Browsing Down the Book Lane

Anyone with a love or heritage of the “old sod” should enjoy thumbing the pages of “The Noble Dwellings of Ireland,” by John Fitz Maurice Mills. With the combination of exceptional watercolor renderings and color photos, the dwellings are brought alive. It’s a compilation of who built and lived in them up to the present day. Well worth the $24.95 tab (Thames Hudson).

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Decision-makers and frequent travelers will find “Business Traveler’s Guide” an indispensable reference. It condenses all the salient information needed for 84 of the most-visited cities in the United States and Canada. The easy-to-scan tables compare lodging, meeting sites, restaurants, car rentals and more. The selections are star-rated and cross-referenced on excellent maps. It’s a professional collection of invaluable information that is a real buy for $29.95. You can order direct from American Database Corporation, 2020 Alameda Padre Serra, Suite 211, Santa Barbara 93103, call (805) 963-7757. Add $4.95 for shipping and handling.

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Most parents who leave children overnight or for several weeks automatically leave their itinerary, a list of problems that may occur, whom to contact, special needs, etc. “The Parents’ Going-Away Planner,” by Janet Gardner and Evelyn Kaye, is a memory jogger of who, where and what to list for the baby sitter. It includes a few blank pages for extra notes (Dell: $3.95).

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Phaidon Art and Architecture Guides have two impressive books on “Israel” and for “Paris & The Ile De France.” Both have excellent text and more than 275 dramatic color photos. They are well-defined compilations of cultural and historic value that would be a nice addition to any library (Prentice Hall: $17.95).

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Viking has published “Garden Open Today,” edited by Martyn and Alison Rix. It’s a guide to 2,000 gardens in England and Wales that are open to the public. Anyone with a green thumb will appreciate this compendium of private gardens, complete with explanations, directions, maps and photos. If you like to pause and smell the flowers, you’ll enjoy this book ($19.95).

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For a laid-back vacation of watching the scenery go by, try “Watertrips--A Guide to East Coast Cruise Ships, Ferryboats and Island Excursions,” by Theodore W. Scull. It’s described as a complete guide to on-the-water adventures. It has photos, trip descriptions, costs, directions to locations and route maps. It’s a keen guide for those wanting a new vacation experience (International Marine Publishing: $14.95).

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Here are two guides a visitor to Great Britain should pack along: “Just A Bite--Eating Out in Britain,” edited by Moyra Fraser, lists 950 establishments that serve light meals and snacks to suit all pockets and palates. There’s a children’s fare section listing places where the juniors would enjoy sharing with the folks. The other, “Pub Guide--Britain,” also edited by Fraser, is a comprehensive guide to pubs offering good food and overnight accommodations, including those where children are welcome. The information in both guidebooks is supported with symbols and good maps ($12.95 each).

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“Frommer’s Bed and Breakfast--North America” by Hal Gieseking goes a step further to include reservation organizations that offer accommodations for as little as $15 to $35 a night, including breakfast. They may not feature special amenities and you may have to share the bathroom, but those described appear to offer a change of pace (Prentice Hall: $8.95).

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For the visitor with children in tow, “The Candy Apple--New York for Kids,” by Bubbles Fisher, has more than a thousand suggestions of places to go, things to do and sights to see for children of all ages. And all are no more than a subway token away. The book also offers good tidbits, like tying a helium balloon on a child’s wrist in case he or she gets lost in a crowd (Prentice Hall: $11.95).