Product review 3: Lonely Planet Vs Rick Steves

After my trip to Guatemala, I compared  Lonely Planet (LP) to Rough Guide.
(http://isaacohel.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-testament.html).
On this trip to Spain, I loaded my kindle with both the LP guide and, Doron's favorite, Rick Steves (RS).  Now I realize that while LP and Rough Guide are similar guidebooks, Rick Steves' book is different from the two.  Below, I'll compare RS to LP, my bible.

Scope
LP is like an encyclopedia.  It has almost everything a traveler needs.  However just as in using an encyclopedia, you should seek data, not advice, from LP.  RS claims to be a "Personal guide in your pocket".  As such, he filters the data, and describes only what he thinks is important for you to see and do.

Audience
Due to its wide scope, LP does not need to focus on a particular demographic.  However, a tour guide needs to know his audience.  In my opinion, RS focuses on the middle aged, middle class American traveler.  Surprisingly, although I wouldn't describe myself that way, I found that RS guidance fit most of my needs.

Itinerary
LP provides enough data to travel anywhere. It provides only brief itinerary suggestions.  RS' book is structured around a tight, fast paced itinerary (Spain in three weeks).  Points of interest outside that itinerary are described only briefly, or not at all.  I was happy to accept RS' prioritization but not his schedule.  I like it slow, and I spent more than twice the time to see the sites in his itinerary.

Budget
LP:  Low to mid-budget travelers.
RS:  One notch higher.

Sleeping and eating
LP provides more hotel options, but due to the book's popularity they are often booked.  I found the online service of http://www.booking.com/ (or hostelworld.com for lower budget options) to be more helpful than either book.  RS likes to eat.  I enjoyed his personal style of reviewing restaurants.

Other
LP maps are impossible to read on the kindle, while RS hand-drawn maps are usable.
RS' website provides free, downloadable audio guides for important locations.  I played them on my kindle, and found them to be useful and fun.

Conclusions
First visit in a country:  RS
Subsequent visits, or extended time in one region:  LP
Adventure opportunities: LP
My choice:  I started in Spain using both books, and soon reverted to using only RS.  However, when I decided to linger in Galicia, RS had no information, and I used LP.  For my trip to Italy, I downloaded only RS.