay 100% extra for the Made-in-USA tag on a T-shirt then surely they'll fork out the cash at the mall. Instead, consumers have opted for cheaper clothing, food, electronics etc. The multinationals are only responding to the market.

As a Nigerian I was pleased that Shell's operations in my native country were scrutinised in view of the barbaric killing of Ken Saro-Wiwa. Ms Klein, however, paints an perversely unbalanced picture. While many in the West may instinctively blame Shell for dealing with despotic regimes such as Nigeria under Sani Abacha, Ms Klein provided precious little evidence that Shell actively colluded with the Abacha government in the killing of Mr Saro-Wiwa. Shell seemed to be a target because it has a visible and highly valuable brand name. The real culprit in the pillaging of Nigeria's mineral resource is not Shell but the faceless, amorphous Nigerian government. Hey, but since we cannot target General Abacha, why not crucify Shell instead?

When discussing economics Ms Klein is clearly out of her depth. The concept of comparative advantage-that firms (or countries) should focus on doing what they do best-was completely lost on her. It stands to reason that Western multinationals should focus on what they do best like branding, which is high-skill, capital intensive and leave the low-skilled task of actually making , say shoes, to countries with abundant low-skilled workers in the Third World. Ms Klein rehashes misguided populist notions such as that globalisation erodes democracy in far off lands while stripping First World workers of their God-given jobs in multinational corporations. One problem with this arguement is that it fails to show how much wealth these globalising corporations have generated for their home nations. Have the US and the UK not become richer in the last 15 years? Moreover, several studies have shown that these off-shored jobs are a small percentage of the total number of jobs generated in the West. Furthermore, she depicts the export Processing Zones in the Philippines as the old Wild West, where militaristic, multinational corporations pay little tax and are a law unto themselves. Can this really be true? If locating factories in Export Processing Zones were so bad for The Philippines, why does the government allow them?

The book ignores the successes of trade liberalisation in the Third World. There was no mention of the millions of people who have been lifted from back-breaking poverty by the relocation of factories such as Nike's in Indonesia, Vietnam and China. Instead, we are asked to feel sorry for narcissistic, middle-class, Western suburbanites who have lost their "space" to branding. Interesting argument, but I did not buy it. Fact is trade has been proven to be the best way to lift peoples out of poverty. Since, Ms Klein does not have the foggiest idea what pre-industrial rural poverty really feels like, I will excuse her oversight.

In exposing the factory conditions in which Nike sneakers are made in Indonesia, Ms Klein describes these factories as some Oriental Hell, where no one would want to work. Yet, despite, the horrible conditions people still flock to these export processing zones. I suspect that one of the reasons why a 19-year old Indonesian woman would rather work in the factory than on the land is that factory work pays better. Was this not the case during the Industrial Revolution in Europe? Why did the mills of the English Midlands continue attracting peasants from the country side? I can tell, from personal experience, that working for a Western multinational corporation in my native Nigeria is so much more rewarding than working for a local company.

The book romanticises some time in recent Western history when corporations were employers of choice, the Third World was some distant place where you went to on an exotic vacation or perhaps sent some aid dollars to and where we in the West could live sheltered, cocooned lives. Unfortunately, such an idyllic past (if it ever existed) is unlikely to return soon. The fact is that we are connected more than ever before. It is no surprise that the Third World wants in on the action also. Afterall, material wealth is not the exclusive preserve of the "North".

In conclusion, the book is quite readable and made me stop to think about how powerful multinational corporations have become. However, it seethes with self-righteous anger and provides very little new ideas on how to help the individual losers in globalisation. If you want a balanced account of the impact of open markets (globalisation) then I would recommend you read No Logo in addition to Legrain's Open World and Nayan Chanda's Bound Together. Trashing G8 and WTO Summits make for catchy headlines but it does nothing to lift people out of poverty.

No Longer, 12 Jun 2007
It's worth remembering the stir created when this book came out 6 years ago. Looking at it again now is a great measure of how quickly culture has moved. No Logo will be remembered as a truly ground-breaking book that galvanised the attitudes of a generation who had a sneaky feeling that something wasn't right but struggled to articulate it. That's a nice way of saying that it now feels quite dated - although perhaps that's the perfect compliment as it clearly did it's job of waking us all up to our global responsibilities.

The Third World has always existed for the comfort of the First, 03 Nov 2006
Naomi Klein sketches perfectly the major shift in corporate strategy today: transnational companies are not interested in production anymore, only in branding: products are made in factories, brands in the mind. Branding creates big margins, production in home countries meager earnings.

This strategy causes monstrous layoffs in the First World and creates EPZ (Export Processing Zones) in the Third World.
In the First world, corporations transformed themselves in `engines of wealth growth' for their shareholders, instead of `engines of job growth'. `CEO's of the 30 companies with the largest announced layoffs saw their total compensation increase by 67%.'
The jobs they need are predominantly outsourced, or are McJobs (no `adult wages') and temporary stop-jobs.
The First World stirs fierce competition between Third World countries in order to get rock-bottom prices for their `branded' products, creating colossal margins in the home countries.
Wages in EPZs are so low that most of the money is spent on shared dorm rooms and basic food. Workers cannot afford the consumer goods they produce.

Another aspect of our branded world is the sheer size of the (trans)national corporations created by relentless mergers and acquisitions. Their size permits them to decide what items (also magazines, DVDs) should be stocked in a store, in other words, they create a new kind of censorship.
Big mergers in the media landscape allow conglomerates to produce their own news and in this sense jeopardize basic civil liberties.

While Naomi Klein's analysis of our consumer planet is very revealing, the remedies she proposes are rather innocent, epidermic, symptom healing or too general: ad and brand busting, radical ecology (Reclaim the Streets), anti-globalization and anti-corporate mass protests, boycott, building greater critical social consciousness. Individual actions like attacking in court (Shell in Nigeria), revealing Nike's sweatshops or denouncing McDonald's food are ultimately not more than temporary needle pricks in elephant skins.
What the world needs is a global vision, which we can find in the works of Joseph Stiglitz or (for a view from the South) Walden Bello.

Highly recommended.


Excellent but slightly flawed, 25 Oct 2006
At first glance, "No Logo" looks to be a real chore with some 430 or so pages, but actually turns out to be an informative, well-written and engaging insight into corporate culture and practice, into how multinational corporations are gradually taking over and how the society is beginning to fight back. Due to the concepts and ideas introduced and discussed, I also found it to be a genuinely useful book, having come in handy for uni studies, employment and even social gatherings in general, occasions when marketing or globalisation-related issues have cropped up in conversation.

