Lonely Planet: Iran, 2008.
The guide book which leaves the others in the shade. Aisling gives out to me for my reliance on this publishing house, but I've seldom been let down by their guide books in the eighteen years I've been using them.
The Iran guide is particularly useful for the information it provides on the culture and mores of Iran. Apart from that, you'll have a superb amount of completely practical information at your fingertips: Where do I get the bus from? What's the routine with taxis? (...arrange a fare, take the ride, feel like you got skanked - it's the same all over the world!) What can I eat? How do I say "Help! I've lost my wallet!" in the local language?
Lonely Planet guide books have become more visually pleasing in the last few years but haven't diverged from their original dense, information-packed two-column layout for the sections on travel in the country - this layout is superb for rapid scanning. The sections on context are in a more familiar single-column layout for reading and absorbing at a more leisurely pace.
The two things about these guide books which have caught me out before are the maps which almost-but-not-quite match the layout on the ground; maybe LP include trap streets on every map? Certainly feels like it sometimes.
The other point, unsurprisingly, is prices. Often you'll find that prices have inflated by a substantial proportion since the guide book was published. As inflation in Iran is currently running at over 24% for the first four months of 2008, it's probably safe to add another half again to any prices you see in the book. We'll report on this as we go.
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