Guidebooks. When in 1829 Mr John Murray began that series of travels, personal observations, and private studies which issued in 1836 in his
Handbook for Holland, Belgium, and North Germany (the first work in English to which the name of 'Handbook' was applied), there was in existence no such thing as a guidebook to Germany, France, or Spain, other than such books as Howell's Instructions for Forreine Travell (1642) and its successors. The only works deserving the name of guidebook were J. G. Ebel's Anleitung for Switzerland (Zurich, 1793; 8th ed. 1843); William Boyce's Belgian Traveller (1815); and Mrs. Mariane Starke's Directions for Travellers in Italy (1820). In the long series of his guidebooks Murray had the assistance of many notable authors—of Richard Ford for Spain, Sir Gardner Wilkinson for Egypt, Sir F. Palgrave for North Italy, Dr Porter for Palestine, &c. Murray's guidebook served as the foundation for the first of Baedeker's, the German guide to Holland and Belgium, and these in their turn inspired those of Baddeley and others. Most of Baedeker's numerous guidebooks are translated into English, and are as well known as Murray's even to English travellers. Other well-known series of guidebooks are those of Appleton and A. & C. Black. For France, the most accepted authorities are the guides of Joanne; for Italy the (German) guide of Gsell Fels is admirable; for Norway Tonsberg's (in English) deserves to be mentioned. Countless guides have been written for all places of special interest both in England and the Continent. An admirable series of short practical books intended to embrace all the English counties is that of the Tourist Guides published by Edward Stanford. The most illustrious writer who has written a guidebook is Wordsworth, whose Guide to the English Lakes, written for Wilkinson's Select Views in 1810, was printed separately in 1822.