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| Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places: 5th Edition (Robert Young Pelton the World's Most Dangerous Places) | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert Young Pelton
Publisher: Collins
Category: Book
List Price: $22.95
Buy New: $7.72
You Save: $15.23 (66%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $7.72
Avg. Customer Rating:  (107 reviews)
Sales Rank: 47314
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: 5 Revised
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 1088
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.4 x 2.1
ISBN: 0060011602
Dewey Decimal Number: 910
EAN: 9780060011604
ASIN: 0060011602
Publication Date: April 1, 2003
Release Date: April 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The long-awaited fifth edition of Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places comes fresh from the danger zones. An underground classic among the CIA, mujahadeen, special forces, NGOs, and savvy adventurers, DP has now become the de facto standard in understanding the groups, the players, the places, and tensions that fuel conflicts around the world. Pelton and his contributors tell it like it is in a brutally honest and personal style that delivers crisp, insightful, and useful information. DP5 gives the scoop when the media and guidebooks -- and even governments -- won't dare. The ground truth and hard-won experience inside DP5 will open your eyes and may save your life. In addition to the exclusive first-person reports, DP5 also includes thousands of hard-to-find contacts, Web sites, e-mails, survival tips, travel ideas, adventures, and even safety schools for war journalists. No walls, no barriers, no bull. The most dangerous countries from five stars (Hell on Earth) to one star (dangerous rep).
Amazon.com Review
The indispensable guide for the intrepid adventurer -- a book some governments don't want you to read. Pelton, a professional adventurer, and Aral, an international war correspondent, have created the only travel guide to danger and adventure. Everything you need to know about the world's hot spots -- Bosnia-Herzegovina, Liberia, Rwanda, Peru -- is right here, from the inoculations required and dangerous holidays to pencil onto your calendar to the addresses of intelligence organizations and political activist groups. If you're raring to go where angels fear to tread, this book could save your life.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 102 more reviews...
 The World's Most Dangerous Places (5th Edition) by Robert Young Pelton December 27, 2008
I bought this book as a gift for a friend who owns an older copy, a copy printed before 09-11-2001. He loves the new edition, my friend has not put the book down since I gave it to him on Christmas. I look forward to reading "The World's Most Dangerous Places" myself.
 Hysterical and makes one grateful January 25, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
On one level, this book is a crackup. It mercilessly skewers the worst places on earth, places that combine poverty, fear, and oppression. I dare you to read a single page without laughing.
On another level, this make really makes you think about the huge percentage of the world's population that doesn't have electricity, considers pain to be a second language, and considers a good day one in which you eat. It's incredible.
On the day I wrote this review, this edition is being offered for sale for one cent. An amazing bargain, in terms of entertainment per penny.
a very useful book October 25, 2007
though now slightly dated, this is still a very useful book in terms of information about the less stable parts of the world. The political coverage is smart and honest. Nothing is dumbed down or put through the filters that newspapers/magazines apply. The analysis is also short and to the point. And its often better than the professional or governmental analysis. If your entering a "bad" country on short notice, there is nothing better than this book to give an overview of the situation, the players and the basics of whats going on. But it is getting rather dated from the lack of a new edition.
The tone of the writing makes the book interesting as a "read' as well.
However, as a "travel book" to dangerous places its not all that great. The advice he gives is usually generally applicable to any travel to any place. Anywhere can be dangerous and its possible to get into trouble in what seems like safe places.
Really several (long) books in one June 13, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This really consists of three books. The first, and the most obvious part, t is an actual, honest-to-goodness travel guide to dangerous places. I can easily imagine reporters, security consultants, and others pulling this book off their shelf before going to an unfamiliar place.
Inevitably, there are places left out. Pelton includes the United States here, half-seriously and half tongue-in-cheek. This is all to the good, and gives readers a sense of perspective. Still, its inclusion raises all sorts of questions. What makes the US dangerous is gun crime in some areas, which rates it one star (consistently with other countries such as India). But . . . the rates of gun crime are higher in most of Latin America, and kidnaping is much more common. In other words, if you're going to include the US, then Brazil and especially Mexico should have been in the book, along with many of their neighbors. Clearly his rating of the US reflects a pose more than a serious rating.
The second "book" here is a quick-and-dirty summary of the politics and society of these dangerous places. These summaries have information but tend to have rather more attitude. Pelton tries to be cool, tries to assign blame for conflicts in a non-standard way, and likes to review who-did-what-to-whom facts more than underlying causes.
The third "book" is a summary of issues that make places dangerous, such as the drug trade. This is more informative than the country summaries, but also displays a lot of attitude.
Much of the attitude in this book makes it quite funny. The book looks like an almanac or encyclopedia, but you can actually read in through straight. Over a long period.
It's a great read despite its length. Bring it to a dangerous place and throw it at your enemies.
Disclaimer: the US aside, the only "dangerous place" I've been is the Balkans, and I wasn't in the dangerous parts, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of the information on the ground.
Dangerous Places - Rated May 8, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
You just do not know how lucky you have it until you read this book. I call it the places most likely not to be in my passport.
Great read. A must for the adventurer (armchair or real).
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