Travelogue Books

The scope of this book is incredible spanning nearly 1000 years of people making a pilgrimage. It also demonstrates how life-changing the experience could be. Michael Wolfe is a great writer and does a splendid job introducing each piece. Some of participants are simply incredible people- especially the Spanish Muslim from the 1700s (my memory escapes me as to his names). Each piece shows something new. Its definitely a book I'll be looking into again.

This is easily one of the most splendid and accessible
English-language works on the hajj in recent years. For Muslims about to undertake the hajj, Wolfe's thousand-year history of the great hajj narratives of men like ibn Jubayr and years later Malcolm X will offer the richness of the pilgrimage, which was often as much a picaresque travel adventure as spiritual rite. Non-Muslims will get a great swath of Muslim intellectual history, freed of the sometimes needless formalism and apologia of recent hajj narratives and a wonderful encapsulation of Islamic civilization at its height, and of course the great beauty of the pilgrimage itself. Wolfe's introductions to the many narratives serve, perhaps unintentionally, as an excellent summary of Muslim history to the present.

Michael Wolfe is an excellent writer. He is also a very convincing writer. For years my parents have been asking me to go for Hajj. I compromised and went for Umra. Mr. Wolfe's preface and the introduction convinced me that I should make this journey. I am preparing for the trip in year 2003. Inshallah.
This is an excellent book. Equally enlighting to Muslims and Non-Muslim. I recommend it.

I found this book to be wonderful. I enjoyed it alot. It really has showen change in the pilgrimage. I would recomend the book for Muslims, like my self and non- Muslims alike.

A delightful book that turned out to be much more than I expected. My thought when I started reading it was that it was going to just be a guide book for the Vashon area. Although it includes all the useful information one would find in a guide book it mixes it in with stories and experiences that express the personality of the area. It was fun reading and learning through the experiences and adventures of Biffle. This is much better than most guide books where the author lists the launch points, directions etc in a monotone dry robotic fashion. A very easy read that has made me want to meet up with Biffle and experience the waters of Vashon Island. This book takes you along as Biffle paddles around Vashon Island in a series of day trips. The wildlife provide as much of the stories as do some of the characters he meets along the way. This book is entertaining even if you will never get the opportunity to paddle around Vashon.

Biffle French, former US Air Force supersonic jet pilot turned retired IBM Director lives up to his unusual name writing a Kayaking book that offers something for everyone. Hidden in the shallows of French's daily Kayaking forays lie a hidden introduction to the charting of Puget Sound by Captain Vancouver, Mr. Puget and Mr. Whitney and the history of Western expansion. He offers insight into the clear cutting of the Great Northwest Woods, of which Vashon was a part, to build cities in California in the late 1800's. Swimming between modern day paddle trips and historical narratives, French offers a smörgåsbord of information about navigation, aerodynamics, physics, topography, bird migration, tidal changes and the gravitational relationship of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. All this makes for an interesting read, however, the most entertaining aspect of the book lies in the humorous stories about the odd characters French meets along his journeys and his personal insights revealing his own eccentricities. It is a delightful book whether or not you are a kayaking enthusiast and if you are planning any Kayaking around Vashon Island, this is the book to read.

biffle has written a wonderfully entertaining kayaking guide that covers historical and personal experiences of paddling in and around the picturesque vashon island. written in a first person's pov, one has the feeling of being in the cockpit of a sea kayak on a glassy bucolic august Northwest afternoon. a must read.

Rob Casey
Photographer & Kayak Guide
Ballard, Wa

"Paddling the Waters" takes you on several life enriching journeys within its pages. The best part is that the reader need have no knowledge of kayaking in order to partake. Mr. French has integrated science, folklore, humor and love of life into this charming narrative about life in the Pacific Northwest in the 21st century. There are wonderful adventures complete with dangerous encounters as well as beautiful descriptions of wildlife and natural phenomena. There is abundant humor and humility in Mr. French's weaving together the many elements of his life that have landed him on the water in his lime green NC17. The book offers a great depth of scientific knowledge and explanation including numerous maps, charts and graphs - enough to provide any navigator with all the tools one could need to set out successfully on the waters of Puget Sound or anywhere else for that matter. This book offers a complete package, a rich addition to anyone's library.

