Travelogue Books

This is a wonderful book about where famous people got their ideas. It is a very interesting read and will be useful to those who are looking to find their own "thinking place." Highly recommended for artists and thinkers of all kinds.

I have known Jack and Carolyn Fleming for years and I have known that they traveled extensively but I did not know that they did so much research as they traveled. Knowing that Jack has been busy for years with a thriving practice as a cardiologist and that they both were doing a great job raising a family and being community and church leaders, I am even more amazed at how they did all that research. And then, to put all that together in such a well written book, well, that just blows my mind. But that is what they have done.

I learned an awful lot of interesting things about all the literary and creative geniuses that they tell about in this book. To read this book is to take an adventure filled trip to many interesting places to become better acquainted with some of the world's most inspiring people and to learn more about how and where they developed their ideas.

Frank Beall

This is an interesting, fun book about the lives of creative leaders in the arts and sciences. It is particularly strong in its coverage of 19th century and early 20th century literary figures, including Twain, Dickens, Kipling, Yeats, Robert Lewis Stevenson, Virginia Woolf and many others. Also included are a few scientists and inventors, including Darwin, Edison and Bell.

The book is unique in the way it weaves the life stories of these creative giants with descriptions of the places in which each of them worked and found inspiration - their "thinking places" - which may be homes, offices, studios, or even a walking path, such as Charles Darwin's Sandwalk in Downe, England

There are 28 chapters, discussing 28 different creative individuals. Each chapter has a few sections: "Journey" gives a brief, vivid account of Carolyn and Jack Fleming's search for this individual's key thinking place; "Vignette" recounts some interesting and often little-known historical events in the given individual's life; "Thinking Places" describes the places, with accompanying photos, and with discussion of how the individual worked and found inspiration there; and "Lagniappe" adds some surprising fact or insight, which the Flemings often discovered unexpectedly during their research travels. ("Lagniappe" is a French-cajun word for "a little something extra.")

The Fleming's choice of historical information in 'Vignettes' is pleasantly idiosyncratic. After giving a brief overview of the chapter subject's life and work, the Flemings offer some little-known but significant and illuminating facts. Together with the descriptions of where these thinkers did their creative work, the Flemings bring their subjects' personalities alive in a new way.

For example, I was shocked to learn that Thomas Carlyle had to rewrite the whole first volume of The French Revolution after giving the manuscript to John Stuart Mill. How could J.S. Mill let his maid confuse such an important document with trash for burning, as he claimed? I suspect that there is some untold story there. And what a setback for Carlyle!

The travel tales that the Flemings have weaved into the text are fun to read, and will no doubt inspire many readers to follow in the Fleming's footsteps. Also, the photos compliment the text very well. It's helpful to see detailed images of each thinking place.

Next time I'm in the UK, I plan to visit Down House and Darwin's Sandwalk. Also I want to see Charles Dicken's places in Kent. I've already been to the Dickens House Museum in London, but the author's house in Rochester, Kent where he finished David Copperfield and his nearby Swiss Chalet summer writing hut are arguably more important Dickens sites.

The Robert Louis Stevenson chapter is my personal favorite. The Flemings truly have a deep understanding of Stevenson, and their description of where he worked in Vailima at the base of Mt Vaea, Samoa gives surprising new insights into his life.

Besides offering such insights into the creative process for many admired geniuses, Carolyn and Jack Fleming's charming book may inspire readers to find their own thinking places.

This is a great book for anyone interested in the Mustangs. It shares stories and legends of wild horses and people's interactions with them. The stories range from heart warming to tearful. Each brings you a step closer to understanding the difference of the wild and domesticated horse. Throughout the book are beautiful pictures that capture the spirit of the mustangs.

Although the original essays and reprinted material in this book make fine reading, the real contributors are the 13 photographers whose images of mustangs on nearly every page will please anyone with an interest in horses and the landscape of the Western states. Some shots are of horses grazing or standing still, looking back at the photographer, ears up and altert, but most are of horses in motion, sometimes in tight telephoto closeup, sometimes against rolling hills or sage-covered flatland. There are many kinds of weather as well, foggy, stormy, snow, wind, spring sunshine, dusty summer, and horses of all colors and markings. A handful of shots include saddled horses with cowboys.

The book has also been very handsomely designed. Page layout, typography, end papers, variety of image placement and use of white space, balancing of images and text, all serve the subject wonderfully and please the eye. Nearly all the photographs selected are crisply cear, motion frozen with a high-speed shutter. The wide pages make possible many double-page spreads that look and feel panoramic.

