Wanderlust (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this vibrant array of photos, photographer and graphic designer Litten cleverly depicts the most commonplace experiences of traveling: stumbling into a dark hotel room bathroom at night, gazing out a window on a high-speed train, trying to catch a few z’s on an uncomfortable airport bench. Readers would be hard-pressed to nail any of the book’s copious images down to a specific locale. Instead, the photographs emphasize travel’s universal nature, portraying such ordinary sights as racks of postcards, cups of coffee, weathermen pointing to maps dotted with clouds and sunshine, itty-bitty airplane meals served on white trays with tiny packets of salt and pepper and plastic cups of orange juice. Litten elevates his subject through his amusing juxtapositions and his keen eye for colorful layouts—and the book’s small size suggests that he doesn’t expect readers to take it too seriously. Nonetheless, he may have created one of the most realistic accounts of the beauty, adventure, frustration, boredom and wonder of travel.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

In this vibrant array of photos, photographer and graphic designer Litten cleverly depicts the most commonplace experiences of traveling: stumbling into a dark hotel room bathroom at night, gazing out a window on a high-speed train, trying to catch a few z's on an uncomfortable airport bench. Readers would be hard-pressed to nail any of the book's copious images down to a specific locale. Instead, the photographs emphasize travel's universal nature, portraying such ordinary sights as racks of postcards, cups of coffee, weathermen pointing to maps dotted with clouds and sunshine, itty-bitty airplane meals served on white trays with tiny packets of salt and pepper and plastic cups of orange juice. Litten elevates his subject through his amusing juxtapositions and his keen eye for colorful layouts-and the book's small size suggests that he doesn't expect readers to take it too seriously. Nonetheless, he may have created one of the most realistic accounts of the beauty, adventure, frustration, boredom and wonder of travel. -Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (May 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811842444
• ISBN-13: 978-0811842440
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #649,849 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars charming little travel photobook, August 15, 2008

By	Caliope (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This is a charming photobook. I enjoyed the funky, retro perspective on international travel and odd little details featured -- such as a sampling of do not disturb signs, ceiling fans, airport food, people sleeping at airports, etc. This is a just for fun book with a beautiful aesthetic.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely survey of travel experience and world wonders, August 7, 2004

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Troy Litten's Wanderlust could as easily have been featured in our travel section, but is highlighted here for its fine art applications as well. A small pocket-sized paperwork offers Litten's paintings of travel topics and destinations, from hotel beds and bathtubs to market holdings and odd signs and scenes. A lovely survey of travel experience and world wonders evolves for the armchair wanna-be.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too many pictures, not enough text, September 8, 2008

By	Matthew Pamatmat (Cotati, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Wanderlust (Paperback)

Don't get me wrong, I like this little book. Pictures are truly sometimes worth a thousand words, but I found the book too full of pictures and too thin on text. The only real time we hear from the author in non-photography form is the inside front cover and inside back cover, which has some great first-person journal observations. But even still, a lot of Litten's observations are about superficial things like colors and people with clashing hair and fabric color, and I thought it unusual that for a man he uses color descriptions like "ochre" and "magenta" and "sky-blue" and "mint green", but then I saw that he's in San Francisco and it became clear. Nonetheless there is some good writing on the inside cover and inside back cover, I just wish there were more of it to accompany the interesting and sometimes funny photos. My favorite is the four Indian men pissing in the street.