The fascinating story of the adventurous couple who backpacked across Asia and then built the most successful travel publishing business on the planet

Founders of the phenomenally successful publishing company Lonely Planet, Tony and Maureen Wheeler have produced travel guides to just about every corner of the globe. Lonely Planet Publications was born in 1973 when the Wheelers self-published a quirky travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. This was quickly followed by what soon became the backpackersbible, South-East Asia on a Shoestring. Going boldly where no other travel publisher had ventured, they catered to a new generation of independent, budget-conscious travelers long before the advent of mass tourism. The Lonely Planet Story is a unique mix of autobiography, business history and travel book. It traces Tony and Maureen Wheeler personal story as well as the often bumpy evolution of their travel guide business into the world largest independent travel publishing company. Not surprisingly, after thirty years in the business the Wheelers have an unrivalled set of anecdotes which they share in The Lonely Planet Story. They have been hassled by customs, cheated by accountants, let down by writers, banned in Malawi, berated for their Burma guide and had books pirated in Vietnam. Tony has been gored by a cow in Benares, declared dead around the world in an assortment of gruesome and greatly exaggerated accounts and their company has been accused of the ely Planetization the world. Through it all, from the heady days of discovery in the 0s to the rocky patch after the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Wheelerspassion for the planet and traveling certainly hasn diminished, and comes shining through in this enthralling travelogue. But above all, their memoir reveals the spirit of adventure that has made them, according to the New York Daily News, specialists in guiding weird folks to weird places.vance praise for Tony and Maureen Wheeler and the book: "Like Apple and Starbucks and Ben & Jerry s, all of which began as plucky alternatives, Lonely Planet has become a mainstream brand." - The New Yorker "...the trailblazing patron saint of the world s backpackers and adventure travellers." - The New York Times