This Phrasebook written by Alan J.K. Sanders and J. Bat-Ireediu is an essential purchase for anyone travelling to Mongolia and especially someone who is keen on learning the language basics. In a min-size, it is something you can easily carry on your person all the time.

The phrasebook shows you the core of the Mongolian language, covering numbers, shopping, asking things, and what to say in an emergency.  If you have been silly enough not to buy this and bring it with you, the State Department Store is again your saviour.

Lastly, the Mongolian language is very difficult to speak, due to this fact the pronunciations in the book may seem wrong, they may be, but they are the best way to put across the pronunciation on paper. You will not be invincible with this book. You often hear people moaning about how the pronunciations are wrong and that the Mongolian word for 'thank you' is written down as being 'bayarlaa', but in actual Mongolian there is a gutteral throat sound on the 'l'. This is the case, but the gutteral sound can't be put accross on paper, deal with it, it's not their fault.

This is a very good guide, and most of the pronunciations you will have no problem with. But I must reiterate, the best way to pronounce Mongolian is being taught by a Mongolian or eventually picking up the sound by living there. Not by a book.

The Bradt Travel guide is arguably the second most poular travel guide to Mongolia, after the Lonely Planet. Written in 2004, it too like its competitor is out of date, and as of yet I'm unaware of any revision planned to be made for the book.

Slightly harder to digest than the Lonely Planet guide, it does cover a lot of information, and is written in a less-tourist friendly way. Often offering page after page of epic prose, the reader can often become a little bored with what is in front of them. The layout is also boring, and unimaginative.

Needless to say, this is a good second best, and does contain some interesting insights which other travel guides miss out on, but in my opinion the Lonely Planet is superior.

You'll rarely see a Western Tourist in Mongolia who isn't clutching tightly to their chest a copy of Michael Kohn's Lonely Planet Guide.

The guide itself is useful, and contains a lot of information of Mongolia. Including the capital city, and every other main city, town and tourist attraction. This is indeed essential for the average traveller, containing useful information on where to eat, sleep, drink, and party. However, the main drawback with the Lonely Planet guide is that it is out of date. The last update was over three years ago(as of 2007), and in this time the country has changed significantly, with new restaurants, clubs, bars, and hotels opening all over the place. Obviously with a printed guide, it's going to be out of date from the day it is published, which can never be helped. A new updated edition is planned for 2008.

The book contains useful phrases, maps, and a useful glossary for obscure Mongolian terms. 

The book offers a decent insight to Monoglian traditions, and culture. Missing out on the odd detail, and mentioning old traditions as commonplace, when they're not. Minor drawbacks don't hold back the book, however. It is the best guide to Mongolia, and if you haven't already brought it with you, you can buy it from the State Department Store and other bookshops around the city.