Georges Bernès (the correct spelling), abbé in the village of Tillac near Auch, wrote the first modern French Guide du Pèlerin, published in 1973 and supported by what was then the Comité Gascon d'Etudes Compostellanes. A later edition was published by what was then Randonnées Pyrénéennes, now Rando Editions, part of the Sud-Ouest group. The 2nd edn of this, from 1989, was translated into English and published by Robertson McCarta in 1990 as The Pilgrim Route to Compostela: In search of St James. It's been out of print for years - in fact, RM went out of business some 15 or so years ago. The English guide was remaindered and I picked up a copy in a local bookshop for the princely sum of £1. In it, the author writes: "When I published the first edition, I was convinced that the pilgrimage to Santiago was about to flourish once more. Indeed, every year hundreds of pilgrims undertake this great walk on foot, and their numbers are increasing."
When I was first trying to gather info on the Camino in the 1980s, there only were 2 practical guides, this one and the Everest one based on Don Elias's original. Neither was easy to obtain, and eventually I sent the Abbé Bernès a blank cheque and asked him to send me a copy. I had a very nice letter back wishing me 'bon courage'. Ah, yes, the good old days.
If this really is a new book, I don't think the author is very up-to-date :roll: