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Travel Books

Below is a collection of "travel" books. These include all the books I mention on the travel pages, and a few others as well. What make them travel books to me is that they are all great adventures, and many tackle the notion of cultural confrontation so important to me as I travel.

    Fictional travels

    The Sheltering Sky, Paul Bowles

      Fictional account of a traveler encountering a fundamentally different culture. Excellent reading, and a good take on how different a culture can be, and how much it can affect the traveler.

    Haunted Traveller, Barry Yourgrau

      Wonderful immediate fiction, it captures something of the magic of encountering a new culture, a new place.

    Non-Fiction travel stories

    Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World, Alan Weisman

      An encounter by reporter and author Alan Weisman with one of the most innovative cities on planet earth. If you're into green, and want a tale of hope, this one's for you.

    South East Asia: A Graphical Guide, Mark Elliot

      A very unique guidebook written for the experienced traveler. Obviously it's only good in SE Asia, but highly recommend if that's your destination.

    South, Sir Ernest Shackleton

      The trials and tribulations of Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated trip to Antarctica are legendary. This is the story in his own words, drawn from his logs. His simple and un-emotional retelling of what happened makes for fascinating reading. Plus, having read this, when things go wrong, you can always remind yourself that no matter how bad things seem, they're not that bad.

    The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico, Bernal Diaz

      A first-hand accounts of Cortes' conquest of Mexico. Diaz' story is one of the few first hand accounts of the conquest of all of central and south american that describes what was there with a true sense of wonder and respect; an account that even at times questions what exactly they were doing there.

    Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China, Paul Theroux

    The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia, Paul Theroux

    The Old Patagonian Express : By Train Through the Americas, Paul Theroux

      I can't pretend to have ridden as many trains, nor to match his prose, but I share his love of train travel. If you like travel, especially by train, I recommend his books highly. There's magic on the rails.

    Motorcycle Diaries, Ernesto Che Guevara

      In his early 20's, Che rode from Tierra del Fuego all the way to North America on a motorcyle with a friend. This is the journal he kept during his trip. Well written and inciteful, it's a great adventure, and an interesting look at the early thoughts of this world-famous revolutionary.

    Non-Fiction

    The Tourist: A New Theory of the Leisure Class, Dean MacCannell

      An anthropological look at modern culture, the ability of the middle class to travel, and the cultural conflicts that arise.

    Understanding Media, Marshall McLuhan

      He understood that all media is but an extension of ourselves, he was an icon in the 60's, in some ways predicted the internet, and coined the term "global village." He should rightly be the patron saint of the internet. A wonderful eye-opener, if sometimes opaque.