The Cambridge guide to the museums of Europe /

The prolific museums guide team of Kenneth Hudson and Ann Nicholls (e.g., The Directory of World Museums 3rd ed., CH, Sep'86) have produced a new guide that covers the museums of Western Europe. The guide is arranged alphabetically by country, city, then museum. Each entry consists of the name of the museum in English and in the vernacular; complete address and telephone number; times of opening; types of accommodations, using a set of symbols; and an abundant amount of descriptive material indicating history, holdings uniqueness, and significance. All types of museums are included, from the usual history and art museums to the very specialized, e.g., the German Museum of Firefighters and the Swiss Dairy Museum of Switzerland. In addition to the museum entries, the guide includes 12 location maps and has indexes of subjects, of museum names, and of museums associated with individuals. Other bonuses include a generous number of illustrations, including many color plates; an extremely appealing format; facility in use; quality paper and binding. Though not so extensive in scope as either Museums of the World (3rd ed., 1981; 2nd ed., CH, Oct'75) or the museum listings in the annual World of Learning, this guide is much more informative than either of those sources for the geographic area it covers. For the price it is a steal and is well worth buying in addition to the other mentioned guides. Armchair travelers, tourists, and scholars will all find this guide useful and appealing. Both public and academic libraries at all levels. -R. P. Sasscer, Catholic University of America

Hudson, Europe's foremost museum consultant, and Nicholls, co-chairperson of the European Museum of the Year Award, offer information on a full range of European museums in this sequel to their Cam bridge Guide to the Museums of Britain and Ireland (LJ 6/15/87). Organized by country and city, the book provides concise information on locations, telephone numbers, hours, restrictions, and special collections of 1500 Western European museums, regardless of size or orientation. Symbols indicate available parking, handicapped facilities, restaurants, and more. While the brief entries do not do justice to such premier museums as the Louvre, the authors recognize that few tourists would miss these ``flagship'' institutions anyway. This easy-to-use guide will be of considerable interest to travelers, while librarians may find it a handy ready reference resource.--Carolyn I. Alexander, Technical Information Ctr., Fort Ord, Cal. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.