Joined: Jan 2013 Gender: Female Posts: 373 Location: NOLA,USA
Travel Books « Thread Started on Apr 2, 2009, 3:39am »
A good place to share your favorite travel books, not necessarily guides ,but travel writing that weaves history,personal experience and illuminating observation. I'm still in the midst of Ghosts of Spain,Travels Through Spain And It's Silent Past by Giles Tremlett which Jazz turned us onto in New Reads. Am thoroughly enjoying. Another I came across that I had read in 2000 is A Fez Of The Heart,Travels Around Turkey In Search Of A Hat by Jeremy Seal. Both funny and informative,history and travelogue. I plan to reread.
I absolutely love this book, and urge everyone to read it: "Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica" by Sara Wheeler. It is completely absorbing, whether or not you think you have any interest in Antarctica. Ms. Wheeler writes with grace, wit, and sometimes provides belly laughs with her ribald humor. It's a very personal, even spiritual book that entertains and informs.
« Last Edit: Apr 14, 2009, 12:37pm by bixaorellana »
I didn't even think of that. Wheeler is a pretty common last name. Because of your question, though, I looked her up on Google. She's written other books that look interesting, including one on Chile that got great reviews. Here's a review of the book she wrote about an Antarctic explorer.
Truman Capote put together a series of vignettes about various cities around the world. There's one about New Orleans,New York City,Tangier and I can't remember the rest. I will dig it out as it merits more attention.
I have to mention what I consider the funniest travel book ever written, maybe even the funniest book ever, based on the sustained helpless snorting choking doubled-over out of control laughter it induces: Billy Bryson's "Neither Here Nor There".
There is a link to a very long (& of course funny) excerpt on that page.
The first travel book I ever read was something that my mother had in her collection, about driving the entire length of the Pan American Highway from Alaska to the tip of South America. This was written in the 1950's and most of the highway didn't even exist then, so it was full of stories of mud pits and putting planks across streams and that kind of stuff (it was like an 'onlyMark' African travel story). I found the whole concept unbearably exciting.
It even seems kind of strange that in the 21st century, a lot of those roads have not improved all that much.
The book must have gone out of print a million years ago, because no matter what combination of seach words I use on Google, I can't find a trace of its existence, although I'm convinced that the title was "20,000 Miles South."
You know I pride myself on my googling skills, and I found your book:
(NYTimes archives) April 1, 1994 Frank Schreider, 70, Who Wrote Of World Travels, Dies on Boat By RICHARD D. LYONS
Frank Schreider, a determined explorer who lived his dream of roaming the rough edges of the earth and supporting his wanderlust by his pen, died on Jan. 21 in his boat off the island of Crete in the Mediterranean. Mr. Schreider, who maintained a home in Santa Fe, N.M., was 70.
Mr. Schreider's body was found in the cabin of his sloop Sassafras, anchored in the port of Canea. The cause was a heart attack, his wife, Helen, said.
Mr. Schreider was in the midst of a three-year voyage through the Aegean and Crete Seas, often sailing his 40-foot boat alone. His wife was about to leave their home in Santa Fe to join him. She flew to Greece and did not return to the United States until yesterday with the news of her husband's death.
Starting in the 1950's, Mr. Schreider, usually accompanied by his wife, traversed the globe, often retracing the journeys of historic figures and describing his adventures in magazine articles and books. To Tip of the Americas
The Schreiders' first long journey, starting in 1954, took them from Circle City, Alaska, to the tip of Tierra del Fuego in South America in 18 months. The Pan American Highway had yet to be finished, and the Schreiders used an amphibious truck in coastal waters to skirt areas where roads had yet to be built.
Their adventures through the Americas were serialized in The Saturday Evening Post, published in the book "20,000 Miles South" (1957), and made into a documentary film.
In 1960 the Schreiders used another amphibious vehicle to journey down the Ganges River from Hardwar in northern India to the Bay of Bengal. Their next adventure took them 5,000 miles through the Indonesian Archipelago, mostly by amphibious vehicle. The account of that trip was published as "The Drums of Tonkin" (1963).
The Schreiders' tales of their adventures in Indonesia appeared in two installments in the National Geographic Magazine, which the couple joined in 1967 as a writing and photographic team.
Over the next three years their assignments from the National Geographic Society took them into the Great Rift Valley in East Africa, along the path trod by Alexander the Great through Asia Minor and Greece, and to the island of Taiwan.
The Schreiders also made a seven-month 3,845-mile journey following the Amazon from its source at San Francisco high in the Peruvian Andes to the Brazilian coast of the South Atlantic, traveling by foot, horseback, canoe, raft and truck. They recounted their trip in the book, "Exploring the Amazon" (1970). Began Freelance Cereer
In 1970 Mr. Schreider began a free-lance career, writing for many magazines, including Time, Look and Sail. He also worked in Mexico City as an editor for the United States Information Agency.
Three years ago he crossed the Atlantic in his boat. He had remained in the Mediterranean most of the time since.
Mr. Schreider was born in Denver, raised in Boston and served in the Navy's submarine service in the Pacific in World War II. He was a 1950 graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles, where he and his wife met.