One reviewer quite rightly mentioned "The Rebel Sell", a book in which, if my memory serves me correctly, the authors point out that Klein was once a resident of a rich, suburban area she herself criticises in "No Logo". Reading "The Rebel Sell" has put "No Logo" in a different light and calls Klein's motives for writing it into question - is it the rallying cry to fight against globalisation it claims to be, or has she just spotted an opportunity to make a killing? This is where the book comes across as flawed.

In spite of it, I'd consider "No Logo" essential reading, and I felt a lot more informed for having read it.

Refreshing honesty and splendid wit, 27 Sep 2008
Quite apart from its sheer range and depth in tackling its subject, this book is really entertaining. It blows a welcome blast of fresh air through the fragrance business, exposing some of its frailties ('We *never* change our fragrance formulas' is the lie you hear most often) and gambolling in the glittering light of enthusiasm when reviewing favoured scents. The fragrance reviews are splendidly opinionated, but it's always clear that what's being praised is quality, coherence, balance, rather than 'niceness', so you're still free to exercise your own preference when you're shopping. I'm particularly impressed by the authors' recognition of the part appearance and presentation play in our enjoyment of fragrance, so they tell you when the packaging is the best thing about a scent, and when the opposite is true, too. They're also very good at pointing out that where fragrance is concerned, you very rarely 'get what you pay for', because some of the cheapest products on sale are very good, and some of the most expensive are not. Even if you fall into the least favoured category of person - someone who wears fragrance because they're frightened of smelling of themselves, rather than because they actually like what they're wearing - you'll find constructive suggestions here, with splendidly direct warnings about pitfalls you might want to avoid. A splendid read, and a reliable guide - which will need updating with new editions every few years!

A trip down memory lane.., 18 Sep 2008
I spent last night poring over this book with my friends, male and female, looking up the various scents we have proudly worn then laughing and reminiscing while reading out the dead-on reviews. E.g. Poison 'The fragrance that everybody loves to hate...a must for every collector but please don't wear it to dinner'! It's warm, witty and wise - unlike anything else I have read on the subject.

A must have for handbags and manbags alike!, 09 Sep 2008
A danger to credit cards everywhere! This book is so evocative - descriptions of the good perfumes make you want to rush out and buy them without even smelling them first and reviews of the bad ones are screamingly funny. It's absolutely beautiful and a perfect present - also a brilliant way to drop a hint to your boyfriend, either because you want one of the scents or if you don't like his.

Engrossing as ever, 13 Sep 2008
As usual this guide makes compulsive reading, if you're interested in good food. For the last two years there's been a greater use of colour printing and the whole appearance of the book is more attractive. It's inevitably weighted towards more populated areas with very few entries for far-flung places, where in truth one needs guidance even more. The Guide is limited by he fact that it is alerted to good places by recommendations from the general public to which it then sends inspectors. So, for example, an excellent eating place in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland will have a lesser chance of inclusion if a volunteer inspector is unavailable to travel and stay there (at their own expense) to do the inspection--most inspectors only get the meal reimbursed. In recent years the Guide's entries have been categorized by region rather than by an alphabetical list of towns/cities, which is fine if you know that, e.g., Salford would be under Greater Manchester--not so easy for parts of the UK that one isn't familiar with let alone for foreign visitors. There's an alphabetical list of restaurant names--it would be helpful to have a similarly ordered list for recommended restaurants by the name of the town or city. I think this Guide is the best of the bunch of Guides as the entries are not paid for by the establishments listed and there is a big input from the paying public.

This book kept me SANE!!, 04 Sep 2008
I read this book cover to cover during my first pregnancy 4 years ago, and now that I am in my second pregnancy I'm reading it again. It kept me sane the first time round and I'm hoping for the same result!!!! It's funny how you can pick up the book at any point during your pregnancy and she mentions something in her diary entry that you can really relate to - almost like I had a question I was just starting to mull over in my mind and then here's Kaz with not just the answer but a hilarious account of her's or someone else's experience!!! The only book I actively reccommend to all my pregnant friends!!

Excellent book!, 20 May 2008
I had been given numerous books on pregnancy, all of which I found were quite patronising really, or do this, don't do this etc.

This is NOT like those other books - it is brilliant and funny, and is my week by week bible/bedtime read! Written by a real person talking about real things in a real language that we can understand and relate to.

I'm now here to buy her next book, which I can only imagine will be just as good! The what to do with it/what to expect when it arrives part!

Great, Informative and Funny, 19 May 2008
I love the week by week layout of the book, it is easy to read and not full of technical jargon, unlike some books. It is not patronising and I feel is an extremely comprehensive guide to the good, the bad and the ugly parts of pregnancy, without scaring you, it makes you feel normal and not at all out of your depth and is full of great advice.

If you want to know how to be a labotomised stepford pregnant woman then this is NOT the book for you! , 30 Apr 2008
I absolutely loved this book! It works in 2 parts - there is a weekly diary written by the author so you feel that you have a really good pal right there with you week in, week out - she is very witty and matter of fact about her pregnancy and her tales had me laughing out loud - knowing exactly what she meant. Surrounding the diary is lots of important, useful information covering all aspects of pregnancy - from the mental side of things, the physical side of things and the external stuff that we all have to cope with such as work, relatives etc.

I am so glad I bought this book as I really feel calm about the last week of pregnancy and what's to follow - I had a really good friend with me every step of the way with this book and when I got to the end of her diary I felt a little sad that I had to say goodbye to her.

The book is so user friendly that my husband has read it cover to cover - unprompted. He saw how much I enjoyed it and figured he'd have a go. This can only be a good thing for me, for him and for the baby.

Highly, Highly recommended. You won't want to lend it to anybody once you've finished it!

At last something fun!, 04 Apr 2008
Why do so many people and authors want to make pregnancy soo very boring and serious!! This book tells it as it is, a laugh and something to be happy about, not label, worry and fret.

I would recommend that all other pregnancy books are burned at the bottom of the garden and this can then become your nine month bible!!

would recommend, 09 Apr 2008
pretty hard reading at times, but the content is excellent and certainly gets one thinking about ethical shopping!

Fluent, Thought-provoking but breathtakingly superficial, 21 Jan 2008
As a rule, I am very suspicious of the sharp left-right divide that beclouds any political or economic discussion; there must be truth on both sides. Therefore, I bought this book in order to understand the rage felt by the anti-globalisation movement. I finished the book with the feeling that the book spectacularly failed to deliver. Naomi Klein breezily argues that:

- Multinational corporations have become more powerful than governments and somehow usurped the functions of the government without the accompanying accountability to the electorate

- Multinationals have "stolen" our public spaces and branded them beyond recognition

- These corporations have been responsible for the Post Cold War neoliberal agenda and have exploited the Third World in order to deliver ever cheaper goods to the First World.

The author brilliantly captures the sense of listlessness many people feel in an increasingly interconnected world and how these feelings have coalesced into various anti-corporate movements since 1989. The cozy world in which a person worked for the same corporation for 35 years, vacationed at the company resort and retired at a grand old age of 65 is no more. This feeling has been compounded by the fact that the posterchildren for this New Economy, multinational corporations, do not want to manufacture "stuff" anymore. Instead the corporations have moved into the "image" game. Ms Klein argues that in making this shift that the corporations have demanded ever lower production costs, pushing them to the emerging economies of the Third World. On further examination, this makes sense. Doesn't it? If Western consumers wanted to pay 100% extra for the Made-in-USA tag on a T-shirt then surely they'll fork out the cash at the mall. Instead, consumers have opted for cheaper clothing, food, electronics etc. The multinationals are only responding to the market.

As a Nigerian I was pleased that Shell's operations in my native country were scrutinised in view of the barbaric killing of Ken Saro-Wiwa. Ms Klein, however, paints an perversely unbalanced picture. While many in the West may instinctively blame Shell for dealing with despotic regimes such as Nigeria under Sani Abacha, Ms Klein provided precious little evidence that Shell actively colluded with the Abacha government in the killing of Mr Saro-Wiwa. Shell seemed to be a target because it has a visible and highly valuable brand name. The real culprit in the pillaging of Nigeria's mineral resource is not Shell but the faceless, amorphous Nigerian government. Hey, but since we cannot target General Abacha, why not crucify Shell instead?

When discussing economics Ms Klein is clearly out of her depth. The concept of comparative advantage-that firms (or countries) should focus on doing what they do best-was completely lost on her. It stands to reason that Western multinationals should focus on what they do best like branding, which is high-skill, capital intensive and leave the low-skilled task of actually making , say shoes, to countries with abundant low-skilled workers in the Third World. Ms Klein rehashes misguided populist notions such as that globalisation erodes democracy in far off lands while stripping First World workers of their God-given jobs in multinational corporations. One problem with this arguement is that it fails to show how much wealth these globalising corporations have generated for their home nations. Have the US and the UK not become richer in the last 15 years? Moreover, several studies have shown that these off-shored jobs are a small percentage of the total number of jobs generated in the West. Furthermore, she depicts the export Processing Zones in the Philippines as the old Wild West, where militaristic, multinational corporations pay little tax and are a law unto themselves. Can this really be true? If locating factories in Export Processing Zones were so bad for The Philippines, why does the government allow them?

The book ignores the successes of trade liberalisation in the Third World. There was no mention of the millions of people who have been lifted from back-breaking poverty by the relocation of factories such as Nike's in Indonesia, Vietnam and China. Instead, we are asked to feel sorry for narcissistic, middle-class, Western suburbanites who have lost their "space" to branding. Interesting argument, but I did not buy it. Fact is trade has been proven to be the best way to lift peoples out of poverty. Since, Ms Klein does not have the foggiest idea what pre-industrial rural poverty really feels like, I will excuse her oversight.

In exposing the factory conditions in which Nike sneakers are made in Indonesia, Ms Klein describes these factories as some Oriental Hell, where no one would want to work. Yet, despite, the horrible conditions people still flock to these export processing zones. I suspect that one of the reasons why a 19-year old Indonesian woman would rather work in the factory than on the land is that factory work pays better. Was this not the case during the Industrial Revolution in Europe? Why did the mills of the English Midlands continue attracting peasants from the country side? I can tell, from personal experience, that working for a Western multinational corporation in my native Nigeria is so much more rewarding than working for a local company.

The book romanticises some time in recent Western history when corporations were employers of choice, the Third World was some distant place where you went to on an exotic vacation or perhaps sent some aid dollars to and where we in the West could live sheltered, cocooned lives. Unfortunately, such an idyllic past (if it ever existed) is unlikely to return soon. The fact is that we are connected more than ever before. It is no surprise that the Third World wants in on the action also. Afterall, material wealth is not the exclusive preserve of the "North".

In conclusion, the book is quite readable and made me stop to think about how powerful multinational corporations have become. However, it seethes with self-righteous anger and provides very little new ideas on how to help the individual losers in globalisation. If you want a balanced account of the impact of open markets (globalisation) then I would recommend you read No Logo in addition to Legrain's Open World and Nayan Chanda's Bound Together. Trashing G8 and WTO Summits make for catchy headlines but it does nothing to lift people out of poverty.

No Longer, 12 Jun 2007
It's worth remembering the stir created when this book came out 6 years ago. Looking at it again now is a great measure of how quickly culture has moved. No Logo will be remembered as a truly ground-breaking book that galvanised the attitudes of a generation who had a sneaky feeling that something wasn't right but struggled to articulate it. That's a nice way of saying that it now feels quite dated - although perhaps that's the perfect compliment as it clearly did it's job of waking us all up to our global responsibilities.

The Third World has always existed for the comfort of the First, 03 Nov 2006
Naomi Klein sketches perfectly the major shift in corporate strategy today: transnational companies are not interested in production anymore, only in branding: products are made in factories, brands in the mind. Branding creates big margins, production in home countries meager earnings.

This strategy causes monstrous layoffs in the First World and creates EPZ (Export Processing Zones) in the Third World.
In the First world, corporations transformed themselves in `engines of wealth growth' for their shareholders, instead of `engines of job growth'. `CEO's of the 30 companies with the largest announced layoffs saw their total compensation increase by 67%.'
The jobs they need are predominantly outsourced, or are McJobs (no `adult wages') and temporary stop-jobs.
The First World stirs fierce competition between Third World countries in order to get rock-bottom prices for their `branded' products, creating colossal margins in the home countries.
Wages in EPZs are so low that most of the money is spent on shared dorm rooms and basic food. Workers cannot afford the consumer goods they produce.

