New Travel Book: ‘Worth the Detour’
Travel Blog • Frank Bures • 12.10.07 | 10:41 AM ET
Full title: “Worth the Detour: A History of the Guide Book”
Author: Nicholas Parsons
Released: Nov. 25, 2007
Travel genre: History of travel
Territory covered: The world
Promo copy: “Where would we be without guidebooks? All over the world travellers check out the sights of their chosen destination with their noses glued to a guidebook, and rely on them for every aspect of their visit—ordering meals, understanding the locals or avoiding wandering into the red-light district. Few realise the guidebook has a long and distinguished history, going back to Biblical times and encompassing major cultural and social changes that have witnessed the transformation of travel….In this delightful book Nicholas Parsons takes us on a fascinating journey through centuries of travel writing.”
Critical verdict, Zagat-style: “It was a witty idea to write a guide to guidebooks. After all, how we look at foreign countries and people tells us a lot about ourselves.” And “like Michelin, from whose catchphrase it takes its title, this book makes delightful detours into areas such as Ptolemaic geography, and the techniques of triangulation. Parsons is rigorous (he has proper endnotes and indexing), sophisticated, sharp, and humorous. And he writes very well.” (Financial Times)
Find it: Amazon, Powells, Publisher
Email to friend
Twitter
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! Buzz