Editor Mark Spragg has brought together the work of seven writers, including himself, and an Assiniboine tale to accompany the images. The writings are mostly contemporary, but a few hark back to earlier times, such as Charley Russell's cowboy theory about the origins of horseback riding and Ben Green's account of trying to capture a band of mustangs, while nearly losing his hand to an infected horse bite. Spragg's harrowing essay "Wintering" appeared later in his collection of essays, "Where Rivers Change Direction." There's also an informative essay by New York Times writer Verlyn Klinkenborg, who writes eloquently of the rural life and has visited wild-horse territory earlier in his book "Making Hay."

I highly recommend this beautiful book to lovers of horses, good writing, and the Western landscape.

This book reads like a group of short stories, of which they are all by different authors. The combination of their stories gives one the true feeling of the multitude of facets of the wild horses. It will make you realize they are carved out of the landscape, and an intrical part of nature. A creature of survival sometimes at the risk of their very own life. The stories are memorable and unforgettable. A definate must for the armchair western adventurer.

Frank Conroy speaks from the heart. Nantucket Island has gone through some dramatic changes in
the last 30 years, most not for the better. For some of us that still live here, it`s wonderful to be able to read and remember those times when the Island felt like a place of sanctuary from all else. The stories give the reader the felling that the Grey Lady`s Skirt has been torn but her sole has not been touched.
Thank you Mr. Conroy
A Chef from the Rock

I just started this book this morning and am almost done. It made me nostalgic for my old home, the way it used to be, yes, but for those of us who have had to leave Nantucket for one reason or another, it will always be a wonderful place. Reading it I feel like I am on a wonderful visit home. It's one of those books you don't want to end but at the same time can't put down!

I'm one of the author's three sons, so I won't pretend to be unbiased. But listen, this book is great, empirically speaking. Dad light-heartedly provides a fun and fascinating window into the small island so many of us love.

TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH: ADVENTURES OF AN EXPEDITION PHOTOGRAPHER tells of the author's passion for adventure and his life photographing some hundred expeditions to the wildest places on the planet. Here are ten of his greatest adventures, paired with stunning color photos, in a collection highly recommended not only for the general interest public library, but for college-level art photography holdings. The pairing of vivid text adventure and color drama is not to be missed.

Gordon Wiltsie takes us to the ends of the earth and gives us a glimpse of the reality of expedition life; unlike other "adventure travel" books this one makes it clear that there is a huge amount of arduous labor, and often not much glory, involved. It's also apparent that he, if not his companions, truly enjoyed the inevitable unexpected challenges, and even the hardship and discomfort, of such trips.
Wiltsie's photographs are spectacular. While reading the book I continually wondered how he made some of these images ("how-the-hell-did-he-do-that?"). Which raises a minor complaint, I would have loved to have read more about the technical details of the author's workday in the field, as well as some technical detail about the photos.
Wiltsie's writing is clear, expressive, and warm; his self-effacing tone belies his athletic, technical, and artistic proficiency. I have to agree with a previous reviewer, more pictures and text are called for.

This collection of images and stories is as compelling as any I've seen. Many will know Wiltsie's photographs from his mountaineering expeditions, and his photos here of the late Alex Lowe, Conrad Anker, and many others in dramatic action offer plenty on that count. But Wiltsie is one of the best "travel" photographers going, catching ordinary people from the far reaches of the planet in traditional dress and situations. Each is a fascinating study in itself. Wiltsie is a better photographer than writer, and almost all of the narratives--candid and spicy as they are--could be fuller and more detailed, for certainly the stories give the images their vital context. My greatest desideratum for this book was only that it include more: more words, more of those amazing photographs.

Lawrence Griswold's account of his travels in South America and southeast Asia in the 1920s and 30s is as endearing as it is ridiculous. Much in the same manner as the geographers and historians of the ancient world, his narrative walks the fine line between epic real-life experience and absurd, cliched hyperbole. The result is an entertaining tale of faraway places in a time when the world was a little less accessible, and political correctness had not yet been invented. Griswold's unflappable persona in the work coupled with his descriptions of the people he meets along the way provides most of the humor, as well as the ridiculousness of several of the situations in which he and his traveling companions find themselves. The anecdotal and episodic nature of the book means that it is not a whole unit overall, but Griswold does an excellent job of finishing his creation with flourish: the tale of the Komodo dragon and the castor oil.