The first couple of stories are the least fun. After that, it's a great compilation. The five-page diary of V. Swanson is worth the price of the book - and as affecting as any Robert Service poem. The compilation is good enough that I have tried to find some of the excerpted books, and will look for more of them. (John Haines's book was pretty good. A co-worker enjoyed it, too.) The acknowledgments at the end are useful.

This is a marvelous collection of essays written about life and travel in Alaska during the past 100 years. It has lots of well-known contributors: John McPhee, Ann Morrow Lindburgh, John Muir, Charles Kuralt, et al. But almost every piece, even from the most obscure writer, had me mesmerized. Perhaps the most haunting tale was a reprint of the diary entries from a man known only as "V. Swanson," who perished in a cabin in the wilderness in 1917.

I was fascinated by the stories of daredevils doing unbelievably brave and crazy things: climbing through ice caves buried within glaciers where the climbers literally had to inhale in order to squeeze through, knowing a shift in the ice could kill them all at any moment...climbing the face of Denali in winter, losing toes to frostbite...coming face to face with a grizzly who smashed in the window of a tiny cabin. Being decidedly NOT a daredevil myself, I would get most of the way through each of these stories scratching my head as to the motivation of these people. Generally, by the end of each story, I understood what made them tick. Reading these essays has made me feel life in Suburbia is just a little too boring, too timid, too soft.

This is a wonderful compilation of writings by some our most prominent authors of their first (and lasting) impressions of the last American wilderness, Alaska. It prepares children and their families for the overwhelming gift we have recieved through the preservation of this beautiful land and for the warmth and welcome they will receive from Alaskaan natives.

I bought this book to read while on a two-week trip to Alaska. Of course, what with all the sunlight and all the things to do, I did very little reading. But it's no reflection on this book, which provides a wonderful assortment of perspectives on a truly unique place. One aspect I particularly liked was that the selections spanned over a century and thus gave a good historical perspective. (Though stylistically, the earliest ones can be the toughest reads.) It also did a good job of covering the vast geography of Alaska.

The only downside is that Alaska continues to change rapidly, experiencing rapid economic and population growth, not to mention the effects of global climate change, so I would love to see what some very recent writers have to say.

Though I read it several years ago, the impact of this book is still with me. It helps me appreciate the life I have, and inspires me to push harder. The human tales in this book, many culled from actual diary or journal entries, are more gripping than perhaps any fiction I've ever read. If you feel you need a sense of perspective, this is one healthy dose. Reading it was a great way to transport myself from my day to day troubles and experience, again often firsthand, a completely different life situation. Highly recommended.

Over the last two centuries expeditions have penetrated the Arctic and brought back important information - if they returned at all. This provides true stories of Arctic exploration and adventure, presenting the journals, letters and firsthand experiences of the explorers and natives of the region alike. An excellent addition for any collection covering world exploration.

If you are intrigued by the allure that the Arctic has for some people, or are yourself unable to resist subzero weather at the top of the world, then Ring of Ice is a must. Stark has collected a truly diverse range of stories beginning with the comedy of errors endured by Georg Wilhelm Stellar, the German-born scientist aboard Vitus Bering's 1741 Russian expedition to the North American coast, and ending with the luminous prose of modern Artic explorers such as Barry Lopez.

Stark's informative introductions to each essay are both helpful and amusing. He has also sought to balance the primarily European writers and their points of view with those of the native Inuit people by preceding each essay with an Inuit poem. "The poems emphasize the Inuit ethic of sharing, egalitarianism, and incessant hunting, as well as the simple joys and fears of life." They are, of course, in sharp contrast to the accounts of the European explorers, who sought to conquer rather than work with nature, and usually perished as a result.