Another aspect of our branded world is the sheer size of the (trans)national corporations created by relentless mergers and acquisitions. Their size permits them to decide what items (also magazines, DVDs) should be stocked in a store, in other words, they create a new kind of censorship.
Big mergers in the media landscape allow conglomerates to produce their own news and in this sense jeopardize basic civil liberties.

While Naomi Klein's analysis of our consumer planet is very revealing, the remedies she proposes are rather innocent, epidermic, symptom healing or too general: ad and brand busting, radical ecology (Reclaim the Streets), anti-globalization and anti-corporate mass protests, boycott, building greater critical social consciousness. Individual actions like attacking in court (Shell in Nigeria), revealing Nike's sweatshops or denouncing McDonald's food are ultimately not more than temporary needle pricks in elephant skins.
What the world needs is a global vision, which we can find in the works of Joseph Stiglitz or (for a view from the South) Walden Bello.

Highly recommended.


Excellent but slightly flawed, 25 Oct 2006
At first glance, "No Logo" looks to be a real chore with some 430 or so pages, but actually turns out to be an informative, well-written and engaging insight into corporate culture and practice, into how multinational corporations are gradually taking over and how the society is beginning to fight back. Due to the concepts and ideas introduced and discussed, I also found it to be a genuinely useful book, having come in handy for uni studies, employment and even social gatherings in general, occasions when marketing or globalisation-related issues have cropped up in conversation.

One reviewer quite rightly mentioned "The Rebel Sell", a book in which, if my memory serves me correctly, the authors point out that Klein was once a resident of a rich, suburban area she herself criticises in "No Logo". Reading "The Rebel Sell" has put "No Logo" in a different light and calls Klein's motives for writing it into question - is it the rallying cry to fight against globalisation it claims to be, or has she just spotted an opportunity to make a killing? This is where the book comes across as flawed.

In spite of it, I'd consider "No Logo" essential reading, and I felt a lot more informed for having read it.

a rough guide ...., 15 Nov 2007
Despite the inferior quality of the photo reproduction I've always thought that Rough Guide is better value than Lonely Planet. It is generally more informative, more erudite, and the style is arguably geared to a wider readership, while LP leans more towards backpackers and gap-year students. I also think LP is more prone to hyperbole while Rough Guide is normally unflinchingly honest about places. It's perceived negativity is for me a bonus as it is often better to travel with lower or at least realistic expectations. As it says in the opening gambit, many travellers head for India expecting to 'encounter a timeless ascetic wonderland and are surprised to find one of the most materialistic societies on the planet'. I think this is pretty spot-on. There is no point in going to India and not being prepared for the filth, pollution, traffic chaos and inequality otherwise you will quickly need to reevaluate your trip on arrival.

A couple of criticisms: Rough Guide hotel information can be a little out of date by the time of your visit. Research on updating hotel email addresses and websites should be more thorough, although the publishing schedules for books of this sort make it almost impossible to keep up with the rate of change in a country like India. Also, I think that Rough Guide would benefit more from a Le Routard-style rating system for monuments and cities. Although travelling is highly subjective, more editorial guidance would be helpful for the traveller to distinguish between cities like, for instance, Jodphur and Jaipur. Empirically, there is a massive difference, Jodphur is a much calmer, better-maintained, less-polluted and more hassle-free destination, but you can't really predict this from the guide. Furthermore, this guide describes the lakes at Updaipur as "half-full" and a "trash-strewn puddle". At the time of writing the lakes had been fully replenished by monsoon rains and are certainly an essential stop on any Rajasthan itinerary. Nevertheless, this is still the best product of its kind on the market and a must for all visitors.

Better than Lonley, 17 Jan 2007
My friends and I spent 3 months in India with both the Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide and 9 times out of 10 we referred to the Rough Guide. Fewer people carry the Rough Guide which means that the 'unspoilt' stuff remains less spoiled. The information is more reliable, the accomodation reviews are more accurate, and it's lighter to carry.

A comprehensive guide to India, 31 Dec 2006
The Rough Guide to India (Rough Guide Travel Guides) is a comprehensive guide to the country. India is a country which is diverse and boosts an ancient civiliisation dating millions years ago. The country is an experience of a lifetime for anyone who wants to visit a place filled with rich history, wide natural scenery (mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, beaches), arts, varied attractions and a diverse culture. Something you will treasure as a fond memory and breathtaking experience. The country at its present state is a fine blend of traditional and contemporary features. For example the Bollywood and the booming IT industry are a crucial part of India's modern culture. The palaces and temples are a valuable part of India's rich history and heritage.

The Rough guide equipped you with much information as possible about the country, main attractions, travel tips, visas, shopping, restaurant & bars, accommodation, transport and an insight into the main areas of India. There is so much to do and see in India, as clearly indicated in the guide. The guide is simple and well laid out with concise text, complimented by pictures and diagrams. Although English is widely spoken in India, it is useful if you can speak Hindi in India. There are useful Hindi phases in the glosary section.

Overall, this guide proved to be a valuable aid for my trip to India in February 2007. All the information I need is available in the guide. What better way to kick start a trip to India. I could not ask for any more.

The Essential Guide, 11 Jan 2006
I travel in India every year and pick a new one up every time. I usually leave the old one for Indian relatives who say they're an excellent read ;)

Even if you're not travelling in India, this book is fascinating and 'unputdownable'. It covers every aspect of this complex and ancient country in informative, readable sections ranging from history, culture, language, politics through to food, bribes, sex, drugs and Bollywood movies. From personal knowledge I can confirm that this edition has been updated to reflect recent changes (a must since India is currently one of the most rapidly transforming nations on earth) and the intelligent coverage even includes analysis of the effects of the IT and BioMedical science booms on Indian society.

There are others, but this is the essential one. I'd recommend it to anyone, from those horrid chavs one sees gurning it up at Goa nowadays to actual Indian people. Its a great one to keep on the lav and keep dipping into too!

