Great travel books which have inspired us

[whittaker]

How unfortunate. May I suggest Kawabata Yasunari's superb Snow Country? Niigata has changed quite a bit in the fifty years since the book was written, but it still has its rugged charms, and is still snow country.

Thank you, garu. I have just ordered a copy and look forward to reading about Nigata.

[storeynicholas]

This is all turning up some tremendous stuff. Japan is certainly on my list as well as what's left of old Europe (especially Vienna). I am very grateful to all - because biographies and travel books are my great reading interests. So far as novels are concerned, I still haven't finished Trollope's The Eustace Diamonds - which I began reading in 2001 (the book is now languishing in the London offfice of a friend!) - great novel - but novels just don't grip me as biographies and travel books do!! I am rather a weird traveller - for example, I have done Singapore - but not Rome - and Colombo - but not Berlin - Rio de Janeiro - but not Madrid!
NJS

[marcelo]

Daniel Kehlmann’s novel "Measuring the World" tells Alexander von Humboldt's travels throughout South America. Kehlmann is an incredibly young German author.

[Milo]

I agree with others that Dana's Two Years Before the Mast is a very good read.

Other favorites of mine include Claudio Magris' Danube and the writings of the Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski who passed away in January 2007 (Imperium; The Shadow of the Sun; The Emperor; etc.).

And if the sartorial attractions alone don't suffice, Goethe's Italian Journey still makes you want to go to Italy again and again...

Milo

[Costi]

And if the sartorial attractions alone don't suffice, Goethe's Italian Journey still makes you want to go to Italy again and again...

Milo

Or, if you can't make up your mind between Italy and England, try Madame de Stael's "Corinne ou Italy"...