The book is divided into 4 sections (called books), but the progression of pieces is linear. The 1998 piece entitled "Tale of a Hunter's Daughter," is so pignantly written and captures the feeling of both the land and the woman struggling to make her way in it, that it is worth the price of the whole book. Of course there are other stand-outs, including "How Dr.Hayes Learned to Love Seal Blubber," "Nansen Strolls Farthest North," and "Cold Oceans: By Sea Kayak to Greenland."

Oddly enough, the poetry, which I thought was an excellent idea, is made inaccessible and difficult to read by the fact that it has been set in a script font that is too small to read comfortably. As a result, your eyes naturally gravitate towards the correctly sized, regular fonts used in the essays. This is really strange, given the time and effort that obviously went into the rest of the book, and I hope that Stark has made a very loud stink. It's hard to make yourself work at reading the poetry, which by its nature takes a little bit of work to appreciate. Otherwise a fine collection.

This is a wonderful book! Peter Stark has selected an extraordinary collection of vignettes from a wide range of original writings about the Arctic and its explorers. I've read many (but certainly not all) of his sources in their entirety, and enjoyed re-reading extracts of those that I have read before as much as I enjoyed reading for the first time those that were new to me. Stark has a fine eye, an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Arctic and a gift for weaving together these many tales into a fine, telling tapestry of Arctic adventure. Terrific!

The Ripening Sun is a restful trip into the charming life of rural France.
The author's detailing of the everyday running of a vinyard is complete and gives you a good understanding of how much work is involved with this age old process of winemaking. It is a soft book to read anytime of the day and leaves you with just a little peaceful smile.

This is a "must read" for anyone dreaming of owning a vineyard or wishing for a winery! It is the story of Patricia's journey from a novice to a wine expert in 15 short years. She has an ability to tell her story in a way that won't allow you to put the book down until you have read it through. Her characters are fascinating and the best part is that they are real people. You will want to visit Patricia in France and tour her vineyard and winery after reading this book. Book 2 promises to be even better!

This was such a wonderfully spellbinding book that I couldn't put it down but at the same time did not want it to end. I really felt like the author was sitting down with me telling the story of her life. Unlike other books of this genre, there is some real life stuff going on, some of it truly heartbreaking. I would highly recommend this book over some of the others like "Bon Courage." I hope Patricia Atkinson is writing a sequel between all her other busy moments in life.

Faced with a formidable challenge of single-handedly turning an overgrown vineyard into a economically viable operation, the heroine of this real-life story has the tenacity to beat the odds and go well beyond what most of us would consider an acceptable workload. Of course, the village setting and the many neighbors whose friendship shines through are the real stars of this wonderful book.

I was apprehensive that a book ostensibly written by a teddy bear would get sneers from my teen aged son, however, despite a few pages of cuteness at the start, the book was so well done in art work and content, and mirrored our own safari experiences so well, that Nick loved it. He even, abeit a bit sheepishly, liked the teddy bear humor. If this book succeeds so well with a cynical teen, it should work for everyone. Read this book before you go to East Africa, then re-read it (and get a little misty-eyed) after you return.

This delightful book tells the story of the bear Reggie, who travels to Africa for a safari with his owner. His handwritten account records everything he sees in a journal/scrapbook format that is accompanied by beautiful illustrations. A wonderful book for any age. Also check out the follow up, Journey Up the Nile.

An absolutely charming book, "Safari" is the journal of Reginald Oliver Smythe, a vintage Teddy bear who was taken along on a trip to Africa by his owner (and travel companion), Susan. I've read lots of books on Africa, but none like this one--told entirely from the toy bear's perspective. It is filled with interesting facts and suffused with "Reggie's" endearing personality. Written in the form of a travel journal, the book is as lushly illustrated as an artist's sketchbook. Reginal Oliver Smythe's "Safari" is perfect for reading to my young nieces and nephew. A great gift!