Refreshing honesty and splendid wit, 27 Sep 2008
Quite apart from its sheer range and depth in tackling its subject, this book is really entertaining. It blows a welcome blast of fresh air through the fragrance business, exposing some of its frailties ('We *never* change our fragrance formulas' is the lie you hear most often) and gambolling in the glittering light of enthusiasm when reviewing favoured scents. The fragrance reviews are splendidly opinionated, but it's always clear that what's being praised is quality, coherence, balance, rather than 'niceness', so you're still free to exercise your own preference when you're shopping. I'm particularly impressed by the authors' recognition of the part appearance and presentation play in our enjoyment of fragrance, so they tell you when the packaging is the best thing about a scent, and when the opposite is true, too. They're also very good at pointing out that where fragrance is concerned, you very rarely 'get what you pay for', because some of the cheapest products on sale are very good, and some of the most expensive are not. Even if you fall into the least favoured category of person - someone who wears fragrance because they're frightened of smelling of themselves, rather than because they actually like what they're wearing - you'll find constructive suggestions here, with splendidly direct warnings about pitfalls you might want to avoid. A splendid read, and a reliable guide - which will need updating with new editions every few years!

A trip down memory lane.., 18 Sep 2008
I spent last night poring over this book with my friends, male and female, looking up the various scents we have proudly worn then laughing and reminiscing while reading out the dead-on reviews. E.g. Poison 'The fragrance that everybody loves to hate...a must for every collector but please don't wear it to dinner'! It's warm, witty and wise - unlike anything else I have read on the subject.

A must have for handbags and manbags alike!, 09 Sep 2008
A danger to credit cards everywhere! This book is so evocative - descriptions of the good perfumes make you want to rush out and buy them without even smelling them first and reviews of the bad ones are screamingly funny. It's absolutely beautiful and a perfect present - also a brilliant way to drop a hint to your boyfriend, either because you want one of the scents or if you don't like his.

Engrossing as ever, 13 Sep 2008
As usual this guide makes compulsive reading, if you're interested in good food. For the last two years there's been a greater use of colour printing and the whole appearance of the book is more attractive. It's inevitably weighted towards more populated areas with very few entries for far-flung places, where in truth one needs guidance even more. The Guide is limited by he fact that it is alerted to good places by recommendations from the general public to which it then sends inspectors. So, for example, an excellent eating place in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland will have a lesser chance of inclusion if a volunteer inspector is unavailable to travel and stay there (at their own expense) to do the inspection--most inspectors only get the meal reimbursed. In recent years the Guide's entries have been categorized by region rather than by an alphabetical list of towns/cities, which is fine if you know that, e.g., Salford would be under Greater Manchester--not so easy for parts of the UK that one isn't familiar with let alone for foreign visitors. There's an alphabetical list of restaurant names--it would be helpful to have a similarly ordered list for recommended restaurants by the name of the town or city. I think this Guide is the best of the bunch of Guides as the entries are not paid for by the establishments listed and there is a big input from the paying public.

This book kept me SANE!!, 04 Sep 2008
I read this book cover to cover during my first pregnancy 4 years ago, and now that I am in my second pregnancy I'm reading it again. It kept me sane the first time round and I'm hoping for the same result!!!! It's funny how you can pick up the book at any point during your pregnancy and she mentions something in her diary entry that you can really relate to - almost like I had a question I was just starting to mull over in my mind and then here's Kaz with not just the answer but a hilarious account of her's or someone else's experience!!! The only book I actively reccommend to all my pregnant friends!!

Excellent book!, 20 May 2008
I had been given numerous books on pregnancy, all of which I found were quite patronising really, or do this, don't do this etc.

This is NOT like those other books - it is brilliant and funny, and is my week by week bible/bedtime read! Written by a real person talking about real things in a real language that we can understand and relate to.

I'm now here to buy her next book, which I can only imagine will be just as good! The what to do with it/what to expect when it arrives part!

Great, Informative and Funny, 19 May 2008
I love the week by week layout of the book, it is easy to read and not full of technical jargon, unlike some books. It is not patronising and I feel is an extremely comprehensive guide to the good, the bad and the ugly parts of pregnancy, without scaring you, it makes you feel normal and not at all out of your depth and is full of great advice.

If you want to know how to be a labotomised stepford pregnant woman then this is NOT the book for you! , 30 Apr 2008
I absolutely loved this book! It works in 2 parts - there is a weekly diary written by the author so you feel that you have a really good pal right there with you week in, week out - she is very witty and matter of fact about her pregnancy and her tales had me laughing out loud - knowing exactly what she meant. Surrounding the diary is lots of important, useful information covering all aspects of pregnancy - from the mental side of things, the physical side of things and the external stuff that we all have to cope with such as work, relatives etc.

I am so glad I bought this book as I really feel calm about the last week of pregnancy and what's to follow - I had a really good friend with me every step of the way with this book and when I got to the end of her diary I felt a little sad that I had to say goodbye to her.

The book is so user friendly that my husband has read it cover to cover - unprompted. He saw how much I enjoyed it and figured he'd have a go. This can only be a good thing for me, for him and for the baby.

Highly, Highly recommended. You won't want to lend it to anybody once you've finished it!

At last something fun!, 04 Apr 2008
Why do so many people and authors want to make pregnancy soo very boring and serious!! This book tells it as it is, a laugh and something to be happy about, not label, worry and fret.

I would recommend that all other pregnancy books are burned at the bottom of the garden and this can then become your nine month bible!!

would recommend, 09 Apr 2008
pretty hard reading at times, but the content is excellent and certainly gets one thinking about ethical shopping!

Fluent, Thought-provoking but breathtakingly superficial, 21 Jan 2008
As a rule, I am very suspicious of the sharp left-right divide that beclouds any political or economic discussion; there must be truth on both sides. Therefore, I bought this book in order to understand the rage felt by the anti-globalisation movement. I finished the book with the feeling that the book spectacularly failed to deliver. Naomi Klein breezily argues that:

- Multinational corporations have become more powerful than governments and somehow usurped the functions of the government without the accompanying accountability to the electorate

- Multinationals have "stolen" our public spaces and branded them beyond recognition

- These corporations have been responsible for the Post Cold War neoliberal agenda and have exploited the Third World in order to deliver ever cheaper goods to the First World.

The author brilliantly captures the sense of listlessness many people feel in an increasingly interconnected world and how these feelings have coalesced into various anti-corporate movements since 1989. The cozy world in which a person worked for the same corporation for 35 years, vacationed at the company resort and retired at a grand old age of 65 is no more. This feeling has been compounded by the fact that the posterchildren for this New Economy, multinational corporations, do not want to manufacture "stuff" anymore. Instead the corporations have moved into the "image" game. Ms Klein argues that in making this shift that the corporations have demanded ever lower production costs, pushing them to the emerging economies of the Third World. On further examination, this makes sense. Doesn't it? If Western consumers wanted to pay 100% extra for the Made-in-USA tag on a T-shirt then surely they'll fork out the cash at the mall. Instead, consumers have opted for cheaper clothing, food, electronics etc. The multinationals are only responding to the market.

