Far Journeys [Hardcover]

Bruce Chatwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1993

One hundred stunning photographs taken by the late novelist and travel writer complement his journals of the time that he spent in West Africa, Patagonia, Afghanistan, Java, Turkey, and other places, 10,000 first printing. First serial, The New Yorker.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Chatwin, who died in 1989, left behind thousands of photographs as well as 50 notebooks which were his source material for In Patagonia , The Songlines and his other books. This album, which combines 100 color photographs with excerpts from his travel notes, is a revelation, a breathtaking journey of discovery true to Chatwin's vision of the world as a place of untapped mystery and enchantment. Chatwin's disjointed jottings, though they lack the polish of his travel books, are sprinkled with telling observations of the people and places he encountered from Senegal to Turkey. His surprising photographs show a bat cave in Java, devastated shantytowns in Mauritania, painted temples in Nepal, mudbrick granaries in Mali, an azure mausoleum in Afghanistan and the Nazca lines tracing huge geometric forms in the Peruvian desert. Many of the photographs explore abstract, brightly colored patterns; others present soaring views of a windmill in England, West African workers or an abandoned Wyoming mine. 25,000 first printing; first serial to the New Yorker.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The late Chatwin, a noted traveloger ( In Patagonia , 1977; The Songlines , LJ 7/87), was also a photographer whose talents were recognized as early as his writing. This book contains a selection of photographs from his collection and excerpts from the 50 pocket-sized notebooks in which he recorded his experiences in the places he visited and with the people he met. The book is organized in three chapters, around reminiscences of Mauritania, Niger, and Afghanistan. The photographs (samples of which were seen) are not necessarily connected to the text but are certainly worthy of display. This coffee-table book deserves a place in all libraries that own Chatwin's books and that sustain sizable travel collections.
- Mary Ann Parker, California Dept. of Water Resources Law Lib., Sacramento
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (November 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670851485
• ISBN-13: 978-0670851485
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 10.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,402,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're a Chatwin fan..., May 28, 2008

By 

Jesse M. Ray "LaBrancaro" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Far Journeys (Hardcover)

Look, if you're a Chatwin fan (which I definitely am), then you just have to have this book, end of story.

I'm not going to say that his photographs changed my life, or that they are the best in the world. But, they are interesting, and they seem to mirror his text and even to enliven it. He seemed to love color and pattern, and even pictures of every-day sorts of things (like doors or a canoe - notice the cover) are vibrant.

I love Bruce Chatwin's writing, and seeing his photographs seemed like a logical step. And, there are great excerpts from his journals in this book, too. Those shouldn't be missed if you're a fan.