Mrs. Schreider said her husband's appetite for travel stemmed from voracious reading as a child. -------------------------------------------------------------------- more here: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Fra....Search&aq=f&oq=
You know, "Around the World in 80 Days" is still a good read 137 years later. More than half of the novels by Jules Verne were about traveling to real places and he probably remains the most read travel writer of all time.
Had to look up Douglas Kennedy because his name sounded familiar, as did the Egypt book title. His output is interesting. Of his three travel books, one is about Egypt, one about the US Bible Belt, and one covers the subject of money in six different places in the world.
Writeon is staying at the moment and picked off the bookcase in her room Martha Gelhorn's Travels with Myself and Another. She is engrossed in it. The book relates of horrendous travels in China, Africa and the Caribbean (there may be other places too but those are the ones that stick in my memory). Her plight makes any little difficulties I encountered in, say, El Salvador during its guerrilla war seem petty.
hwin, Freya Stark's books are excellent and she was remarkable. This is an excerpt from a letter she wrote in 1929 from Baghdad, to Venetia:
'I don't know why one should bother so much about how Iraq is governed. The matter of importance to us is to safeguard our own affairs. It is only because we assume that the two are bound up together that we give so much weight to the local politics. It seems to me that the one only vital problem is to find out how things we are interested in can be made safe independently of native politics. If this was solved all the rest would follow---including as much freedom as their geography allows: for I imagine no one would want to stay here for the mere pleasure of doing good to people who don't want it.'
and, another excerpt from Baghdad,
'On the river bank southwards are flat mud hovels where the peasants live: a little pale maid in her dark blue gown and with her slim little figure and silent, bare feet comes every morning with a bottle of milk: she has a gold circle with turquoise and little gold discs hanging from it sticking in one nostril, and her name is Jamila.' http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/634/bsc10.htm
These two articles give a sense of her life and achievements,
I have just begun to read News from Tartary, written by Peter Fleming (brother of Ian Fleming) in 1936.
'..the story of a 3,500 mile journey from Peking, through the mysterious province of Sianking, to India. Following one of the most difficult routes possible in the 1930's, the trip took Fleming and his fellow traveller, Kini Maillart, a young Swiss journalist (and a woman) through some of the most desolate country of central Asia, over passes more than 15,000 feet high, through burning deserts, and into some of the world's most exotic places. Made without the knowledge of the Chinese government, the trip often endangered the lives of the travellers; Fleming, fortunately, proved adept with a 22 calibre rifle, and Maillart's amateur medical skills one put her in good favour with local residents.'
He writes beautifully, with irony, humor and wonderful detail. He notes at the outset, that he and Kini were both highly independent travellers and disliked the idea of travelling with anyone who would tie them down, limit them etc. Due to circumstance, they gave in and ended up making this remarkable journey together. I have since gathered that this book is considered one of the all time classics of Travel literature. And, it is.
Gertrude of Arabia...Gertude Bell, 1868-1926. I can't talk about the middle east and Freya Stark without mentioning Gertrude Bell. She was also a remarkable female traveller (before Freya), wrote books, was an adroit and masterful politician and was a prolific photographer of the region. Her legacy is felt by us today to this very moment...essentially Gertrude was responsible for the formation of the country of Iraq. Yes, she was.
There is an excellent biography of her life, Desert Queen, by Janet Wallach. Gertrude was a friend and confidant of T.E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill, and Faisal, the first king of the new country of Iraq. She was known amongst the people of Iraq as the 'uncrowned queen of Iraq'. I believe that she was the only woman present at the 1919 Paris conference.
The creation of the country of Iraq, for good or ill, is laid at Gertrude's feet. She convinced the politicians of the time to make a 'country' of three distinct tribes, the Shi'ite majority of the south and the Sunni and Kurdish minorities in the north and south. Her influence also installed Faisal on the throne as the first king of Iraq. We live with the consequences of this decision as of this moment.
Ah, yes, Peter Fleming. Good stuff as well. I'm surprised it's still being published. Actually Bayonets to Lhasa the Siege at Peking (not sure which) is one of the 3 or 4 books I have here Brazilian Adventure is good too, I think there's a reference to that Englishman who was searching for El Dorado there (on one of the threads already).
I have read Peter Fleming's book, News from Tartary, as well as several others by Ella Maillart -- the Swiss woman, including a trip to Afghanistan by car in the 1930s or 40s with a friend who was a drug addict, and Maillart thought travelling would cure her.
Last year I found a great secondhand book by Peter Fleming (brother of Ian, author of the James Bond books) about he trip he made to China in the 1920s, during the wars with the warlords. Funny and interesting.
Joined: Jan 2013 Gender: Female Posts: 373 Location: NOLA,USA
Re: Travel Books « Reply #20 on Jun 3, 2009, 10:43am »
I just picked up at a local used bookstore,The Japanese Chronicles,by Nicolas Bouvier."...offers Western readers a penetrating and highly personal view of Japan,based on three decades of travel throughout the islands. One of the most engaging and exquisitely written travel books in recent years. A compendium of Japanese etiquette,folklore,history and anecdotes..." Anyone familiar with?