As a Nigerian I was pleased that Shell's operations in my native country were scrutinised in view of the barbaric killing of Ken Saro-Wiwa. Ms Klein, however, paints an perversely unbalanced picture. While many in the West may instinctively blame Shell for dealing with despotic regimes such as Nigeria under Sani Abacha, Ms Klein provided precious little evidence that Shell actively colluded with the Abacha government in the killing of Mr Saro-Wiwa. Shell seemed to be a target because it has a visible and highly valuable brand name. The real culprit in the pillaging of Nigeria's mineral resource is not Shell but the faceless, amorphous Nigerian government. Hey, but since we cannot target General Abacha, why not crucify Shell instead?

When discussing economics Ms Klein is clearly out of her depth. The concept of comparative advantage-that firms (or countries) should focus on doing what they do best-was completely lost on her. It stands to reason that Western multinationals should focus on what they do best like branding, which is high-skill, capital intensive and leave the low-skilled task of actually making , say shoes, to countries with abundant low-skilled workers in the Third World. Ms Klein rehashes misguided populist notions such as that globalisation erodes democracy in far off lands while stripping First World workers of their God-given jobs in multinational corporations. One problem with this arguement is that it fails to show how much wealth these globalising corporations have generated for their home nations. Have the US and the UK not become richer in the last 15 years? Moreover, several studies have shown that these off-shored jobs are a small percentage of the total number of jobs generated in the West. Furthermore, she depicts the export Processing Zones in the Philippines as the old Wild West, where militaristic, multinational corporations pay little tax and are a law unto themselves. Can this really be true? If locating factories in Export Processing Zones were so bad for The Philippines, why does the government allow them?

The book ignores the successes of trade liberalisation in the Third World. There was no mention of the millions of people who have been lifted from back-breaking poverty by the relocation of factories such as Nike's in Indonesia, Vietnam and China. Instead, we are asked to feel sorry for narcissistic, middle-class, Western suburbanites who have lost their "space" to branding. Interesting argument, but I did not buy it. Fact is trade has been proven to be the best way to lift peoples out of poverty. Since, Ms Klein does not have the foggiest idea what pre-industrial rural poverty really feels like, I will excuse her oversight.

In exposing the factory conditions in which Nike sneakers are made in Indonesia, Ms Klein describes these factories as some Oriental Hell, where no one would want to work. Yet, despite, the horrible conditions people still flock to these export processing zones. I suspect that one of the reasons why a 19-year old Indonesian woman would rather work in the factory than on the land is that factory work pays better. Was this not the case during the Industrial Revolution in Europe? Why did the mills of the English Midlands continue attracting peasants from the country side? I can tell, from personal experience, that working for a Western multinational corporation in my native Nigeria is so much more rewarding than working for a local company.

The book romanticises some time in recent Western history when corporations were employers of choice, the Third World was some distant place where you went to on an exotic vacation or perhaps sent some aid dollars to and where we in the West could live sheltered, cocooned lives. Unfortunately, such an idyllic past (if it ever existed) is unlikely to return soon. The fact is that we are connected more than ever before. It is no surprise that the Third World wants in on the action also. Afterall, material wealth is not the exclusive preserve of the "North".

In conclusion, the book is quite readable and made me stop to think about how powerful multinational corporations have become. However, it seethes with self-righteous anger and provides very little new ideas on how to help the individual losers in globalisation. If you want a balanced account of the impact of open markets (globalisation) then I would recommend you read No Logo in addition to Legrain's Open World and Nayan Chanda's Bound Together. Trashing G8 and WTO Summits make for catchy headlines but it does nothing to lift people out of poverty.

No Longer, 12 Jun 2007
It's worth remembering the stir created when this book came out 6 years ago. Looking at it again now is a great measure of how quickly culture has moved. No Logo will be remembered as a truly ground-breaking book that galvanised the attitudes of a generation who had a sneaky feeling that something wasn't right but struggled to articulate it. That's a nice way of saying that it now feels quite dated - although perhaps that's the perfect compliment as it clearly did it's job of waking us all up to our global responsibilities.

The Third World has always existed for the comfort of the First, 03 Nov 2006
Naomi Klein sketches perfectly the major shift in corporate strategy today: transnational companies are not interested in production anymore, only in branding: products are made in factories, brands in the mind. Branding creates big margins, production in home countries meager earnings.

This strategy causes monstrous layoffs in the First World and creates EPZ (Export Processing Zones) in the Third World.
In the First world, corporations transformed themselves in `engines of wealth growth' for their shareholders, instead of `engines of job growth'. `CEO's of the 30 companies with the largest announced layoffs saw their total compensation increase by 67%.'
The jobs they need are predominantly outsourced, or are McJobs (no `adult wages') and temporary stop-jobs.
The First World stirs fierce competition between Third World countries in order to get rock-bottom prices for their `branded' products, creating colossal margins in the home countries.
Wages in EPZs are so low that most of the money is spent on shared dorm rooms and basic food. Workers cannot afford the consumer goods they produce.

Another aspect of our branded world is the sheer size of the (trans)national corporations created by relentless mergers and acquisitions. Their size permits them to decide what items (also magazines, DVDs) should be stocked in a store, in other words, they create a new kind of censorship.
Big mergers in the media landscape allow conglomerates to produce their own news and in this sense jeopardize basic civil liberties.

While Naomi Klein's analysis of our consumer planet is very revealing, the remedies she proposes are rather innocent, epidermic, symptom healing or too general: ad and brand busting, radical ecology (Reclaim the Streets), anti-globalization and anti-corporate mass protests, boycott, building greater critical social consciousness. Individual actions like attacking in court (Shell in Nigeria), revealing Nike's sweatshops or denouncing McDonald's food are ultimately not more than temporary needle pricks in elephant skins.
What the world needs is a global vision, which we can find in the works of Joseph Stiglitz or (for a view from the South) Walden Bello.

Highly recommended.


