As the winner of this years stanford dolman travel book of the year award is announced, we pick the 20 most inspiring travel books of all time. Best books about african life, culture, history, and travel updated. From don quixote to treasure island, they invented many of the tropes that we still see in adventure novels today 1. Written by another nobel prize for literature winner, palace walk is the first book in author naguib mahfouzs wellloved cairo trilogy. Essential books for the wellread explorer occupy your offseason with the successes, failures, and bemusements of fellow adventurers. Histories, these are the writerapproved best travel books. Far from a traditional travel guide, the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy is considered to be the funniest science fiction book ever written. One of stewart onans favorites is a very unusual kind of travel book. The 12 best books about south america to add to your. We have compiled a list of some of our favourites that have stood out over the years find more books about africa to add to your reading list here from reading them in the corridors of school to watching the films based on them to recommendations by friends and oprah. A list of the best fiction and nonfiction adventure books. A womans solo trek across 1,700 miles of australian outback by robyn davidson this could also be filed under amazing feats but davidson took a pack of camels that she trained and her pup across some of the harshest landscapes on earth. The great railway bazaar 1975 therouxs most popular travel work.
Dont waste time on trashy novels at the beach this summer. The 69 greatest fiction travel books of all time conde. The ten best travel books of 2017 travel smithsonian. The new granta book of travel 23 stories make up this definitive anthology from granta, the publication that was once and largely remains a venue for great travel writers, including paul theroux and bruce chatwin. Blood river is for anyone seeking inspiration for their next african adventure but. He traveled overland from cairo to cape town making use only of public transport. We like africa and we like books so what better to feature in todays blog than books about africa. Bleak, haunting and entirely captivating, the life and times of michael k is about the physical and spiritual journey of a man who travels throughout wartorn south africa on a mission to. This is a mustread for anyone interested in modern egypt, or simply for anyone who wants to sample the work of one of the worlds finest novelists. Welcome to south africa welcome to the world book 1259 patrick ryan. Since 2014, shes been travelling throughout south america, becoming the author of the brand new moon chile guidebook, a contributor to numerous titles for british companies rough guides and dk.
Rediscovering america on the appalachian trail by bill bryson, into thin air. Penned by douglas adams, this adventure follows arthur dent, an average british citizen, on a myriad of space adventures. In 2003 he decided to return to africa in order to discover how the continent had changed. My travel books by country page is popular because it curates a list of books themed around destinations, i suggest you head over there for your next trip if you need some. It publishes the italian edition of the lonely planet guides and distributes, in italy, the foreign editions of them. With christmas fast approaching, we take a look at amazons bestselling adventure travel books. Coasting the 20 best travel books of all time travel. These incredible books about africa will inspire you to pack and bag and. There have been a slew of them recently, including my own, the afrika reich henry holt, 20, which was an actionpacked romp set in an africa conquered by the nazis. Regarded as one of the greatest works in literature, don quixote recounts the adventures of alonso quixano. With so much travel literature telling us where to go, we can lose sight of the. Somewhere between your morning commute and muchdeserved coffee break, you probably dreamed about getting on an airplane and going somewhere anywhere. All books in this selection are nonfiction, and focus on place, experience, or the notion of travel itself. As such, weve updated our list of best travel and adventure books with 10.
The genre of travel literature encompasses outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs one early travel memoirist in western literature was pausanias, a greek geographer of the 2nd century ad. This is by no means a comprehensive list of books about africa, of which there are many, but more just a list of books to give you a taste. The worst journey in the world is to travel writing what war and peace is to the novel. Thompsons 1972 acid trip fear and loathing in las vegas to herodotuss 440 b. Ian kerr mbe wanting to do something completely different, sam manicom learned to ride a motorcycle and within three months hed set off to ride the length of africa. The old patagonian express 1979 travelling the world the illustrated travels of paul theroux 1990 the happy isles of oceania 1992 the pillars of hercules 1995. The real uganda leads 7 day cultureadventure tours. When planning a visit to a new country, the first thing you are likely to do is to buy a guidebook on the place. Those that are by notable authors and are themselves notable are listed here. Looking for great travel books to inspire your next trip. It boasts six adaptations, including a 1937 british film and a 2004 american television miniseries. David ebershoff simply calls it the greatest work of travel literature. Adventurer allan quatermain is drafted into a search and rescue party that leads into the great unknown of unexplored africa, where entire civilizations are discovered and rumors of the location of the mines of king solomon lead the team on one of the greatest adventures in all of literature. Other books, even if by notable travel authors, are not included.
