In the late 1970s, and even the early 1980s, travel guides took up precious little shelving space in even the largest of North American bookstores. Times have changed.

People are travelling more -- and to more exotic and distant destinations -- than ever, and tourism is well on its way to becoming the largest industry in the world. The guidebook publishing business has exploded right along with it.

Guides are taking up more room in general bookstores and specialty shops dealing with travel literature are thriving. Amazon.com's online bookstore lists more than 30,000 travel books ranging from commonplace country and city guides to exotic niche topics like famous graves in Paris cemeteries, snorkelling destinations in the Caribbean and Europe's monastery and convent guesthouses.

The choices can be bewildering, especially for those planning their first trip to a new destination. Here, then, is a brief guide to the major travel guide series.

Fodor's and Frommer's

Two of the oldest and most established North American travel guide publishers, their main guides are aimed primarily at the middle-class mass market. Both are obsessive about practical details and encyclopedic in their listing of hotels and restaurants. Both publishers have also diversified with dozens of specialty offerings like condensed guides and walking guides (Frommer's) and glossy, photo-filled, highly literate books like Fodor's excellent Compass America series.

Lonely Planet

The revolutionary series that guided a whole generation of backpackers to off-the-beaten-path destinations in Asia, Africa and South America is almost 30 years old and has definitely grown up. Glossier, and more serious, they have raised their aim to reach ageing, increasingly affluent and comfortable Baby Boomers. Lonely Planet's hundreds of titles in a dozen languages now cover mainstream destinations in Europe and North America and are as likely to be used by businessmen on a weekend stay in New Orleans as by budget travellers to Myanmar.

Rough Guides

	Lonely Planet's main competition, this excellent title is, in many destinations, superior. Less glossy than Lonely Planet, they feature excellent research, entertaining writing and, in most cases, the author's deep understanding and enthusiasm for the subject. Series diversification now features compact foreign-language phrase books and excellent guides to international music.

Let's Go

	Researched, written, produced by, and for, students, these guides are definitely the best available for young, budget-conscious travellers out to see the world on the cheap. With almost 40 titles, their "Let's Go Europe," now in its 41st edition in seven languages, is one of the top-selling international travel guides.

Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Travel Guides and Knopf Guides

	These two series of city and country guides win the beauty contest hands down. Packed with colour photographs, graphics, three-dimensional maps, and cutaway drawings of important buildings, they look a lot like electronic encyclopedias. Critics have called them bigger on looks than valuable information, but their attraction for a younger, visually-oriented generation is undeniable.

Blue Guides and Cadogan

	Both are old, established and written in a serious, scholarly style for educated travellers with an abiding interest in architecture, history and culture. Both publishers concentrate their titles on European, Middle East and Asian destinations.

Smithsonian, National Geographic and Sierra Club

	These venerable American institutions have published beautiful, glossy, colour-photo-heavy guides to U.S. national parks, geographic regions. As much "coffee-table" books as they are guides, they are a delight to look at more than they are practical guides. National Geographic's Traveler series, featuring international destinations has become a visual competitor to the Eyewitness books.

Footprint Handbooks

	These green, small-format hardcover guides are incredibly well-researched and erudite travelling companions covering a limited number of destinations with exceptional skill. Their books on South America as well as Mexico and Central America are the bibles of serious travellers.

There are, of course, many other fine guidebook series -- like Moon Travel Handbooks, Bradt, Insight and many more. The trick is to find those that match their interests with yours. One way is to do careful research in bookstores, especially those specializing in travel titles. Another is to search the Web. Most publishers have Web sites that will give you a feel for the emphasis of their books as well as destinations and subjects that can be ordered if not available locally.

And don't forget the independent guides and small publishers. Some are far superior to what's available from the large houses. "Alistair Sawday's Special Places to Stay" series, for example, has wonderful recommendations about non-traditional lodgings in Britain, Ireland, Spain, France and Portugal. Andras Torok's "Budapest" is the best guide to that city. Avante Guides to selected European and U.S. cities are a must for young, hip travellers.

Finally, don't forget mix-and-match possibilities. Take along a slim Citypack guide for practicalities, a Michelin guide for the best dining, a Fodor's or Frommer's for hotel selection and that Blue Guide for a cerebral afternoon when you're in the mood for architecture and museums.