I picked up a hard copy first edition of this at the Strand in NYC. This is the type of book I love. Well written adventure in a world that has passed. What has also passed is book quality. The edition I have is so solidly put together, someone will pick up same in 2070 and no doubt enjoy this book as much as I did. A testament to the hardware and software . The 20 and 30s period was at the cusp of when the jungles of Malaysia, Panama, and Brazil were not yet overly intruded upon by the outside world. Lawrence's sense of humor in the many situations ultimately demonstrate his respect for the locals and locale (but his being a "boss" on these expeditions hides that a bit). Incidences of death amongst colleagues, porters, and now rare wildlife (there are few tiger hunts here that are bit sad)are too easily put aside. But on a one off basis there are some great moments with the West Pointer in Panama, the irresponsible American kid taken along to the Philippines, the hardships of the overweight archeologist up the Amazon, the tiger encounter in Malaysia and more. I laughed aloud many times. This balances the distress one gets on a de-capitation or two and depletion of Sumatran rhinos. An excellent read. Some of the situations tie out so wonderfully here that one wonders about some creeping fiction. I have found though that travel done right leads one into situations that can not be made up. Lawrence, I keep my doubts in check.

Our all-American adventurer friend, Lawrence Griswald takes his archaeology passion to the jungles of Central and South America where he meets with killers, traps and really big snakes. Then, off to Indonesia to be the first to capture the deadly living dinosaur: the Komodo Dragon. If these 20's and 30's Indiana Jones adventures are to be believed, then Griswold was the greatest explorer ever. Otherwise, he's the greatest story spinner ever. Either way, who cares. Watch out for the chapter called "Thirst!"

Otra gran novela del ganador del Premio Alfaguara 1998. Manuel Vicent, este español activo y soñador nos muestra su estilo en esta original historia. Recomiendo mucho TRANVIA A LA MALVARROSA, al igual que su más reciente obra, ganadora del Premio Internacional Alfaguara de Novela, titulada "SON DEL MAR".

Otra gran novela del ganador del Premio Alfaguara 1998. Manuel Vicent, este español activo y soñador nos muestra su estilo en esta original historia. Recomiendo mucho TRANVIA A LA MALVARROSA, al igual que su más reciente obra, ganadora del Premio Internacional Alfaguara de Novela, titulada "SON DEL MAR".

Lo que mas me gusta de la literatura de Vicent es su capacidad de elevar cada detalle de la vida, por mas insignificante que este sea, a un rango metafisico. En este libro Vicent con una trama ligera nos asoma su mundo interior o lo que pudo haber sido su pasado, mezclando magistralmente humor, drama y esa fina ironía que lo caracteriza. En fin es una gran obra de un escritor que no teme reflexionar.

I agree with the above reviews. There is such a variety of subject matter and types of writing collected in this book and I found myself saving so many pages with great information about places in India that I had not yet heard about but wanted to make sure I visited now when I plan my own trip!

I'm giving this book five stars not because the individual travel stories comprising this are five star stories (though many of them are), but because the breadth of subject matter and perspectives this book offers are remarkable. From the frosty passes of the Himalayas to the bustling streets of Calcutta, from the Ganges to shores of Goa, from the rarely-visited tribal interior to the even more desolate Rann of Kutch, this book portrays a country with a topography perhaps as diverse as Europe's. From the barriers of caste to the oppression of women, this book portrays a social evolution still in progress but with roots in ancient times.

Highlights for me included Rory Nugent's eccentric search for the supposedly extinct pink-headed duck, and David Yeadon's brilliant portrayal of character interactions (including an Indian interrupting his narrative digression in real time "Sir, are you hearing me, sir?"). For every traveler that timidly scratched the surface of India without real discovery (such as a particularly uptight and sheltered Oxford Fellow's first trip) there was one so recklessly bold that you're glad you could relive the experience from the safety of your own home (including one author's visit to a tribal island where past visitors had been killed). Somewhere in the middle there's bound to be powerful inspiration for a trip of one's own.

Reading this book was not only satisfying, but served as a launching point for future reading of the complete works from which these tales were excerpted (David Yeadon's Back of the Beyond and Jonah Blank's Arrow of the Blue Skinned God seemed particularly interesting to me).

I read this book after reading the DK guide to India and Leila Hadley?s A Journey with Elsa Cloud (the latter is about a tour of parts of India in the 70s). This excellent collection of true stories really made all the places come alive and gave me a much richer and fuller sense of India than I could get from just Hadley?s book. The poverty, sexism, and daily encounters with excrement that are a part of life in India are compellingly conveyed at the same time as we come to feel the vast heavy weight of so many centuries of history, so much spiritual questing, so much diminished glory. Since I finished the book, I have found myself repeating stories to friends from the excerpts from Rory Nugent?s The Search for the Pink-Headed Duck and from Mark Shand?s Travels on My Elephant, which were particularly vivid and fascinating to me. There are a suprising number of tales featuring cyclists--evidently India is a popular place to tour by bike.

