The Best American Travel Writing 2009 [Paperback]

Simon Winchester (Author), Jason Wilson (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 2009 | Series: Best American

Acclaimed writer Simon Winchester brings his keen literary eye to this year's volume of the finest travel writing from the past year. "Full of insights, humor, the exotic and distant, and the ordinary and near" (Library Journal) this collection finds  "a perfect mix of exotic locale and elegant prose" (Publishers Weekly).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Author Winchester (The Professor and the Madman) and series editor Jason Wilson collect 25 travel essays, from publications including Outside, Slate, and National Geographic, covering everything from wrestling in Bolivia to Arctic distance swimming to the ski runs of James Bond to the problem of "mysterious genital disappearance" in Nigeria. Less exotic but no less entertaining are Calvin Trillin's search for the best Texas barbeque, Matthew Power drifting down the Mississippi on a handmade raft, and Brownen Dickey visiting North Georgia for a Deliverance-haunted trek in the backcountry. Kiran Desai, Roger Cohen and even Chuck Klosterman also make appearances. Fans of travel writing will not be disappointed in this latest series entry, which fully supports Winchester's claim that "American travel writing... is better and more stimulating than anywhere else in the world."
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About the Author

Jason Wilson is the drinks columnist at the Washington Post, the series editor of The Smart Set, and the author of Boozehound: On The Trail of the Rare, the Obscure, and the Overrated. He teaches at Drexel University.

Simon Winchester's many books include The Professor and the Madman, The Map That Changed the World, Krakatoa, and A Crack in the Edge of the World. Each of these has been a New York Times bestseller and has appeared on numerous best and notable lists. Mr. Winchester was made Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth in 2006.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; Original edition (October 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618858660
• ISBN-13: 978-0618858668
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #651,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great., December 14, 2009

By 

J. James-High "travel addict" (prescott valley, az USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best American Travel Writing 2009 (Paperback)

I am a huge fan of the The Best American Travel Writing series, but this year (2009) is not as well edited as year 2007, which I thought was the best yet. 2009 is still a good read, but not an edition that I would keep. Still . . . I read it cover to cover and enjoyed the read.

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great, November 4, 2009

By 

Michael Trimble (Pampa, TX USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Best American Travel Writing 2009 (Paperback)

I've been buying these since 2000 and it's always a highlight of my book reading year. But it seems like the last couple of years the collections haven't been as strong, which I chalk up to the guest editors. Still worth reading though.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not as good as other years, March 1, 2010

By 

J. A. Ingram - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best American Travel Writing 2009 (Paperback)

I agree with the reviews above, that the 2009 edition isn't as compelling as editions from previous years. Also, Winchester's introduction, which boasts about the British sense of adventure that led to its empires, is offensive. Do people really still regard colonialism that way in the 21st century?