Customer Reviews

The Best Travel Writing 2006: True Stories from Around the World

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
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The pioneering Travelers' Tales series has done it again in its "The Best Travel Wriging 2006." Its collection of 33 stories includes the familiar (Arizona, Maine, San Francisco), the remote and exotic (Tibet, Papua New Guinea, Lithuania), the truly enigmatic (the Vatican), and your run-of-the-mill destinations(Thailand, Mexico, Spain, Italy). As usual, the book is best appreciated when one opens the book at random and savors a story or two (and like Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, who opened the Bible at random and read a life-transforming sentence, one's life could also transform upon opening reading random sentence of the "Best Travel Stories ...," but perhaps going from the hermetically spiritual to a lusty wanderer??. It's a fabulous buffet, if not a tantalizing tapas spread. Enough said. Go ahead, crack that spine and see where you end up, and remember as you wander among the pages, that "not all who wander are lost." (J.R. Tolkein).

This collection of travel stories captures the essence of travel. From the ramblings of an over-sexed twenty something to a classic portrayal of the venerable Atlanta Hotel in Bangkok this book is able to give to the reader (at least this reader) the sense of excitement, fear, and exhilaration that is the reason why we travel. I also like the intertwining of both professional and amateur writers.

This in from the series of annual "best of" books. The writing is smart and the topics eclectic. We own a B&B in western mountains of Maine and our guests often choose these books for a relaxing read on the porch or in the evening. Books include writing in the areas of travel, nature, magazines, food, etc. We recommend this edition as well as the many others available.

Loved it from cover to cover. I highly recommend it. I have read it a few times and it still seems as fresh as it did when I read it the first time. My hat's off to the authors. Keep them coming!