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When I  found out our family was going to Iceland, I went out and bought a bunch of guides at the bookstore.

It seems not that many people go to Iceland and the selection of guides isn't quite what you'd get for, say, Italy. Or Hawaii. Or France. And if you're a travel writer I expect those are the plum assignments -- not Iceland.

The first guide I got was written as if you never got out of your car. All the sights were seen as you passed them on a highway. Possibly the authors had simply rented a car on one side of the island and driven it to the other side, taking care to notice when a church or park was near the road.

The next book I got was a corker. I call it the Bitter Guide to Iceland. Next post I'll give some examples of just how depressing a guide can be.