Book Review: 100 Great Journeys

Rating:

With the subtitle: Exciting Voyages Through History and Literature, how could anyone even remotely interested in books or travel pass it by? 100 Great Journeys is the armchair book traveller’s dream, wending its way through continents of literature to bring to life a bookshelf of adventure.

Opening with notes on the joys of travel, we are taken through a brief bio of the history of our great planet and its astounding destinations. We are also invited to follow the evolution of the road trip – and what better way to start an infamous journey than along Route 66? Cutting through the vast epicentre of the United States, Route 66 takes travelles from Chicago to Los Angeles and was one of the original federal routes… the ‘road of opportunity’.

With notes on books, authors and many fascinating historical references, this is a book virtually anyone will find a point of interest in. From the hippie trail to Kathmandu, the Paris-Dakar rally across the Sahara, the Peking race to Paris in the early 1900s and the famed Silk Road across the roof of Asia  from 1st Century AD, this is a heart-palpitating book that so beautifully combines history, travel and literature.

The book is divided into a variety of chapters that gather together like-journeys and historical elements – road trips, train travel, the great explorers, travels by sea, journeys associated with war and many more – including the travels of our most sacred prophets and the works of literary genius such as Mark Twain, Steinbeck and Hemingway.

Well laid out and peppered with gorgeous photos and maps strewn with breathtaking routes, this is like touring the world not only without the bane of busy airports and passport control, but with the added thrill of being able to travel through time. Pack your passport away and get set for some serious travel – all in the pages of a really fine book.

Title: 100 Great Journeys
Author: Keith Lye, consulting Editor
Category: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Ilex Press
ISBN: 9781905814725
RRP: $44.99
Publication Date: Nov 2009