Product Description

Already a best-selling addition to the series, this year's Best American Travel Writing is a far-flung collection chosen by travel writer extraordinaire Paul Theroux, who has selected pieces about "the spell in the wilderness, the letter home from foreign parts, the dangerous adventure, the sentimental journey, the expos, the shocking revelation, the eyewitness report, the ordeal, the quest . . . Travel is an attitude, a state of mind." Theroux's most recent novel is Hotel Honolulu.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1503556 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-12
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.14 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

From Publishers Weekly
This second volume in the series presents more exemplars of armchair reading (in this case, armchair listening), taking people away from daily routine to exotic, often remote settings. Theroux introduces the 11 selections, which are written by some of the most renowned travel writers, including Russell Banks, Susan Orlean and Pico Iyer. The locales span the globe, from the Caribbean to the Arctic; the essays' common thread is their authors' enthusiasm for their chosen destinations. Though overall this a charming package, Theroux's introduction is a bit long and doesn't provide a strong thematic connection to the selections that follow, and listeners will be disappointed when they learn Salman Rushdie does not to read his own piece. However, the selections are all well narrated. Several "The Endless Hunt" by Gretel Ehrlich, "Daughter of the Wind" by Lawrence Millman and "Into the Heart of the Middle Kingdom" by Kathleen Lee are superb. These narrations are so strong and evocative that listeners will feel almost as if they have accompanied the authors on their travels. Though not as stunning as last year's collection, this is nonetheless ideal for car listeners who wish they were en route to the Andes instead of Detroit. Simultaneous release with the Houghton Mifflin hardcover.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
The average traveler doesn't climb mountains in the Andes, hunt seal with the Inuit, set sail in a hazardous cargo vessel with Haitian illegal immigrants, or track down the lair of Charles Manson. That, as Paul Theroux explains in his introduction, is why stories of these adventures are included in this anthology of pieces culled from various travel publications. The introduction, written and read by Theroux, moves a bit slowly, but all 11 of the pieces featured are well chosen and well read, including six read by their authors. Of special note is Salman Rushdie's "A Dream of Glorious Return," read by Simon Prebble. The essay gives a personal perspective to the fatwa against Rushdie and one of its main effects, the denial of his visa to visit his native India. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About the Author
Paul Theroux was born in Medford, Massachusetts in 1941 and published his first novel, Waldo in 1967. His subsequent novels include The Family Arsenal, Picture Palace, The Mosquito Coast, O-Zone, Millroy the Magician, My Secret History, My Other Life, and Kowloon Tong. His highly acclaimed travel books include Riding the Iron Rooster, The Great Railway Bazaar, The Old Patagonian Express, and Fresh Air Fiend. The Mosquito Coast and Dr. Slaughter have both been made into successful films. He was the guest editor of The Best American Travel Writing (Houghton Mifflin, October 2001). Theroux is a frequent contributer to magazines including Talk and Men's Journal. He divides his time between Cape Cod and the Hawaiian Islands, where he is a professional beekeeper.

Jason Wilson is a prolific travel writer, having published numerous travel essays in such publications as HEMISPHERES, THE WASHINGTON POST, TRAVEL & LEISURE, THE NEW YORK TIMES, P.O.V., NEW ENGLAND REVIEW, THE TIMES PICAYUNE, FLIGHT, CONTINENTAL, AMERICAN WAY, TRIP, THE PHILADELPHIA CITY PAPER, among many other prestigious publications. His travel writing has also earned him three Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards for both "Best Magazine Article on a U.S. Destination" and "Best Magazine Article on a Foreign Destination," three Society of Professional Journalists Awards for Magazine Feature Writing, a Garden State Association of Black Journalists Award, and has been selected as "Notable Essay" in THE BEST AMERICAN ESSAYS 1997, 1998, and 1999. Mr. Wilson was also the founder of the now-defunct, but well-loved travel journal, GRAND TOUR, which THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER called, "A travel journal with two kinds of writing: good and better," and which THE WASHINGTON POST called, "A