From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there, chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.
This phrasebook is better than most for people who know no Russian (or very little) and who want to try to communicate with Russians. It is full of positive messages about trying, and it opens with a concise explanation of Russian grammar. Russian grammar is not something you can just master easily, but it helps to at least have an idea of how the language works - it makes more sense than just blindly memorizing phrases. The main advantage of this phrasebook it that it truly tells you the easiest way to get your point across. These are phrases that beginners actually can learn and use. Many phrasebooks are full of long sentences that are difficult to reproduce if you have little knowledge of the language, but Lonely Planet is not one of them. It also gives helpful information on how to make substitutions in the book's stock phrases, and it encourages you to put together your own word combinations. Two other good points: it's relatively low cost (a good price to value ratio) and it's pocket sized, so you can easily take it around with you on a trip. The topics covered are useful, everyday ones. In fact, there is more packed into this small book than most people will need. The dictionary is also pretty extensive. Two other things to take into consideration before purchasing this phrasebook: 1) the Lonely Planet series is geared up for young people - many of the expressions and words in the book are clearly targeted to college students and other young folks, which may be off-putting to older users, and 2) there are MANY typos and reversals in the phrasebook (did anyone actually proofread it? ). If you know absolutely no Russian, you will not recognize that these are typos and/or wrong words. This may leave you saying something other than what you think you are saying!