Authors & publisher might wish there was a 2 1/2 star option, because that would be more accurate. But no way does this sketchy guidebook deserve a 3.

It's a good size to carry around and there are some really nice little tidbits of background reading. But there is a real lack of practical usefulness with this guide. I really needed my other guidebooks, too, which is a shame... if you're in one foreign city, one good guide book should suffice. This one didn't, quite. I think it would suffice for someone coming in on the kind of package tour where all decisions are already made about where to eat every meal, and where to go. But if you travel independantly, this book simply doesn't measure up.

The book provides a good, simple overview map of the city, which is good for the main streets and subway lines but I like to see neighborhood maps, too (which you will always find in the Lonely Planet guides). None were given. Transportation section in the beginning makes it sound like bicycling is a great way to get around, so it was very annoying to find, on the authors' suggested 3-day sightseeing itinerary, that a bicycle won't do, since so many of the crucial streets are closed to bikes. Why didn't they choose an itinerary that would include some of that cycling they espouse? No walking tours are suggested, either.

I found the local expat weekly pulp magazine, Shanghai Scene, I believe it was called, a lot more helpful for finding great restaurants, shopping tips, and other meaty, useful info. In fact, the weekly gave phone numbers for all the museums I needed to go. This book gives none. Granted, Shanghai is the world's fastest changing city and no book can truly keep up with all the new hotels and nightspots, but things like the lack of phone numbers (of museums and restaurants) meant I was always referring elsewhere for additional info.

The shopping tips provided were minimal and without embellishment. I passed lots of great neighborhood markets that would probably have been mentioned in other guidebooks but not this one. And text mentions the area where bookshops are to be found but neglects to mention that this same street is where you will see all the great traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting supplies. I wonder what other unique Shanghai gems are ignored.

So while the book is glossy with photos and full of fun cultural sidebars, it lacks the nuts and bolts of a real traveler's guide book.