I have been on a safari with each of my daughters and am going on another with my son, his wife and 3 young grands this summer. Mailed them Reggie's book which was so beguiling I had to get another copy for my daughters to share with me. Needless to say I love the East African experience and this book gives some useful information in a fun, easily accessible and creative way.

In the past year I have read several books concerning the subject matter of bears and Mr. Payton's is not just a good book on bears, it is a well written book period. However, he is passionate about the subject without being overly sentimental. He travels the world seeking out encounters with endangered bears and their disappearing habitat. Many of the stories about bears are not first hand. The narrator is passing some of them along from the people he encounters in his quest. This only lends to the mystique that these creatures have.
Brian is also respectful and knowledgable of the different cultures that he encounters, giving the book a very exotic quality. There is enough focus on the bears and their plight to increase one's concern for these animal's and their habitat, which is after all, along with poaching and hunting, one of the biggest problems.
If you only read on bear book. Read this one. It should be a classic one day helping to define where we go right or wrong from this point.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to others. For the past 10 years I have been involved with a bear education program focusing on the American Black Bear. Black Bears are the one species of bear that can live in close proximity to humans. I have read it more than once and have leant the book to others.

Shadow of the Bear brought to light the plight of all bears and the impact it has on our lives.
For me it was a quick read and quite informative. The way Mr. Payton told the story it was both entertaining and enlighting. As I read I felt like I was with him through his adventures. As he discussed each species we also learned about the culture of the geographic area where that species can be found. Politics also plays a role in bear survival and how bears are dealt with. Mr Payton demonstrates his book just how much human actions has contributed to the endangerment of wildlife. This book should be read by those interested in bears, travel, environment and life. Hopefully as more read the book, they too will understand the importance of conserving these beautiful animals.

Bears have had many, many books written about them and have been long celebrated: so why the need for yet another? Brian Payton here travels the world in search of the eight remaining bear species, from Asia and Canada to South America. His blend of natural history and travelogue examines human interactions with and beliefs about bears at all levels of society, offering up a warm interaction of bear and human encounters. "Shadow of the Bear" is especially recommended for school and community library Pets & Wildlife collections.

A very entertaining and interesting book on bears. As the owner of a large bear library, I really appreciate when a new bear book comes along that tells me things that I do not know. I was especially fascinated by the sloth bear section. The sloth bear's scientific study pales in comparison to the grizzly or black bear, so I really appreciated Mr. Payton's insight into these sometimes very aggresive and violent bears. The author also did and outstanding job of giving a sense of adventure to the book with great tales from remote parts of the world. On the serious side of things, the author points out correctly, that habitat destruction is the main cause of a decreasing bear population in much of the world, while poaching adds to the losses within some bear populations. Great book and an interesting read!

What is relegion? Why do we believe what we believe? These are important questions since all of us look for meaning within our existence. This book offers valuable insight into those issues. Not just a travel book.

This well written book takes you deep into the South Pacific like no other book I have read before. In many ways this book transcends the travel category and takes you into the relm of relegion and theology as well as anthropology and a little political science thrown in too just for good measure. I was very pleasantly surprised.

I also like the way this book helps to educate us on a part of the world that is so far off the beaten path, at the edge of our existence, that we ignore it. Huge mistake. Read this book, ponder the issues it brings up, and you will learn a lot.

As a correspondent I was in the Solomons for most of the key moments - and many of the darker moments of the civil war on Guadalcanal. Montgomery, whose original motivation was plainly to write some kind of family travel account, was deeply changed by what he saw and felt. As were we all. I never met him during the dramas, suggesting he kept away from the media events linked with it all. For this we all owe a very deep debt of thanks; he has bought a powerful light to parts of the story that needed to be illuminated. The horrors of Harold Keke and his gang, off set by the glories of the Melanesian Brothers. This is a major Pacific work; something to be celebrated and cherished.

