Arthur Frommer's Belgium

The son of a Polish-born mother and an Austrian-born father, Arthur Frommer. was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War, but was stationed in Europe because of his fluency in German and Russian. During his service, he wrote and self-published a guidebook called The GI's Guide to Traveling in Europe in 1955 that was an immediate hit among his fellow soldiers. In 1957, Frommer created a civilian version called Europe on Five Dollars a Day, which became an overnight bestseller. He subsequently published guidebooks covering all parts of the globe. Frommer licensed his travel guide book business to Simon and Schuster in 1977. Eventually, the Frommer's series was purchased by John Wiley and Sons, and in August 2012, Google purchased the travel guides. Through all the exchanges, Arthur Frommer was always deeply involved with the guide books. In 2013, Frommer reacquired control of the guidebooks bearing his name and has come full circle, now self-publishing his iconic travel books again. Additionally, Arthur Frommer writes a travel column syndicated through King Features with his daughter Pauline Frommer, with whom he also cohosts a weekly syndicated radio show, The Travel Show with Arthur and Pauline Frommer. Arthur lives in New York City. Emma Thomson is an award-winning freelance travel writer for international magazines, newspapers, and publishers and a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers. She first visited Belgium 13 years ago after falling for a Fleming and, after writing a guidebook to the northern Flemish region, now lives there permanently -- all the while resisting the daily allure of its famous beer, chocolate, and chips! She lives in Aalst, Belgium.