Excellent but slightly flawed, 25 Oct 2006
At first glance, "No Logo" looks to be a real chore with some 430 or so pages, but actually turns out to be an informative, well-written and engaging insight into corporate culture and practice, into how multinational corporations are gradually taking over and how the society is beginning to fight back. Due to the concepts and ideas introduced and discussed, I also found it to be a genuinely useful book, having come in handy for uni studies, employment and even social gatherings in general, occasions when marketing or globalisation-related issues have cropped up in conversation.

One reviewer quite rightly mentioned "The Rebel Sell", a book in which, if my memory serves me correctly, the authors point out that Klein was once a resident of a rich, suburban area she herself criticises in "No Logo". Reading "The Rebel Sell" has put "No Logo" in a different light and calls Klein's motives for writing it into question - is it the rallying cry to fight against globalisation it claims to be, or has she just spotted an opportunity to make a killing? This is where the book comes across as flawed.

In spite of it, I'd consider "No Logo" essential reading, and I felt a lot more informed for having read it.

a rough guide ...., 15 Nov 2007
Despite the inferior quality of the photo reproduction I've always thought that Rough Guide is better value than Lonely Planet. It is generally more informative, more erudite, and the style is arguably geared to a wider readership, while LP leans more towards backpackers and gap-year students. I also think LP is more prone to hyperbole while Rough Guide is normally unflinchingly honest about places. It's perceived negativity is for me a bonus as it is often better to travel with lower or at least realistic expectations. As it says in the opening gambit, many travellers head for India expecting to 'encounter a timeless ascetic wonderland and are surprised to find one of the most materialistic societies on the planet'. I think this is pretty spot-on. There is no point in going to India and not being prepared for the filth, pollution, traffic chaos and inequality otherwise you will quickly need to reevaluate your trip on arrival.

A couple of criticisms: Rough Guide hotel information can be a little out of date by the time of your visit. Research on updating hotel email addresses and websites should be more thorough, although the publishing schedules for books of this sort make it almost impossible to keep up with the rate of change in a country like India. Also, I think that Rough Guide would benefit more from a Le Routard-style rating system for monuments and cities. Although travelling is highly subjective, more editorial guidance would be helpful for the traveller to distinguish between cities like, for instance, Jodphur and Jaipur. Empirically, there is a massive difference, Jodphur is a much calmer, better-maintained, less-polluted and more hassle-free destination, but you can't really predict this from the guide. Furthermore, this guide describes the lakes at Updaipur as "half-full" and a "trash-strewn puddle". At the time of writing the lakes had been fully replenished by monsoon rains and are certainly an essential stop on any Rajasthan itinerary. Nevertheless, this is still the best product of its kind on the market and a must for all visitors.

Better than Lonley, 17 Jan 2007
My friends and I spent 3 months in India with both the Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide and 9 times out of 10 we referred to the Rough Guide. Fewer people carry the Rough Guide which means that the 'unspoilt' stuff remains less spoiled. The information is more reliable, the accomodation reviews are more accurate, and it's lighter to carry.

A comprehensive guide to India, 31 Dec 2006
The Rough Guide to India (Rough Guide Travel Guides) is a comprehensive guide to the country. India is a country which is diverse and boosts an ancient civiliisation dating millions years ago. The country is an experience of a lifetime for anyone who wants to visit a place filled with rich history, wide natural scenery (mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, beaches), arts, varied attractions and a diverse culture. Something you will treasure as a fond memory and breathtaking experience. The country at its present state is a fine blend of traditional and contemporary features. For example the Bollywood and the booming IT industry are a crucial part of India's modern culture. The palaces and temples are a valuable part of India's rich history and heritage.

The Rough guide equipped you with much information as possible about the country, main attractions, travel tips, visas, shopping, restaurant & bars, accommodation, transport and an insight into the main areas of India. There is so much to do and see in India, as clearly indicated in the guide. The guide is simple and well laid out with concise text, complimented by pictures and diagrams. Although English is widely spoken in India, it is useful if you can speak Hindi in India. There are useful Hindi phases in the glosary section.

Overall, this guide proved to be a valuable aid for my trip to India in February 2007. All the information I need is available in the guide. What better way to kick start a trip to India. I could not ask for any more.

The Essential Guide, 11 Jan 2006
I travel in India every year and pick a new one up every time. I usually leave the old one for Indian relatives who say they're an excellent read ;)

Even if you're not travelling in India, this book is fascinating and 'unputdownable'. It covers every aspect of this complex and ancient country in informative, readable sections ranging from history, culture, language, politics through to food, bribes, sex, drugs and Bollywood movies. From personal knowledge I can confirm that this edition has been updated to reflect recent changes (a must since India is currently one of the most rapidly transforming nations on earth) and the intelligent coverage even includes analysis of the effects of the IT and BioMedical science booms on Indian society.

There are others, but this is the essential one. I'd recommend it to anyone, from those horrid chavs one sees gurning it up at Goa nowadays to actual Indian people. Its a great one to keep on the lav and keep dipping into too!

Lost without it, 27 Nov 2007
I visited New York for the first time last Nov and I was given a mini rough guide to New York by a friend. I would have been lost without it.

It was a bible in my bag.

I am due to visit the big apple again in Jan and I decided to purchase the full rough guide to New York and I am not disappointed.

I have also order the mini rough guide to carry round New York when I get there.

The information contained within the book is well written and informative.

The maps at the back are a god's send and must not be under estimated in the overall picture and use of this product.

I would recommend this title to anyone wanting a comprehensive guide of New York.

Informative, practical and up-to-date, 09 Jun 2007
Before travelling to Manhattan for the first time, I browsed a number of different travel guides for New York City, and decided on this one because of its clarity and authority. The guide is easy-to-use, packed full of useful information for travellers, and had everything I needed to know. I also found the maps were better and the information it gave more generally up-to-date and more thorough than the Lonely Planet guide.

It doesn't provide you with pre-planned walks, but you don't need that if you have well-written sections on each district, a guide on what not to miss, and clear maps. The walks I've seen in other guides I actually find limiting, because I want to wander off in directions not officially "on the walk".

The only problem I had with the guide was that occasionally the information I needed wasn't all in one place, which isn't in itself a problem, but could also sometimes be impossible to find more than once. They need to put some thought into simplifying navigation between the sections, to make it quicker and easier - but despite this gripe I still think this is the best guide out there.

