Travel Writing group posting on GLOBOsapiens

Only slightly off-topic - John Halifax, Gentleman

Postings 1 - 4 of 4

davidx Premium account Joined: Dec 04 Points: 34719 Posts: 440 Posted: 2006-09-19 12:57:00    In writing a travel guide for Tewkesbury [England] today, I mentioned this book. It's not a travel guide - it's a novel! However it gives a great picture of life in the area during the industrial revolution and will make Tewkesbury come very much alive if you read it. Like many books published in the 19th century it was forced down the throats of 20th century school chidren and has hence become unpopular to the older age group and virtually unknown to the younger. Fortunately it wasn't one of the books forced down my own throat and I didn't read it until into my 20s, a far more suitable age that enabled me to appreciate its lighting up of history. There must be any number of books, not travel related in their primary intention, that would give valuable interest to places all over the world. Perhaps this message will provide somewhere for us to learn about some of them. --- Grieve not for that which you cannot do but rejoice in that which you can. Reply    Reply with quote    Contact davidx   eirekay Premium account Joined: Aug 03 Points: 19539 Posts: 214 Posted: 2006-09-20 03:14:00    I actually make a habit of trying to find a historical fiction on places I am traveling to. Many are based on fact and give an idea of what life might have been like hundreds of years ago in the places I am going. Recently I read both India Treasures and India Fortunes, by Gary Worthington. They contain short stories about Rajasthan, and more recent tales of the 1970s hunt for hidden treasures of the Maharajas. Both books contain locales I toured on my recent trip. It would be great to build a list of such books! Eire --- Life is not measured by the breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away. Profile Pic: Tikal, Guatemala Reply    Reply with quote    Contact eirekay   hieronyma Premium account Joined: Aug 02 Points: 6484 Posts: 139 Posted: 2007-02-17 14:07:00    Oh Eire and David, wouldn't that be great to build up such a list? I too always have a book with me, fiction or non-fiction, about the area I am travelling through. It enables me to read what I see. Maybe we could only add a new topic to the report side, something like 'reading' or 'books' or 'literature'. As I was writing my reports about Iceland I was frustrated not to have the possibility to add something about the Icelandic literature. Eire, didn't I tell you about the book about Rajasthan by Robyn Davidson, 'Desert Places' and those by William Dalrymple, 'City of Djinns', the book about Delhi and 'White Mughals, Love and Betrayal in Eighteen-Century India'? They are absolutely fantastic reading. Hieronyma --- "To Live In One Country Is Captivity", John Donne, "Change", 1635 Reply    Reply with quote    Contact hieronyma   rangutan Premium account Joined: Aug 04 Points: 34752 Posts: 1044 Posted: 2007-02-17 23:38:00    I have not read more than 40 novels in my life, always preferered non-fiction, glossy travel and science magazines and tv-dcumentaries. Perhaps that is why I am so poor in languages? My favorite author is James A. Michener who combines history, travel and drama and recommend his books when travelling to the many places he writes about. My favorite of his books are "Hawaii", "Drifters" and "Space". Next one perhaps: "Iberia"? I have put up a full list of his books at www.listsofbests.com/list/13019 RRudi --- Rudolf "Rangutan" Graspointner Reply    Reply with quote    Contact rangutan