We're all interested in God. (Even atheists make a theological statement when saying there is no god; and presumably, they've said so based on an informed consideration of some sort.) Montgomery takes us on an extra-ordinary quest in pursuit of God-knowledge. And he does so in the footsteps of his great grandfather, who was a missionary to the people of the south sea islands. He starts as a well-studied skeptic on a grand adventure. Along the way we encounter history and myth surrounding magic, cannibal stories, hallucination, faith, and genuine self-sacrifice. And we see our stalwart tour guide grow as a result of his quest. His appreciation for the power of myth expands to reveal the truth that it can convey. And his spirituality makes a significant transition from that of someone inquiring into the basis of religion -- to observing its significant influence on the human family, in practice.

There are occasional sentences written in a creole which might require a bit of a stretch for some readers -- but it really is English if you sound them out carefully. (Let your eye and ear work together to parse those words, out loud, if necessary.) The editors would have done well to include a glossary for those who are intimidated by foreign-looking words. But please don't let this discourage you from this very enjoyable book which tracks a coming of age from spiritual infancy into a dawning maturity.

~eric.

Having a missionary ancestor is a fine prompt for travel. Most early missionaries, to justify their existence and purpose, were dogged journal keepers. Montgomery's grandfather was no exception. Rev. H.H. Montgomery had not only kept extensive notes, but much of that collection and other thoughts were produced in a book, "The Light of Melanesia". Discovering that account led Vancouver-born Charles to light out to the Pacific to see the results of his grandfather's and other missionaries' endeavours. In keeping his own records, Charles has produced a 21st Century adventure yarn of captivating interest.

If there is a pivotal point in this book, it is the 1871 "murder" of Bishop John C. Patteson. The bishop seems to have died happy - martyrdom has an appeal to some religious folk. The century following may have justified his bizarre view, since his death has become a symbol to the local people. For one thing, they are able to brag that "we don't kill white folks any more". The author has some reason to doubt this claim as he travels through Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. He has trouble separating the various Christianities spread throughout the islands. A good many of them are still practising various forms of ancient witchcraft as part of their new religious activities.

Montgomery sets himself a quest to find Melanesian witchcraft in its pure form. This is easier told than accomplished, since today's missionaries, and many of their converts, hunt down the practitioners. Sometimes with violence. The islanders, however, have a long warrior tradition supporting their activities and working out winners and losers is challenging. Still, for him to unearth the ancient practices, he must trek deep into mountain hideaways, convince those claiming to hold special powers that he won't reveal them to Christian authorities, and come away unscathed. If the Melanesians don't do him in, the weather is always waiting for its own chance. "Getting there is half the fun" as the author haunts docks and ships seeking elusive transport. Ships run weekly, monthly, or when fuel money is produced. His persistence ought to be worth some kind of award.

His luck might be due to some recognition, as well. In the islands, the witchcraft Montgomery seeks is based on "mana". Mana is the life force and may be transferred from one human to another - by head hunting [cognitive scientists take note]. The more exalted the victim, the greater the mana. The missionaries, and the military forces they frequently called in to support them, sought to quell the practice. Their substitution was "Christian love", which often took a beating when the islanders objected to their land being taken or their wives and daughters raped. Montgomery laces the history of missionary work with his personal account seamlessly. Daily confronting the results of what the missionaries imposed [this book was originally titled: "The Last Heathen"] Montgomery's scepticism of their work can only be enhanced. Belief, however, is an immense force among humans. Montgomery realises he cannot dismiss it thoughtlessly. The result of his quest results in a fascinating essay on what "religion" has come to mean to the Pacific Islanders. It's far from what the missionaries intended - and intend - but it's demonstrably real. The book is a valuable social commentary, both about the Pacific islands and our own culture. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

