In his introduction to this superb volume, veteran traveler and prize-winning author Paul Fussell has brought together some of the best travel writing from the past 2,000 years. What qualities do those
who excel in this genre possess? According to Fussell, they have "acute senses, powerful curiosity, physical and intellectual stamina, and a lively historical, political, and social imagination."
Beginning with Herodotus and romping through Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus, the author moves through sections on The Eighteenth Century and the Grand Tour; The Heyday; Touristic Tendencies; and Post-Tourism. The shining stars in the last section are John Crowe Ransom, Claude Levi-Strauss, V. S. Naipaul, William Golding, and Paul Theroux. Ambitious chair-travelers will find this anthology a source of continual delight and edification.
