The Times’ 20 Best Travel Books of the Past Century

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  09.21.09 | 5:17 PM ET

The venerable London daily has an excellent roundup, with plenty of attention to some lesser-known (these days) names from several decades past. Wilfred Thesiger, Freya Stark, Apsley Cherry-Garrard, Paul Theroux and Jonathan Raban hold down the top five slots. As a bonus, each entry includes links to the original Times reviews, interviews, excerpts and other archived material.

Tags: Travel Books, Literary Travel

Eva Holland is the senior editor of World Hum. Her writing has also appeared in the National Post, the Montreal Gazette, the Ottawa Citizen and WestJet's Up! Magazine, among other publications. She's based in Ottawa, Canada.


3 Comments for The Times’ 20 Best Travel Books of the Past Century

Book it now 09.22.09 | 1:54 AM ET

Eva, thanks for the link to the London Daily

Cheap Plane Tickets 09.25.09 | 2:43 AM ET

Thanks for providing the information. I am a traveler who loves to explore the beauty of different place & your information helped me in true sense.

Jorrit Jorritsma 10.05.09 | 9:00 AM ET

A great list, and so right that “The Worst Journey in the World” is up there at No.2.  But I’m gutted that my favourite travel book of all time, “Songlines” by Bruce Chatwin, doesn’t even make the list.  This part-travelogue, part-confessional, part spiritual meditation is one of the pearls of travel writing and offers a unique window into the mystery of Australia.

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