On the first subject...
With the huge discounts offered by amazon.com and other online book vendors, it amazes me that many folks don't consider an up-to-date guidebook a worthy investment. I easily spend $50 to $100 on guidebooks when I plan my trips, and I am as penny pinching as they come
Guidebooks are essential for pre-trip planning as well as a nice post-trip reference/souvenir.
When I visit someone's home, it is always enlightening to take a look at their book collection. You can tell a lot about a person from their guidebook collection