As a Christian worker in China, I had first-hand opportunity to see how we "foreigners" interacted cross-culturally. (Usually, the most successful of us were those who were not on a Mission from God.) Having seen people badly suited to live abroad and admiring those who were very able to do so, the joy of this book by Freya Stark was reading about a woman operating cross-culturally with a world-class ability to encounter persons with a much different backround than her own. Her sheer delight in her Bedouin companions is vicariously enjoyable.
Of course, this book journeys not just across cultures but across times, beginning with the author's introduction, which discusses the antiquity of the regioun she explores, especially in the time of great trade in frankincense, which made the region, for a time, wealthy. It is also reflected in the ancient culture and historical monuments and artifacts the author encounters.
Moreover, Freya Stark writes (wrote) beautifully. This book will appeal to anyone who is curious about other peoples, other lands and other times or who enjoys good writing.

I found this book absolutely fascinating as it described a time, only 70-odd years ago, when there truly were unexplored reaches, where legend and history still co-existed, and where a culturally sensitive and aware, and properly respectful traveler could find peaceful and fulfilling adventure. This book is even more interesting now, given the changes in the Middle East in the past ten years. Can one imagine making the same kind of journey in Yemen now? Of course not; it would almost be suicide. That time has long since been destroyed, everything about this book but its pure physical setting gone, so this memoir is even more poignant and compelling.

Stark has an eye for detail, as jaundiced as it is with the unavoidable Orientalism of her time and socio-cultural context. This can be forgiven/overlooked, and she's a lot more fair and obliging when describing those she encounters than the majority of her contemporaries. She's at her best when describing the landscapes she is encountering, the stark desert and wadis, the unexpected lushness of the oases and tucked-away mountain crevices where all the shades of green burst forth.

More than anything, what comes through in this book is Stark's grace and abiding respect for the people she meets. She has taken the time to learn their language, and is familiar with their culture, and takes pains to encounter them in terms that will make them comfortable. She does not attempt to bend anyone to a Western European point of view. This is not to say she is subservient or fawning; she most certainly stands up for herself when it is required. But throughout the book and on this journey, her continued success comes from her honesty tinged with her respect for the region and the people with whom she is interacting. This engenders respect for her in return.

I found the three maps in the beginning of the book at first absolutely invaluable as references to Stark's locations and progress. I then found the maps to be absolutely infuriating, due to their black/white printing, the too-small script, the confusing order of the maps, the contradictory scales and place-name differences, etc. I ended up abandoning the book's maps and opening my unabridged atlas to Yemen and tracking her movement there. Editors: if you're going to offer maps in a book like this, make sure the maps are actually worthwhile and readable.

Two scholarly additions to the book are good. Stark's appendix on the "Southern Incense Route of Arabia" is a fascinating account of exactly what she was looking for, and what brought her to the Hadramaut in the first place. It's her indirect formal scholarly statement of motivation. This appendix would have been well-placed as a foreword to this book, serving to establish her motivation and objective. Stark lists her sources, and they're offered as a listed bibliography immediately after the appendix. There is also an index, but for whatever reason, many of the persons and places in the text are not included, and there is no cross-referencing. For example, the names of individual wadis are placed in the index as "Sidun, Wadi," and are not cross-referenced with a "Wadi Sidun" entry.

Bottom line: If you're one of the many readers newly interested in Islam, Arabs and the Middle East, and are looking for some context beyond the latest book on extremism or terrorism, something to add depth to what you think you understand, then this book will do you well. If you're looking for some insight into the cultures and traditions of Islam, this also will move you in that direction. If you're looking for a glimpse into a time when the West and Islam actually got along on a basis of mutual respect, this enjoyable book will tell you about it.

