Journey Into Afghanistan

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It's a tourist guide that's not just for tourists. Sure, the Essential Field Guide to Afghanistan (Crosslines Publications; 544 pages) can point you to the best pizza in Kabul.

It also describes the blue glassware sold in the bazaars of Herat and tells you where to find a bed in Kandahar or nonstop Hindi movies in Mazar-e-Sharif. But the bulk of Edward Girardet and Jonathan Walter's guide relates to more life-and-death matters, and is an essential traveling companion for humanitarian-aid workers, diplomats, peacekeeping troops, journalists and others bound for Afghanistan. Although populated by plenty of hospitable folk, Afghanistan is also lawless and dangerous. One of the most heavily mined countries in the world, it is not a place in which to wander alone, especially at night.

If you are traveling there, Girardet and Walter and their contributors are the people to guide you. And if you're not, an armchair journey yields an intriguing look at a mosaic of cultures and a harsh history that is still being shaped today.