An iconic representation of the rebellious counterculture later developed in the 1960s. Travel publishers directory list of travel publishing. International travel, hiking, survival, war and the classics all included. Sam manicom is now established as one of the foremost and most readable adventure motorcyclists writing about their adventures on two wheels. And as youll see the selection varies with a range of book choices from funny to daring exploits to conservation related stories. A moveable feast life changing food adventures around the world. I read this book on my recent trip to tanzania and kenya and it very quickly became one on my favourite books of all time, helping me to get through some arduous.
A personal account of the mount everest disaster by jon krakauer, wild. He shares heartfelt stories of the people he meets along the way, as well as wild adventures including arrests, wars, blizzards, wild animal attacks. My bookshelves and kindle are filled with tales of againsttheodds antarctic survival, deathly mountaineering endeavours and hemingwayesque journeys that change lives and shift perceptions. As a wanderlust traveler, i understand the drive the main character feels, as an alaskan, i understand the native perspective of irritation, of the lack of understanding that. Buy products related to africa adventure novels and see what customers say about africa. If they dont get you in touch with the spirit of the place, not much else will. Theroux has a unique style that can become a bit grating, but the book is nevertheless very insightful.
And when you need a book to fuel a gourmand journey. He walked his way across 22 countries in 5 continents. But the thrills of african adventure have a long heritage, stretching. Our top 10 africa travel books all feature irresistible african settings and. Top 10 novels to read on your african adventure acacia blog. Top 10 books to read before travelling to africa timbuktu travel. I promise you wont find any joseph conrad heart of darkness on this list. As such, weve updated our list of best travel and adventure books with 10 new recommendations. People thought he invented his wild tales set in africa, china, singapore, israel and. Adventure travel books save now on birdwatching books, birdwatching books, titles like zion national park national geographic trails illustrated map, acadia national park national geographic trails illustrated map, and other travel. Anabasis about the expedition of cyrus the younger, a persian. Steph dyson is a bilingual freelance travel writer, guidebook author and blogger originally from the uk, who now lives between europe and south america. A moveable feast life changing food adventures around the world edited by don george. Life and times of michael k is written by south african novelist j.
These new outdoor and adventure page turners prove yet again that true stories trump fiction for fun reads. The magisterial memoirs from a disastrous trip to the south pole in the early 20th century. Travel books have been written since classical times. Mobydick, by herman melville 1851 no list of sea adventures would be complete without melvilles tale of ish and the fish. Essential books for the wellread explorer outside online. Overall, an honest if not always refreshing take on overland travel in africa. Last year, the washington post ran an article saying that thrillers set in africa are hot. Coetzee, who won the nobel prize for literature in 2003, and the man booker prize for both this novel and another book of his, disgrace. Written in a time when africa seemed infinite and largely unexplored, at least from a western point of view, haggards classic adventure novel created a template still followed todaythe indiana jones films owe a huge debt to haggard, for example. Travel books by writer, barrister and londoner john gimlette win praise for their witty, detailed adventures, drawing on local characters he meets.
The 87 greatest travel books of all time, according to. Travel book, journalistic book, nature book, adventure book whatever you call it, this is one heck of a read, and the debate this book causes is deep and passionate. Theres an introduction by jonathan raban, and each story, though different in scope and style, shares an element of engagement with the act of embedding. What new travel and adventure books should i read this. There are plenty of other women travel writers, and plenty of other books by the authors on. Definitely one of the best travel books available on africa. Ive been traveling the world for 9 years now, and it all started after i was inspired by reading some incredible travel books. The first english adventure novel set in africa, this 1885 book is considered to be the origin of the lost world literary genre. These are all written by more talented writers than me, and they are all from africa. The success of any great travel book can be measured not in awards, but in miles. In the early modern period, james boswells journal of a tour to the hebrides 1786 helped shape travel memoir as a genre.
140 166 232 746 1537 1262 1430 1494 1151 1402 296 884 1219 486 84 261 1386 1257 388 148 1472 1224 927 322 766 125 987 46 151 15 204 223 468 667