Trekking over the desolate, rocky plateau that lies between the coast and the interior valleys of Hadhramaut, Freya Stark travelled in 1935 with a group of Bedu and a government slave-soldier. The area has been known as Aden Protectorate, the Qu'aiti State of Shihr and Makalla, South Arabia, the People's Democratic Republic of South Yemen, and is now part of united Yemen. She visited several of the interior towns, almost never seen by Europeans at that time (though the RAF did maintain a presence), and has written beautiful descriptions of the unusual physical environment as well as a kind and sympathetic treatment of the people she met. She talked in Arabic with the ladies of the harim as well as with the rulers, scholars, and ordinary men of the communities. Stark aimed to travel to Shabwa, a long-lost ancient city much further in the interior of the Arabian peninsula, to an area then contested between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Illness prevented her from doing so. This book then, is an account of her curtailed trip. She was evacuated by airplane from the interior, lucky to be alive. I always like travellers who respect the people they visit and who do not condescend. Freya Stark is certainly among them. For a travel book that describes a time long gone and a place still far from the beaten track-do you know many people who have been to Shibam, Makalla, Tarim, or al Qatn ?---you cannot do much better. You might use it as a guide as to how you could get along with people of a very different culture to your own---step number one, don't try to force them to adhere to your value system.

However, one thing about this book puzzled me. Compared to most travel literature, it is a most existentialist piece. "Here I am, travelling through remote Hadhramaut." That's cool, but we never find out why she was travelling to Shabwa-well, OK, it is old, it is a kind of `forbidden city', and it might hold ruins of interest---but why her ? Who was she ? What was her purpose ? What were her qualifications ? I realize full well that we can read her biography, we can look her up in the encyclopedia or on Google, that she wrote many other books. But, I had never read anything else by her, knew nothing of her life. I wondered who she was. The book offers absolutely no clue. Why did the rulers all welcome her ? How did she have such good connections with the powers that be in Aden ? I put this existentialist atmosphere down to a kind of British reticence, a reluctance to reveal much about oneself, not the proper form, etc. That is all well and good, each to her own culture, but it does cast a cloud of vagueness over the whole book. Compared to Wilfred Thesiger in his "Arabian Sands", Stark tells little of her aims or background, but is more willing to accept the Arabs as they were, not as she wished they would be.

In 1934, Freya Stark determined that she would follow the ancient frankincense routes through the fertile Hadhramaut valley to locate and record what was left of the legendary lost city of Shabwa. In 1936 she published _The Southern Gates of Arabia: A Journey in the Hadhramaut_ which, as did many of her thirty-odd books, became a best seller. It is now republished by the Modern Library, and is a welcome reminder of a brave, erudite, and witty explorer. The current volume has as an introduction a capsule description of Stark's life by her biographer, Jane Fletcher Geniesse. Born in 1892, Stark was only able to indulge in travel in her thirties; she realized that there was a hunger for knowledge about exotic Arabia, and she schooled herself in the language and history of the area, through which she traveled by foot, car, donkey, and camel well into her eighties. She lived to be 101.

The explorations of these exotic lands are rendered now more strange and lovely by time. Few of us will get to see the lands Stark loved, but we will never see them as she did. For most of the steps along the trail described in this book, Stark was the first European woman to come that way, and that she did so unaccompanied by a European escort gave the Bedouin, the learned men, and the sultans something to admire and wonder at. One who thought himself a leader of her group attempted to exclude her by bringing her meals to a separate area. "He was showing a Victorian disapproval of females who do not keep themselves to themselves, a thing I find dull and difficult to do." She finds that she very much likes being in the middle of the group, even as an outsider. "To sit over the fire with one's fellows in the evening, when the work is over and the talking begins, is the only sure way of keeping harmony and friendship. I never had any difficulties with my beduin and found nothing but friendliness and an anxiety to serve in every way, and I attribute this chiefly to the fact that we had our meals together..." On the last night being with one group, one of the Bedouin thanks her for sharing food together (rather than keeping separate as he had expected the European traveler to do), and says it has been pleasant traveling with her. "'Here we are now,' he said, 'all together. And tomorrow?' - he opened his hand out wide - 'all scattered, where?' After this question, so sad, ancient, and universal, we looked in silence to the darkness and the stars."