I loved this book because it so personalized. Instead of just describing the regular tourist stops of, say, Windsor Castle, Ms. Cranford recounts her personal experiences while traveling, including meals, hotels, shops, taxi drivers and more. She shows the wonders and the warts of her trip. She shares lots of tips to make your own trip easier. Even if you never plan to travel, reading Ms. Cranford's book will make you feel as though you were on the trip she took. I look forward to book two in this series of personal travels.

Ms. Cranford has written a delightful travel book--warm, personal, informative, and fun. The pen and ink illustrations, of which there are many, are beautiful and add to the text descriptions. Anyone who travels or wants to travel or enjoys reading about traveling will enjoy this book. A great gift for the holidays or special occasions.

TRAVELS was a very enjoyable and easily readable story with interesting hand-drawn images and a clever use of historical quotes throughout. To me it was more than just a story of a couples travels through Europe, but rather it was neat to see how a couple traveled together. What I liked the most was that The Cranfords appear to have developed a balance between "winging it" and "sticking to an itinerary"; something that I think is difficult for many people(including me) to achieve. Again, this introduction to Euro-travel is quite nice and makes for an easy read on a quiet rainy day.

I wasn't certain what to expect when I got this book. I was a bit concerned that since it was written about experiences in the 1960's that it would feel a bit dated. Although the 1960's view of the future of East Africa's peoples and wildlife is not entirely accurate, I am finding the book to be an excellent way to prepare for a trip to Tanzania--for someone wanting a combination of background on the peoples, landscape and wildlife. Matthiessen's usual subdued, to me, dry style seems leavened a bit by his awe. And the account of the elephant researcher who's 'close encounter' approach puts Matthiessen off his feed, was really enjoyable to me--a departure from his usual, very dry approach. I recommend this one to anyone interested in the peoples and wildlife of Eastern Africa.

Is there anyplace wild enough to lift the weight that Occidental culture has placed on our shoulders? Africa, where the first man walked erect, may be the last place where man can feel awed enough by Nature to try and remember that he, also, is just another among the millions of other species that populate the planet. Paul Bowles, Bruce Chatwin, Doris Lessing, Isaak Dinesen and Peter Mattieshen found that answer, and shared the experience. In Mattieshen's poetic account, the tragic and fabulous beauty of a continent that has been devastated by greed and war is revealed, as the impossibility of traveling Africa and not falling in love with it and being changed by it forever.

This is one my very favorite of Matthiessen's impressive canon, ranking easily with Far Tortuga and The Snow Leopard. Indeed, I think some of the passages in The Tree Where Man Was Born might surpass the stunning Himalaya descriptions in the latter book. Matthiessen's eye for landscapes is unparalleled, and his lyric evocations of beast and horizon have an otherworldly quality. A prime example, and one to look out for, is his account of finding rhinoceros tracks on the high volcanic slopes of Mt. Lengai. Another highlight are his crystalline observations of ecological moments during a vigil atop an East African kopje.

In this, the second of a planned trilogy, Mark Gordon Smith shares even more of his insights and passions for Italy. He is clearly in love with the country, and readers will want to get on the next plane to have their own wonderful adventures.

The sequel to "Tuscan Echoes: A Season in Italy", Tuscan Light: Memories of Italy continues author and seasoned European traveler Mark Gordon Smith's reflections upon the culture and society of Italy, a nation that has remained robustly stable despite tremendous modern economic and social upheaval. Told in first-person perspective and present tense, chapters evoke the varied sights, sounds, people, and flavors of the Italian nation, with a connoisseur's eye for detail and a gourmet's palate. "When Renaissance scribes created their manuscripts and printers made hand-printed books, they used paper created by artisans not unlike Anna, women and men who carry a deep passion for their craft. The culture of Italy unfolds in a special way when we open a leather-bound journal and write on pages that have been lovingly sewn together. Quality, time, and care all meet when an object of such beauty comes into our lives." As much a tribute to Italy's refined wonders as it is a travelogue and memoir, Tuscan Light is especially recommended for armchair travelers and anyone seeking to experience fond memories of a beautiful and passionate nation.

Mark just wants you to be in Italy forever. He sees things that a lot of us go unnoticed. Hopefully there will be a third book.
Connie Bozovich