Dissapointed, 29 May 2007
This is my first Rough Guide book. I was a bit dissapointed. Although there is a lot of historical information compared to other guides regarding the monuments or areas, for practical information the guide is not very useful.
There are no suggested walks which would make the life much easier specially if your are there on a short stay. The maps for each area are oriented in different ways (north is not always up!) which makes following the streets between maps impossible. There are not estimated price range for the restaurants. The practical information is limited in two pages in small print almost at the end of the guide. The restaurants are in another section than the actual section for each area, without crossreference to pages which is a bit of a hussle. Finally, the citypass (a discount ticket for major attractions) is only mentioned in the adds section of the book.
In the future I might use the rough guide for information before the trip but not in situ.

Refreshing honesty and splendid wit, 27 Sep 2008
Quite apart from its sheer range and depth in tackling its subject, this book is really entertaining. It blows a welcome blast of fresh air through the fragrance business, exposing some of its frailties ('We *never* change our fragrance formulas' is the lie you hear most often) and gambolling in the glittering light of enthusiasm when reviewing favoured scents. The fragrance reviews are splendidly opinionated, but it's always clear that what's being praised is quality, coherence, balance, rather than 'niceness', so you're still free to exercise your own preference when you're shopping. I'm particularly impressed by the authors' recognition of the part appearance and presentation play in our enjoyment of fragrance, so they tell you when the packaging is the best thing about a scent, and when the opposite is true, too. They're also very good at pointing out that where fragrance is concerned, you very rarely 'get what you pay for', because some of the cheapest products on sale are very good, and some of the most expensive are not. Even if you fall into the least favoured category of person - someone who wears fragrance because they're frightened of smelling of themselves, rather than because they actually like what they're wearing - you'll find constructive suggestions here, with splendidly direct warnings about pitfalls you might want to avoid. A splendid read, and a reliable guide - which will need updating with new editions every few years!

A trip down memory lane.., 18 Sep 2008
I spent last night poring over this book with my friends, male and female, looking up the various scents we have proudly worn then laughing and reminiscing while reading out the dead-on reviews. E.g. Poison 'The fragrance that everybody loves to hate...a must for every collector but please don't wear it to dinner'! It's warm, witty and wise - unlike anything else I have read on the subject.

A must have for handbags and manbags alike!, 09 Sep 2008
A danger to credit cards everywhere! This book is so evocative - descriptions of the good perfumes make you want to rush out and buy them without even smelling them first and reviews of the bad ones are screamingly funny. It's absolutely beautiful and a perfect present - also a brilliant way to drop a hint to your boyfriend, either because you want one of the scents or if you don't like his.

Engrossing as ever, 13 Sep 2008
As usual this guide makes compulsive reading, if you're interested in good food. For the last two years there's been a greater use of colour printing and the whole appearance of the book is more attractive. It's inevitably weighted towards more populated areas with very few entries for far-flung places, where in truth one needs guidance even more. The Guide is limited by he fact that it is alerted to good places by recommendations from the general public to which it then sends inspectors. So, for example, an excellent eating place in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland will have a lesser chance of inclusion if a volunteer inspector is unavailable to travel and stay there (at their own expense) to do the inspection--most inspectors only get the meal reimbursed. In recent years the Guide's entries have been categorized by region rather than by an alphabetical list of towns/cities, which is fine if you know that, e.g., Salford would be under Greater Manchester--not so easy for parts of the UK that one isn't familiar with let alone for foreign visitors. There's an alphabetical list of restaurant names--it would be helpful to have a similarly ordered list for recommended restaurants by the name of the town or city. I think this Guide is the best of the bunch of Guides as the entries are not paid for by the establishments listed and there is a big input from the paying public.

This book kept me SANE!!, 04 Sep 2008
I read this book cover to cover during my first pregnancy 4 years ago, and now that I am in my second pregnancy I'm reading it again. It kept me sane the first time round and I'm hoping for the same result!!!! It's funny how you can pick up the book at any point during your pregnancy and she mentions something in her diary entry that you can really relate to - almost like I had a question I was just starting to mull over in my mind and then here's Kaz with not just the answer but a hilarious account of her's or someone else's experience!!! The only book I actively reccommend to all my pregnant friends!!

Excellent book!, 20 May 2008
I had been given numerous books on pregnancy, all of which I found were quite patronising really, or do this, don't do this etc.

This is NOT like those other books - it is brilliant and funny, and is my week by week bible/bedtime read! Written by a real person talking about real things in a real language that we can understand and relate to.

I'm now here to buy her next book, which I can only imagine will be just as good! The what to do with it/what to expect when it arrives part!

Great, Informative and Funny, 19 May 2008
I love the week by week layout of the book, it is easy to read and not full of technical jargon, unlike some books. It is not patronising and I feel is an extremely comprehensive guide to the good, the bad and the ugly parts of pregnancy, without scaring you, it makes you feel normal and not at all out of your depth and is full of great advice.

If you want to know how to be a labotomised stepford pregnant woman then this is NOT the book for you! , 30 Apr 2008
I absolutely loved this book! It works in 2 parts - there is a weekly diary written by the author so you feel that you have a really good pal right there with you week in, week out - she is very witty and matter of fact about her pregnancy and her tales had me laughing out loud - knowing exactly what she meant. Surrounding the diary is lots of important, useful information covering all aspects of pregnancy - from the mental side of things, the physical side of things and the external stuff that we all have to cope with such as work, relatives etc.

I am so glad I bought this book as I really feel calm about the last week of pregnancy and what's to follow - I had a really good friend with me every step of the way with this book and when I got to the end of her diary I felt a little sad that I had to say goodbye to her.

The book is so user friendly that my husband has read it cover to cover - unprompted. He saw how much I enjoyed it and figured he'd have a go. This can only be a good thing for me, for him and for the baby.

Highly, Highly recommended. You won't want to lend it to anybody once you've finished it!

At last something fun!, 04 Apr 2008
Why do so many people and authors want to make pregnancy soo very boring and serious!! This book tells it as it is, a laugh and something to be happy about, not label, worry and fret.

I would recommend that all other pregnancy books are burned at the bottom of the garden and this can then become your nine month bible!!

would recommend, 09 Apr 2008
pretty hard reading at times, but the content is excellent and certainly gets one thinking about ethical shopping!

Fluent, Thought-provoking but breathtakingly superficial, 21 Jan 2008
As a rule, I am very suspicious of the sharp left-right divide that beclouds any political or economic discussion; there must be truth o