NONFICTION - May 29, 1994

READER’S DIGEST TRAVEL GUIDE USA (Reader’s Digest: $32.95.) This is not a lovely book, not a book to leave lying around in the hopes of putting someone in the mood for doing something you want them to do (a common use for coffee table books and fine linen). Think of it as the traveler’s equivalent of a great big seed catalogue. Think of it as an aide for the neurotic traveler, the kind who reads maps and calculates distances and plans day trips to outlying areas. Organized in chapters titled “Western States,” “Central States” and “Eastern States,” each section describes museums, national and state parks, historical sites and other less obvious attractions on the many detailed maps, like wineries and hot springs, nice looking city halls and zoos. Sure, it brings to mind station wagons full of screaming kids, but it’s one way to travel.