Travelers' Tales Mexico (Country Guides) [Paperback]

James O'Reilly (Author, Editor), Larry Habegger (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Country Guides | Publication Date: August 1994

It's winter. The holidays are over. For those living in areas where it's still snowing, and even where it's just cold or rainy, it's the time of year when magazines, newspapers, radio, and television are tantalizing us with ads of warm beaches, sunshine, relaxation, water sports, and foo-foo drinks with little umbrellas sticking out of them.

Many of us would love to be able to travel to someplace warm, or to a far away place for a new adventure. However, we may not have the time or the resources to do so. Fortunately, Travelers' Tales has just the armchair adventure travel anyone can experience -- the beaches of Thailand, dining on the banks of the Seine, running with the bulls of Pamplona, purchasing a suit in Hong Kong, climbing the Himalayas -- all for only $17.95 (no shots or visa required).

O'Reilly and Travelers' Tales have created a national campaign to help you promote Travelers' Tales titles as the "great getaway -- for cheap". We'll provide you with marketing materials (signage, T-shirts, buttons, postcards, special discount for inventory order, ad slick, and book displays) to create a window or in-store display during the month of May 1997. The store with the best display wins an overstuffed armchair fully equipped with an airline style seat belt.

We'll also provide you with shelftalker coupon books with space on the front for you to stamp your store name and address. The coupon is redeemable for 10% off the purchase of a Travelers' Tales book. Your customer simply tears off the coupon from the shelftalker, completes the information (name and address) on the back, and gives it to the cashier when they're ready to purchase a book. At the end of each month you send us thecoupons used by your customers, and we'll credit your account. We understand that you might be hesitant to send in coupons with the names and addresses of your customers. The reason for retrieving this information is so you can build your customer list, and so we can send a Travelers' Tales newsletter to your customers informing them of new titles available from their local bookstore -- including a reference to your store.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Travelers' Tales is a new kind of travel anthology, marrying the best of the guidebook and travel literature. Mexico is the second book in this series: a wonderful collection of place-specific tales previously scattered far and wide. Veteran travel writers James O'Reilly and Larry Habegger read hundreds of stories to select those that best capture the experience of Mexico. Mexico, so prone to stereotyping, is one of the most deceptively complex countries in the world. "Melting pot," a phrase most often applied to the U.S., is applicable in a deeper way to Mexico's towering and ancient layering of civilizations, which continues to this day in a swirling crosscurrent of indigenous peoples, multiple languages, dialects, riotous art and music, religions behind religions, hidden cosmologies, uncounted ruins, and secret knowledge. We forget just how old Mexico is. As the editors write in the Preface: "The world is not our private zoo or theme park; we need to be better prepared before we go, so that we might become honored guests and not vilified intruders." To give readers a taste of this country and its people, the book is organized into five sections: "Essence of Mexico" contains stories that reflect some essential character of the landscape, the people, or the traveler's experience of the country. "Some Things to Do" has accounts of particular places and activities that previous travelers have found worthwhile. "Going Your Own Way" contains experiences that are farther off the tourist track, relayed by an author who interacted more intimately with the local people or was willing to travel farther afield. "In the Shadows" explores the darker side of Mexico, so that visitors might be aware of the complexities beyond the cheerful face presented to tourists. "The Last Word" has one last magical moment, to remind the reader just why Mexico is worth visiting. There is perhaps no better way to prepare for a trip, or to vicariously experience another country and its culture, than to listen to those who have gone before; Travelers' Tales Mexico brings the best of those voices together for the first time. Selected as one of the Top Five Travel Books for 1994 by the San Francisco Examiner.

Product Details

• Paperback: 442 pages
• Publisher: Travelers' Tales Inc (August 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885211007
• ISBN-13: 978-1885211002
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,520,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in Minnesota in a family of seven children, all boys until the last one. After graduating from Dartmouth College I began to travel (I wished I'd been doing it while in college!) and found that writing about my experiences helped me understand the places and cultures I was encountering. I also discovered that newspaper and magazine editors responded as well, and that's how I got started working as a freelance writer. Not long after that I hooked up with James O'Reilly to write a series of mystery serials for the San Francisco Examiner, one of which ran for 104 episodes over five months. We then began writing travel stories together and in 1985 started a syndicated column, World Travel Watch, that has appeared in newspapers in five countries. In 1993 we founded Travelers' Tales with James's brother Tim O'Reilly, and since then we've published some 100 books. I teach workshops on the art and craft of the personal travel story on a regular basis: for information go to LarryHabegger.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great pre-departure reading for all those going to Mexico., December 28, 2000

By 

Allan M. Gathercoal "fdoamerica" (Norcross, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Travelers' Tales Mexico (Country Guides) (Paperback)

The wonders of the world and its people were once revealed to inquiring souls through the tales of travelers. Stories that coke the fire of the imagination and inspired others to get up and go. James O'Reilly & Larry Habegger have done us all a great service in collecting these stories on Mexico's culture, history and wonders.

The book is logically organized into five single parts. Starting with chosen stories that reflect the ethos of Mexico. Followed by stories about places and activities that fellow travelers have found worthwhile. The third part is comprised of stories by people who have made a special connection between their lives and interests and the people and places in Mexico. Fourth is the struggle and challenges facing the country and concluding with "The Last Word" to remind you of the book as a whole. This is recommended pre-departure reading for all those going to Mexico.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Putting a Face on Travel in Mexico, September 5, 2000

By 

David McDonald (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Travelers' Tales Mexico (Country Guides) (Paperback)

'Traveler's Tales Mexico' is a delightful excursion into the many faces and cultures of our neighbor south of the Rio Grande. Discovering this book after my third visit to Mexico gave me even more inspiration to return and to venture beyond the traditional tourist sites and activities. The pyramids at Teotihuacan, Mexico City's Chapultepec Park and Archeologicial Museum are a must for the first time visitor, but to get a real feeling for the variety and richness of Mexican culture, one needs to go beyond the traditional venues. Spend a week in San Miguel de Allende or Oxaxca, venture out beyond the zocalo and shops; and you will connect with the 'real' Mexico and gain an appreciation for all that Mexico and it's people have to offer. The tales in this book are inspired by such insights, gained through very personal adventures (and misadventures!)that brought the writers into intimate contact with the people and enabled them to experience the land, traditions and culture of Mexico in new ways. Contributions from teachers, writers and just plain folks, offer an entertaining and enlightening view into the essence of a vast country that has so much more to offer the serious traveler. From a hilarious tale of a gringo getting a shave from a traditional Mexican barber, to a recounting of the 'Day of the Dead' observances in Patzcuro; 'Tales' will whet your appetite for more and make you think more carefully about new destinations for your next trip to Mexico.

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting anecdotes, October 30, 2011

By 

César Chávez "Tax the Rich... free the poor." (Amsterdam) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Travelers' Tales Mexico (Country Guides) (Paperback)

It's easy to have good stories to tell about travel to such a fun place as Mexico, and this book is full of them. Published in '94, some descriptions and observations are no longer valid, but this does not generally detract from the power of the stories.