Make Retire in Style your first retirement-planning stop, because it lists 50 great last stops. Actually, it lists 50 "affordable places" in the U.S.A. to retire, although not all of them are particularly affordable.

Dr. Warren Bland, an award-winning geographer, gives more than just a listing, which would make for a very thin book. Instead, this ¾-inch thick, 8 1/2 by 11 reference guide devotes five or six pages to each location. The information is divided into categories ranging from transportation to quality of life, from retail services to health care, cost of living to climate. In fact, this is an excellent starting point for anyone thinking of relocating for any reason (except for families interested in schools for their children). Based on Bland's 12 categories, Boulder, Colorado, is the most desirable retirement location in the country.

Of course, before making a move, you want to get much more information about a community, but this guide helps with triage - to select those communities worth that more detailed investigation.

What's missing? well, my wife's first take on the book was, "Oh great, where can we retire?" (which I hope won't be for a few more decades). Her second take, as she flipped through the pages was, "What?! No pictures? They should have pictures." There may be no pictures, but there are sketch maps.

Lack of photographic content aside, Retire in Style is an excellent way to kick-start the decision making, with a snapshot of 50 popular retirement locations.

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The reviewer is David Leonhardt, author of Climb your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness.