Travel Literature Public

Don't know where to begin? This book is a miscellany of travel literature that can get you started.

This was the first travel book I read and it got me hooked. Theroux retraces the journey he took in "The Great Railway Bazaar" thirty years later, reflecting on what it means to be a "ghost" in the places you had been before.

In many ways, this book kicked off a new wave of modern travel literature. While many people don't like his writing (finding him too opinionated or too caustic), I find Theroux's writing balances a keen eye for detail and reflexive insights about places and people.

Probably my favorite of Theroux's works (so far), the premise is that he goes from his childhood home to a random spot in Patagonia by train. The goal is to upend the traditional travel narrative where all happens after you arrive. The chapter on the Panama Canal still sticks with me.

I love this book. A beautiful blending of spirituality, philosophy, nature, and storytelling. I've returned to it multiple times in my life.

I originally did not like this book but I found that it has grown on me over time. Much more subtle than you might initially think. Read "Autumn Light" afterwards to find out what happens to Iyer after.

A good companion book to read with "The Monk and the Lady" and "Autumn Light"

Byron really captures a distinct moment in time and travels through some beautiful landscapes in Central Asia through Iran, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. A good blend of character, observation, and detail. Considered by many to be first modern travel book.

Not the best of books, I like it for its Italian section where you see the joy of a person returning to a place they lived for many years. The book is a good meditation on faith in modernity and the loss of geographic meaning in a secularized world.

One of the best travel books about India and Delhi. Written by a person who has a deep love for India, its history, and culture.

Another good one from William Dalrymple. Some beautiful passage going through the 1990s Middle East.

Part travel book and part meditation on historical memory, Horwitz looks at the way people continue to engage w the American Civil War. Horwitz was a hands-on, active reporter who really got to the level of his subjects. Memorable, thoughtful, and genuinely hilarious book.

A bit less of a travel narrative than "The Monk and the Lady," this is a beautiful follow up to that book. Iyer has lived half the year in Japan with his wife and here you get a sense of what it is like to be a long-term expat. This book is a moving meditation on death and family.