Besides offering countless resorts along its 6,000...

Besides offering countless resorts along its 6,000 miles of coast, Mexico’s inland offers diverse scenery and culture. The range of activities is unlimited, from ocean fishing, skin diving and boating on lakes to golf and tennis. The “Sunset Mexico Travel Guide from Baja to the Yucatan” furnishes an excellent introduction to this land of variety. It details almost every vacation ambiance available, from mountain spas, Indian villages and artist colonies to archeological sites. The know-before-you-go essentials are especially good. Splashes of color photos enhance the text (Lane Publishing: $10.95).

“This is Tucson: Guidebook to the Old Pueblo,” by Peggy Hamilton Lockwood, is a cut above the usual on furnishing a wide spectrum of information about this historic city. Tucson, where five flags have flown, offers a desert setting. It is surrounded by scenery and craggy mountains that are painted by spectacular sunsets. The guide describes where you can step back into the Old West or view the present in a city that has more museums per capita than any other U.S. city its size or larger. A Latino inheritance is reflected in its arts, sightseeing, sports and camping, plus events, tours and culture. Maps will point you in the right direction, although the eat-and-stay information is limited. To get your guide, send $9.95 (plus $1.05 handling) to Pepper Publishing, 433 N. Tucson Blvd., Tucson, Ariz. 85716-4744.

For your next vacation, choose from 57 locations listed in the “Travel and Sports Guide--Australia, Bahamas, Caribbean, Hawaii and Mexico.” It’s not a guide for those who like being a sand potato and frying in the sun or visiting museums. Instead, it goes beyond the sightseeing and shopping tours and into the heart of the territories. Most questions about costs, accommodations and amenities are answered. Tips and suggestions for dress, customs, driving, events, medical matters and weather are furnished. The guide also touches on history and where to find the gaming casinos. There are places to stay, such as thatched bures in Fiji, elegant resorts on Martinique and cozy guest houses on Saba. Loaded with color photos (Publishers Group West/Ingram: $9.95).