It was 2011 when a friend of mine returned to the UK having travelled overland from Thailand, and casually mentioned that he had made the entire journey using just his iPhone – no maps, and certainly no guidebook. When he needed to make a detour around Myanmar, to find out what time the main post office closed in Delhi, or to book a cheap hotel room in Istanbul, he turned to travel forums, Google and TripAdvisor.
It was around the same time that articles began appearing in the press, proclaiming the death of the guidebook. After reaching a peak in 2005, sales declined by an estimated 40% in the UK and US between 2005 and 2012. Seeing the writing on the wall, several independent guidebook publishers sold up to multinational media companies, including Lonely Planet, which was bought by BBC Worldwide for around £130m. Less than three years after completing the purchase, the BBC’s commercial arm sold it off for just £50m, acknowledging it had not been a sound investment. In 2012 Frommer’s, the bestselling travel guide brand in the US, was sold to Google, which said it would stop publishing printed editions.
It seemed guidebooks had had their day. Their golden age of the 1990s, when backpackers galore set out with a well-thumbed copy of Alex Garland’s The Beach and a Lonely Planet guide, were over. But as Mark Twain might have observed, reports of the guidebook’s death are greatly exaggerated. While the mainstream brands have suffered in the digital age, it turns out there is another side to the story. Certain guidebooks have simply refused to die.
The titles defying the odds are the products of small, independent publishers and passionate authors. Bryn Thomas, founder of Trailblazer Guides, cites two of his titles as internet-resistant: The Adventure Motorcycling Handbook and The Trans-Siberian Handbook, the latter now in its 30th year and its tenth edition, with 140,000 copies sold.
“As the original author I’d like to say it’s all down to me,” he says, with a smile. “But it’s probably more to do with having employed like-minded authors to keep it updated by travelling the rails again for each update.”
Thomas believes the success of a guidebook lies in the authorial voice. “It takes a certain kind of author, someone verging on the obsessive but who can also convey the information in an entertaining and readable way. A proper author, not a group or committee. Someone with deep knowledge and solid opinions you can trust – a true guide.”
It’s these kinds of titles – guides to once-in-a-lifetime trips – that are proving to be the most resilient. Travellers may no longer bother buying a guide for a weekend city break or even a fortnight’s summer holiday, but if you’re planning the Big One, a trip that involves many months or even years of preparation, it’s still a crucial bit of kit. The purchase of the guidebook is often a significant moment – it marks the commitment to the idea, the moment the dream becomes a reality.
There are many, often uncontrollable factors that determine the success of a title. Hugh Brune, head of sales and marketing at Bradt Guides, cites the company’s Iran guide as both its bestselling and worst-selling title, depending on the prevailing diplomatic situation. Thomas at Trailblazer is also keen to point out another factor: the increasing demand for trusted curation amid the dubious quagmire of Google reviews and TripAdvisor ratings. He gives the example of a burger bar which is currently TripAdvisor’s No 1-rated restaurant in Paris. “It is obviously not the best restaurant in Paris,” he says wryly. “But their PR company is clearly doing a great job of getting people to ‘like’ them.”
While guidebooks for grand or specialised adventures may top the list, they are not the only success story. While the pandemic has skewed domestic sales towards UK-focused books in the past year, David Mantero, head buyer at Stanfords travel bookshop in London, reels off a diverse list of consistent top sellers: “Japan by Rail has become something of a classic for us. Reeds Nautical Almanac – it’s a must in that scene. And the Wainwrights.”
“The Wainwrights” is a reference to the seven-volume Pictorial Guide To The Lakeland Fells, the much-loved illustrated walking guides to the Lake District created by Alfred Wainwright between 1955 and 1966. With sales of over two million, they serve as the perfect example of Thomas’ “authorial voice” theory.
Andrew Dawson, publicity officer for the Wainwright Society, agrees: “The descriptions of the fells are written as if Alfred Wainwright is talking to you personally and willing you on to the summit,” he says. He also believes that a recent boom in their popularity reflects the growing need to reconnect with the tangible in an increasingly virtual world.
“The Wainwright books are a thing of beauty in themselves. It’s like the resurgence in the popularity of vinyl records. Yes, we all love to download music but nothing can replace the feeling of a real record. Same for the books. Digital mapping, apps, GPS are fantastic but what can beat walking a Wainwright fell and literally following in his footsteps while reading his quirky descriptions?”
One criticism of guidebooks in the pre-digital age was that they carved a predictable trudge on which backpackers bounced between the same hostels and cafes, experiencing nothing remotely resembling a lonely planet. The titles that have survived are of a different breed, as much works of art and storytelling as a simple “where to” guide.
When it became clear that Google had no intention of printing further Frommer’s guides, company founder Arthur Frommer bought the brand back. The guidebooks – which his daughter Pauline Frommer, who is the company’s editorial director, has described as “not meant to be encyclopaedic but curated … built to guide the reader to the most authentic, invigorating travel experiences possible” – have now re-established themselves among the leading travel titles.
While travellers no longer need to carry around half a kilo of paper to find the railway station in a faraway city, they will always crave a spark of inspiration and a connection with the like-minded. This is where these specialist titles excel – they’re not for admin on the road, but something to ignite the imagination. They’re browsed for pleasure during pre-trip dreaming and planning, when we read the words of others who have gone before, and think, yes, I’m going to do this too.
These human-scale books, written and published by people who genuinely know and love their subject, are perfect for travel’s post-pandemic recovery.