Stark's quest was unfulfilled because of all things, measles. The discovery of Shabwa awaited a German traveler the next year, for she was too sick to continue toward her goal. One of her hosts, as she was ailing, reassured her: "Here we have no sickness; we are well or we die." She was carried off in a plane of the Royal Air Force, to whom in gratitude she dedicated her book. Her work is a perfect illustration that journeying well, and not achieving the destination, is the better accomplishment. It is impossible to come away from this volume without admiring this spunky, amused and amusing woman, nor to share in her admiration for those among whom she traveled. "The magic of Arabia," she writes, "which so many have felt, is due perhaps less to the sun-wrinkled arid land itself than to the innate peculiar nobility and charm of its people."

As a former Peace Corps volunteer in Uzbekistan myself, I have more than a passing interest in the subject matter of Taxi to Tashkent. However, I think this book would appeal to a wide audience. For one thing, it's a very entertaining way to learn about an area of the world that most of us know very little about. It's also a well-written memoir of what it was like to serve in the Peace Corps in part of the former Soviet Union.

Being someone who has not traveled much, but who is interested in knowing about other cultures and parts of the world, I found this book to be an interesting first-hand account of the author's experience. He describes the surroundings and the culture very well from his perspective as an American. I enjoyed meeting the people he met through his descriptions and experiencing something of what it was like to be in the Peace Corps for two years. Well written and enjoyable to read.

Taxi to Tashkent is a terrific eye-witness account of a Central Asian country. More than a introduction to the food, customs and daily life in this blue-eyed Muslim country, Fleming shows with honesty and humor the challenges of living as a fish out of water. Not only does he give a genuine account of his host country, but is honest about the challenges of being a Peace Corps volunteer. This is a must read for anyone with romantic notions of travel.

"Taxi to Tashkent" dovetails over two growing genres of writing: Central Asian studies and Peace Corps memoirs. Harboring vast potential for interest, both genres are fast becoming cliche, even while not yet reaching greater audiences. Such is the fate of niche writing. But here, Fleming offers hope.

In general, books coming out of Central Asia are either chock-full of the same regurgitated travelogues (Silk Road, Great Game, KGB, Taliban) with which one quickly grows familiar. Or, they offer contemporary observations of a troubled region with much to tempt the foreign investor into dreaming and much to dissuade the international corporation from acting. In other words, everyone wills himself a TH Lawrence. Fleming doesn't waste our time with any such pontification.

Equally monotonous is the ever-expanding library of the returned volunteer memoir, in which we witness as a young idealist slowly learns what 'dirty' means while playing catch with village children. These are just modern spins on "Innocents Abroad". Fleming also spares us from such repetition.

In "Taxi", we meet a volunteer who finds much to report around him, while resisting the temptation to evaluate his observations for us. Fleming doesn't feel the need to explain it all; he's comfortable with the ambiguity of the surroundings. The reader will feel the same humorous, depressing and frustrating reactions to life-as-fish-out-of-water as do many individuals who have experienced life as an outsider. Further, Fleming doesn't fit in with the average age demographics of volunteers (fresh out of college or retired), so he's somewhat isolated even among his familiars.

Don't worry; you'll still gaze at Tamurlane's crumbling azure domes and the shrunken Aral Sea. But your usual choice of arrogant or naive company will have been replaced by a Toastmaster. It's like riding around with Stephen Colbert out of character. If you want a shelf reference, keep buying Central Asian studies. If you want neo-Victorian missionary diaries, check out yet another returned volunteer memoir. However, if you want hilarious and thoughtful reportage brought raw and unfiltered from two years of awkward situations (a much more honest account of life since globalization), grab "Taxi to Tashkent".