Taipei has a new guidebook this month. More than that, it is the first guidebook ever to be devoted to the city alone, as opposed to Taiwan in general.
Taipei has joined Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore and Tokyo in the Insight Guides publisher's City Guide series on Asia. Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh city and Jakarta have still to receive that honour. Having written two guidebooks and co-authored a third, I can testify that they are not difficult to write - but a challenge to write well. As the structure is laid out for you, it is pretty much a matter of painting by numbers. At worst, they are a cross between purple prose and an abbreviated telephone directory.
Also, they characteristically present the city or country not as it is, but as a selection of places where tourists are likely to visit. When, 18 years ago, I was setting out to research my guide to Thailand, I was advised: 'Don't bother too much with the northeast' - a good third of the country - 'because almost no foreigners ever go there.'
Taipei could be described as a city with extensive industrial suburbs and high levels of pollution. This guidebook, by contrast, presents it as jam-packed with history, scenic wonders, marvellous restaurants and an alluring nightlife. In reality, both views are true. Every city on Earth, Paris and New York included, has its share of dreary areas, but these in no way detract from the marvels on show elsewhere.
The true joys of Taipei are twofold. First, its central area has been upgraded to an extraordinary extent over the past 10 years, and can now compare with some of the world's most sophisticated city centres. Second, it contains the most unassuming and friendly citizens I have encountered anywhere on the planet.
There are many items of information in this book that even the most jaded resident will value. One is how to use the extensive bicycle lanes - including advice on how to rent your bike at a wharf, take it downriver by ferry, drop it off at a depot and return home by subway.