Opens with Basho:
Dozing on horseback, Smoke from tea-fires drifts to the moon
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Female Posts: 3,996 Location: South-West France
Re: Travel Books « Reply #21 on Jun 3, 2009, 12:41pm »
I have read most of Nicolas Bouvier's books. The one I read first and which encouraged me to read others (which I liked less, in fact) was called Usages du Monde. No idea about the title in English, but it's about a trip he and another young guy do in a tiny car -- driving from Switzerland to Iran in 1953-54. Being snowed in in the mountains, trying to pay their way by him teaching English and his friend drawing pictures.
Besides Japan, he also wrote about being in the Aran Isles, but when he was older.
Joined: Jan 2013 Gender: Female Posts: 373 Location: NOLA,USA
Re: Travel Books « Reply #24 on Jun 4, 2009, 3:49am »
Yes, a truly fascinating character. I had toyed with the idea of a thread about him and didn't know where to begin,his life is so rich. I have read Shadowings circa 1900 about Japan. I'm glad to read that there's a continued interest in his life and work.
Joined: Jun 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 142 Location: USA
Re: Travel Books « Reply #26 on Jun 11, 2009, 3:07am »
This thread has been fascinating to read. So many great books, authors, and websites mentioned that I am not aquianted with. But I will certainly be searching for used copies to read. I think I'll try to find a copy of that "20,000 Miles South" and start there. What a trip that must have been! Thanks everyone.
Joined: Jun 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 142 Location: USA
Re: Travel Books « Reply #27 on Jun 11, 2009, 3:21am »
I just purchased my used copy of "20,000 Miles South" on Amazon.com. I should get it in about 3 to 4 days. I'm anxious to get started! There were several copies available in a variety of conditions, and of course, prices. Amazon is a great place to get new and used books.
Joined: Jan 2013 Gender: Female Posts: 373 Location: NOLA,USA
Re: Travel Books « Reply #28 on Jun 11, 2009, 3:37am »
I try and support the local used bookstores as much as possible. The few we have are very accommodating and charge little to nothing to search for and get. Their departure from the streets would pain me greatly,one of my great pleasures in life is cruising used book stores wherever I go. Amazon is a great resource I agree for the must have now.
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Female Posts: 4,441 Location: England
Re: Travel Books « Reply #29 on Jun 11, 2009, 8:02am »
Casimira - there would be no hope of obtaining (or even ordering) a book such as 'The Japanese Chronicles' from the local bookstore which is inefficient in the extreme and only good for potboilers.
![[Home]](http://static1.grsites.com/user/folders/nowdocking/r3920049/button23550481.png "[Home]")
![[New Topics]](http://images.proboards.com/menu/topics.png "[New Topics]")
![[Help]](http://static1.grsites.com/user/folders/nowdocking/r3920083/button28195714.png "[Help]")
![[Search]](http://static1.grsites.com/user/folders/nowdocking/r3920086/button25710789.png "[Search]")
![[Login]](http://static1.grsites.com/user/folders/nowdocking/r3920112/button20487816.png "[Login]")
![[Register]](http://static1.grsites.com/user/folders/nowdocking/r3920117/button97266159.png "[Register]")
![[Search This Thread]](http://images.proboards.com/search2.gif "[Search This Thread]")
![[Reply]](http://images.proboards.com/buttons/reply.gif "[Reply]")
![[Share Topic]](http://images.proboards.com/new/buttons/share.png "[Share Topic]")
![[Print]](http://images.proboards.com/buttons/print.gif "[Print]")
Author![[avatar]](http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-geCedqtD42k/T5nyULl9CqI/AAAAAAAAWGM/1EM9HKLEDUs/s512/IMG_2160.JPG "[avatar]")
![[Quote]](http://images.proboards.com/buttons/quote.gif "[Quote]")
Logged
![[avatar]](http://i.imgur.com/23lJo.jpg "[avatar]")
![[avatar]](http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/7113/mondulkiri01zv5.jpg "[avatar]")
I didn't even think of that. Wheeler is a pretty common last name. Because of your question, though, I looked her up on Google. She's written other books that look interesting, including one on Chile that got great reviews. Here's a ![[avatar]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/frog.jpg "[avatar]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/panam.jpg "[image]")
![[avatar]](http://www.historic-route66.com/pix/santamonicapiera1.jpg "[avatar]")
I don't think I've ever read Jules Verne. ![[avatar]](http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1397/muppetswedishchef1.jpg "[avatar]")
![[image]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZXQlXEoofL4/Rfa5omSQslI/AAAAAAAAAFA/xfj0Q97bMkA/s200/freya_stark.jpg "[image]")
![[avatar]](http://i721.photobucket.com/albums/ww213/spindrift_09/goddessavatar.jpg "[avatar]"){kind=avatar}
![[avatar]](http://image.hotdog.hu/_data/members2/218/533218/images/Al%20bundy.jpg "[avatar]")