The Pleasures and Treasures of Britain: A Discerning Traveller's Companion

Greg Turko is a policy analyst at the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and
Universities.

Travel guidebooks have, in recent years, become increasingly specialized
and narrowly focused, no doubt reflecting the fragmented and diverse
interests of travellers as well as the marketing challenges posed by
growing numbers of travel books on store shelves. This emphasis on
“having an angle” has not always produced successful results, as the
contents of any number of remainder bins will testify.

The Pleasures and Treasures of Britain is, however, a very successful
example of this current trend towards specialization. Kemp has compiled
detailed, if somewhat specialized, tourist information on some 48
British towns and cities. The usual guidebook information, such as the
names and addresses of book stores, restaurants, and theatres, as well
as other cultural venues such as galleries—though not hotels—is
included, as is other useful information about which highways to take or
which train station to go to in London in order to get to your chosen
destination.

The author has outlined a walking tour for each city or town based on
the very sensible notion that the only way to see urban sights is on
foot. The addresses of local tourist information bureaus are also
provided, should additional (and more current) information be required.
Readers would be well advised to go to these bureaus, as no maps are
included in the book.

A fascinating and compelling “Ephemera” section is included for
each location. In this section, for example, we are told that Queen
Boadicea may be buried under Platform 10 at King’s Cross Station. This
section alone makes the guide a worthwhile purchase and “read” for
the traveller and nontraveller alike.

This is not a quick-reference travel book to be consulted on a busy
street corner in a strange city, nor is it a guidebook for every
traveller. Instead, it is a book that should be read well in advance of
departure by those planning an interesting and different vacation.