How to Travel With a Salmon & Other Essays (Hardcover)

by Umberto Eco (Author), William Weaver (Translator) "According to the newspapers, there are two main problems besetting the modern world: the invasion of the computer, and the alarming expansion of the Third..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, General Giansaverio Rebaudengo, Conflictual Potlatch (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In this collection of parodies, satires and whimsical mini-essays written over the last 30 years, Italian novelist/critic Eco (The Name of the Rose) takes readers on a delightful romp through the absurdities of modern life. A curmudgeonly cosmospolite, he waxes irate at his pet peeves, which include American trains, taxi drivers in New York City and Paris, soccer fans and cellular phones. He mockingly deconstructs Western movies, art catalogues, library regulations and, with tongue in cheek, proffers advice on how to take intelligent vacations and how to become a Knight of Malta. Eco parodies science fiction in a tale of intergalactic sex and espionage, and spoofs detective fiction in an account of "the perfect crime." Serious issues that emerge from the antics include how the mass media confuses reality and fiction, and how our "consumer civilization" turns adults into children whose endless needs require constant gratification. First serial to Esquire.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Written mostly between 1975 and 1991, these how-to miniessays (how to eat in flight, how to go through customs, how to deal with the taxi driver) are in the same vein as Misreadings (LJ 5/1/93). Generally, they are shorter, like monologs by a somewhat amusing and not too garrulous conversationalist. The persona presumes to be self-deprecating but is actually fatuous, pleased to be recognized on the street by television viewers and happily aware that readers will not have had all his opportunities for travel, fame, and affluence. On the whole, this persona is rather snide vis-a-vis officialdom, the service occupations, and the masses. The closest counterpart in U.S. journalism is Calvin Trilling, but this is a Trilling without any good nature or affection. As translator, Weaver has made some inspired word choices. For literary collections.
Marilyn Gaddis Rose, SUNY-Binghamton
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt; 1st edition (December 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151001367
• ISBN-13: 978-0151001361
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #964,468 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to review an funny Umberto Eco book., September 28, 2000

By	Mike Stone (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: How to Travel with a Salmon & Other Essays (A Harvest Book) (Paperback)

In this collection of humourous essays, Umberto Eco exemplifies my most favourite literary character: the lovable curmudgeon. Only he happens to be a curmudgeon blessed with world class wit, an encyclopedic knowledge of history and art and literature, and the reputation as the world's leading expert on semiotics. I enjoy his writing best when he's not wielding all of those swords at once. During those pieces the humour gets tangled up in the academia, causing migraine headaches for his less nimble-minded audience (an example of this is the long piece 'Stars and Stripes', which in the interest of full disclosure I'll admit to not understanding).

The better pieces are quick, to the point, and almost existential. They are also very accessible. 'On the Impossibility of Drawing a Map of the Empire on a Scale of 1 to 1' takes that wickedly mischievous proposition to its logical conclusion, and skewers the pomposity of academics who feel equipped to offer a truthful representation of the world. Eco himself knowingly gets caught in that crossfire, much to his own delight. My favourite piece is entitled 'How Not to Use the Cellular Phone'. In it, he rationally categorizes cell phone users (ranging from those so important they need to be on-call 24 hours a day, to those living lives so lame they must constantly be in contact with people who might be doing something interesting). Upon completion, I felt justified in my desire to never own one of those horrendous little gadgets.

Once again, a funny little book that makes you look at the world your living in just a bit differently. What more can you ask?

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What is like to travel with Umberto Eco, December 9, 2003

By	Irina Iacobescu (Dubai, UAE) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: How to Travel with a Salmon & Other Essays (A Harvest Book) (Paperback)

I knew Umberto Eco from his previous books like Foucault's Pendulum and The Name of the Rose. Both of them are very documented and serious writings and I have to admit I was a bit reserved at the idea of Umberto Eco writing humorous essays.

But it was enough for me to read only the first story (How to Travel with a Salmon) and I decided I had to read the whole book.
This is the book that will give you a nice feeling, sometimes will make you even laugh out loud, as it is written with a lot of wit and sense of humour.
It is suitable for someone who wants a light reading and intelligent at the same time.

I was pleasantly surprised to meet the playful side of Mr. Eco which resulted in light satires at the address of some social institutions, bureaucracy and habits that people have. It is a delightful reading that I bet, you don't want to miss.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eco's right on point on Salmon, and, well, everything else!, January 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Travel with a Salmon & Other Essays (A Harvest Book) (Paperback)

In this hysterical collection of essays, Umberto tackles everything from the Italian driver-licensing bureau to the cosmic army of the future--one that doesn't seem to be able to do anything really useful save dispatching astrograms to each other. Eco is delightful, mocking at times, right on point throughout. Whether you want to know the truth about talk-show hosts, how to deal with soccar fans, taxi-drivers and, well, salmon, how to buy useless gadgets, or simply want to hear the secret rules concerning library organization (no bathrooms), how to compile toilet-paper inventories, you'll love this book. The book is enjoyable throughout with its often bizarrely funny juxtapostition of the mundane and the learned.