“He presents you with a little chunk of something that doesn't look like anything and shows you how the world is contained in it.”īuy now: $17, Dark Star Safari, Paul Theroux (2003) “Sullivan's books are like Borges's story The Aleph,” says novelist Matthew Sharpe. We did not speak the same tongue-language (we each spoke the words of our particular colonizers), but we did speak the same rhythms, the same dances, the same nourishment, the same habits, the same spirits, the same ancestors.”īuy now: $15, or $10, Cross Country, Robert Sullivan (2006)Ĭlaiming to have traveled cross-country 27 times, Sullivan finds a fresh approach to a travel-writing staple by making part of his subject the history of the road-trip genre itself. "My husband and I journeyed to Rio De Janeiro in 2014 and were immediately struck by the beauty of the city, yes, but also by how recognizable the people were. “As a descendant of Africans enslaved in the United States, I felt kinship with Brazilians because of this shared history and longed to visit the country to visit what to me seemed like my long-lost cousins," Robert says. Gayl's book is an education on the history of slavery in Brazil and the affect it had on generations to come. “ Corregidora is the blue and harrowing testimony of the survivors and descendants of the brutal enterprise known as the Mid-Atlantic Slave trade, chronicling the horrors endured by Africans who were kidnapped and dragged to Brazil,” says Robert Jones Jr., whose debut novel, The Prophets, comes out in January 2021. I think the young baron, Cosimo, would be fine company."īuy now: $18, Corregidora, Gayl Jones (1975) “I would do this for a good long while, then maybe find a way to float up to the sky. “Sometimes, I feel like climbing up a tree and staying there,” says novelist Min Jin Lee. One of the late Italian writer's classics, The Baron in the Trees tells the story of Cosimo di Rond, a young man who rebels against his parents by living life in the trees-all while watching the Age of Enlightenment transpire below. "Not to be read by anyone looking to get a feel for what life is like in India, China, or Japan.”īuy now: $16, or The Baron in the Trees, Italo Calvino (1957) “He was apparently hell-bent on alienating half the planet, or at least those parts he traveled through," Wray says.
John Wray calls the book “hilarious, bizarre, and wildly self-indulgent”-not always a bad thing. “A book not to be missed.”īuy now: $14, A Barbarian in Asia, Henri Michaux (1933)įor those who would have liked to imagine Rimbaud as a reporter, the louche French poet Michaux might make the perfect guide to the East in the thirties. “She has the rare gift of letting the reader know exactly what it was like to see what she saw, hear what she heard, taste what she tasted, and feel what she felt," said Mayle. The late British author Peter Mayle, who credited the brilliant food writer's Provence books with inspiring him to first visit the region, nonetheless recommended the book that comes closest to being Fisher's complete memoir. The maps, appendices, and his field observations-especially of musk oxen-make me yearn to see his vision through my own eyes.”īuy now: $16, or $13, As They Were, M.F.K. “ describes the Arctic like a visual artist and, like many great writers, seemingly suspends time. “ Arctic Dreams has fueled my imagination and given me a rare glimpse into an original, mysterious world,” she says. Illustrator and children's book author Jan Brett recommends Lopez's exploration of the Arctic-its wildlife, environment, and indigenous peoples included.
In his journey from the Ganges's source to the chaotic cities along its course, Trojanow treats the river and its Hindu devotees with fascination, respect, and an eye for detail.īuy now: $16, or $14, Arctic Dreams, Barry Lopez (1986) Along the Ganges, Ilija Trojanow (2006)Īn emigrant from Cold War Bulgaria who has lived in Germany, Kenya, South Africa, and more, Trojanow brings a pan-religious enthusiasm to his writings on Asia in this book nominated by novelist Nuruddin Farah. It has been updated with new information. This story was last published in January 2020. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. The Histories, read on for dozens of passionately endorsed and beloved travel books, presented in alphabetical order.Īll products featured in this story are independently selected. From David Sedaris's 2000 Me Talk Pretty One Day to Herodotus's 440 B.C. As you'll see below, the picks-old and new-carry their weight, proving many of the greats are just as relevant today as they were when first published.
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