Frommer is everywhere — and shows his political side

Arthur Frommer hasn't written all the guidebooks that bear his name. But he has written quite a few, including "Surprising Amsterdam," "A Masterpiece Called Belgium" and, perhaps most important, "Arthur Frommer's New World of Travel."

"New World of Travel," first published in 1988, represents Frommer's first major articulation of his travel-for-enlightenment (and salvation?) philosophy.

There's a strong political side to Frommer, although that side might be more apparent in his non-travel books.

He is the author of "Goldwater from A to Z," an argument against Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, and "The Bible and the Public Schools," a defense of the Supreme Court decision banning compulsory Bible reading in public schools.

Still, the tour books are not entirely without political dimensions.

"We were the very first travel series in all the nation to talk about facilities for gay and lesbian tourists, and to deal with the obstacles that gay and lesbian tourists face," he points out. "When we did it 15 or 20 years ago, a lot of bookstores were very sensitive about even stocking our books because of that."

Then there is "Arthur Frommer's Branson," a travel guide he assigned to himself because of his Missouri boyhood. Although he might have enjoyed writing a book that celebrated the city's enterprise, he was repulsed by what he saw.

"I hated the jingoism. I hated these country singers, who had all been draft dodgers themselves during Vietnam, who marched down the aisle with drum beats, with machine-gun bullets, and waved the flag," he says, still disgusted. "Also, all of these people who become so religious! ... Many of the country-music theaters in Branson are used as stages for proselytizing."

"It's the only guidebook in history," he says, "that tells the reader, in effect, do not go!"

Frommer's world

At 76, Frommer isn't as hands-on as he once was, and he doesn't travel as much. But he still keeps busy. Here's how he spreads the gospel of travel according to Arthur:

Guidebooks: More than 300 titles every year bearing the Frommer name are issued by Wiley Publishing.

Newspapers: Frommer's weekly travel column appears in more than 60 newspapers.

Radio: His travel reports are regularly featured on CBS radio stations.

Online: The travel Web site, Frommers.com, receives 15 million hits per month.

Magazines: Although Frommer is no longer actively involved with Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel (circulation 525,000), he founded it in 1988 and edited it for six years. He also contributes to such publications as Reader's Digest, Consumers Digest and Parade.

The latest: Frommer is always creating new projects. He recently introduced the free booklet Where to Stop & Where to Go: A Guide to Traveling with Overactive Bladder in the United States. And he's working on a new publication, Arthur Frommer's Smart Shopping, a guide to non-travel bargains set to hit the stands Oct. 17.