Pilgrimage to the End of the World: The Road to Santiago de Compostela (Culture Trails: Adventures in Travel) [Paperback]

Conrad Rudolph (Author)

Book Description

Series: Culture Trails: Adventures in Travel | Publication Date: May 19, 2004

Traveling two and a half months and one thousand miles along the ancient route through southern France and northern Spain, Conrad Rudolph made the passage to the holy site of Santiago de Compostela, one of the most important modern-day pilgrimage destinations for Westerners. In this chronicle of his travels to this captivating place, Rudolph melds the ancient and the contemporary, the spiritual and the physical, in a book that is at once travel guide, literary work, historical study, and memoir.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Traveling two and a half months and one thousand miles along the ancient route through southern France and northern Spain, Conrad Rudolph made the passage to the holy site of Santiago de Compostela, one of the most important modern-day pilgrimage destinations for Westerners. In this chronicle of his travels to this captivating place, Rudolph melds the ancient and the contemporary, the spiritual and the physical, in a book that is at once travel guide, literary work, historical study, and memoir.

About the Author

Conrad Rudolph is a professor of medieval art and chair of the art history department at the University of California, Riverside. This is his fourth book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 138 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (May 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226731278
• ISBN-13: 978-0226731278
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book in every way, May 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Pilgrimage to the End of the World: The Road to Santiago de Compostela (Culture Trails: Adventures in Travel) (Paperback)

Why do so many travelers who trudge the long, dusty road to the Spanish pilgrimage city of Santiago de Conmpostela choose to pen books on the subject? And why are so many of them published? Is it because this varied and sometimes arduous journey continues, after more than 1000 years, to inspire and fascinate those who take up its challenge? A simple subject search at this site will deliver dozens of related titles.

Having read many of them, I can attest that this new one, by the art historian Conrad Rudolph, is overall the best. It is short, cheap, and in about 120 pages, packs in everything: a history of pilgrimage as well as a personal account of the author's own trek over 1000 miles, that promises to engage the mind and senses of even the most skeptical reader or seasoned traveler. Some quixotic photographs and great advice for anyone who wants to embark on this trek round out the volume. The writing is wonderful. It is, in a word, a gem. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the middle ages, in northern Spain and southern France, or in making the pilgrimage, whether on the actual road or in the imagination, coming to the experience from the cozy comfort of an armchair.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rudolph has walked the walk. Not your ordinary travel book, July 9, 2004

By 

Timecheck "backpack45.com - Camino Chronicle... (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pilgrimage to the End of the World: The Road to Santiago de Compostela (Culture Trails: Adventures in Travel) (Paperback)

I glanced at the beginning of Pilgrimage To The End Of The World, meaning to start reading it later. Supper neglected, I didn't put it down till I finished the last page. This morning I read through it again.

In 1996 Conrad Rudolph walked the one thousand mile trail from Le Puy in France to Santiago de Compostela on the western side of Spain. This small book - 131 pages - 4 chapters - has a disconcertingly accurate capture of the feelings that come with being a long distance pilgrim.

The first chapter talks about the pilgrimage in the middle ages and its continuation in some form to the present time - a lively presentation of medieval history. Chapters two and three were the ones that gave me flashbacks.

In two, The Pilgrimage, his stories of feelings, encounters, experiences from the 1996 trip uniquely identify that long journey. In three, Views of the Journey, there are stark black and white photos, usually accompanied by a half page or more of text. The black and white works well. This is a serious journey and they convey that impression.

Chapter four is the how to part: Doing the Pilgrimage. There is a lot of good information here. I disagree on a few things like cotton and external backpacks, but this is something that worked for him. Gear constantly changes. I think if he made this trip again in 2005 he would vary his gear list, so check other references such as the online Camino forums before going.

Dogs. Clearly in 1996 dogs were a frequent problem. I've traveled the Spain part in 2001, and part of the French route in 2004 and never had a problem with a loose dog, but to the point for this paragraph: to the author: I want to know the rest of the story of "the four certifiably homicidal German Shepherds" ..."crazy with blood lust". How did you escape? Please post on a camino forum or publisher website.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short and Sweet, February 26, 2005

By 

Linda Pagliuco "katknit" (CT, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Pilgrimage to the End of the World: The Road to Santiago de Compostela (Culture Trails: Adventures in Travel) (Paperback)

I wonder if Conrad Rudolph is a man of few words. He has certainly managed to convey the essence of his 2-1/2 month pilgrimage in only 131 pages. Rudolph describes himself as a man with virtually no belief in "miracles or the otherworldly", yet experiences a deep, life altering sense of spirituality on his physically punishing trek. Simultaneously a travel guide, with practical information and sensible advice, a brief history of Santiago and the medieval religious psyche, and an insightful, first hand memoir evoking the texture and trials of the place and the journey. The photos in the second half of the book do much to bring Rudolph's eloquent words to life. I don't keep all of the books I read in my home library, but this one has found a permanent spot.