Lonely Planet’s Guide to the Island from Lost

I usually support and respect the quality and thoroughness of Lonely Planet guidebooks, but the company’s most recent release left me questioning their methods. The Island from Lost seems like an odd choice for a travel destination especially since the tropical setting is well-hidden and — most important — a ficticious locale created for a popular primetime television show on ABC.

After I skimmed the table of contents, I came to the awful realization that the book was actually LP’s guide to Hawaii re-branded to attract Lost’s large fan base. (LP pulled a similar stunt a few years ago when then re-released their New Zealand book as a guide to Middle Earth.) Though, the writers did add a few new sections to the book:

  • Chapter 5: Hearsay and speculation about the Black Cloud
  • Chapter 7: 100 annoying ways to tell your friends why they should “totally get the Season 1 DVDs and spend an entire weekend watching them”
  • Chapter 9: Full-color pictures of Maggie Grace in a bikini

I do have to admit that Chapter 9 does make the book a worthwhile read. Available in major bookstores on April 8th for the retail price of $15.16.