Community | April 13, 2008 | 10 comments

Lonely Planet writer 'made up' travel books

source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKSYD21440120080413?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

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mischabarrett
An author for the Lonely Planet travel series has claimed that he plagiarised and made up large sections of his books, an Australian newspaper reports today. Writer Thomas Kohnstamm said in one case he had not even visited the country he wrote about. More than 6 million copies of the guidebooks are sold every year, of which he has penned more than 10: on Brazil, Colombia, the Caribbean, South America, Venezuela and Chile. In admissions which look largely set to publicise a forthcoming book of his own, Kohnstamm also claims that he accepted free travel, contravening Lonely Planet policy. When writing his guide to Columbia, Kohnstamm reportedly stayed at his San Francisco home and pasted together the information - ironically he has also written a book entitled 'Don't Let the World Pass You By! 52 Reasons to Have a Passport'.
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10 comments // Lonely Planet writer 'made up' travel books

  • mattbrawn
    • 0
      mattbrawn  

    • So true Sajh, so true.

      I know far too many people who did their final university papers in a fortnight completely cutting and pasting whole chapters who didn't caught. It's a shame cos I slogged my guts out writing mine and didn't get any more recognition for my originality.

    • 3 years ago
  • sajh
    • 0
      sajh  

    • Sounds like he went to the Eric Cartmenes school of journalism...

      "If you cheat and get caught, you're a cheater. If you cheat and get away with it, you are savvy!"

    • 3 years ago
  • ajcowley
    • 0
      ajcowley  

    • What a shame. So many talented people that love to travel could have had this man's job and added real value to other's experiences.

      In my opinion though, guidebooks can really hurt well-run businesses in struggling countries. I met a man in Thailand who owned a really nice, clean hostel. He worked long 14 hour days and had a huge amount of pride in his family-owned business. He told me that everyday he would watch backpackers walk past his hostel in favor of the others nearby that the book wrote had more "character." I went and looked at those hostels (yes, before I chose my own) and I don't see how the author of my book could be right - unless they found stained linens and windowless rooms charming!

    • 3 years ago
  • superkiy
    • 0
      superkiy  

    • OMG! This makes perfect sense. I took one of his Brazil books to Brazil with me, and I swear to god after five days I was ready to throw it in the Bahia de Todos Santos.

    • 3 years ago
  • ScouseViajeroDos
  • mattbrawn
    • 0
      mattbrawn  

    • Kohnstamm's own words:

      “I wrote the book in San Francisco [California],” he is quoted as saying in the Telegraph. “I got the information from a chick I was dating — an intern in the Colombian Consulate.”

    • 3 years ago
  • huntre
  • ipodrulz
    • 0
      ipodrulz  

    • Is this just another scheme to make money? Save on travel bills, and sit at home while half-assing your job? This should be more widely told.

    • 3 years ago
  • lrudser
    • 0
      lrudser  

    • No Way! I have put my life in the hands of my Lonely Planet guide book before - and I can't believe I was lied to! For shame Thomas Kohnstamm... for shame.

    • 3 years ago
  • TheRemedy_181
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