Lonely Planet founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler are kicking off a two week book tour of the US with an appearance at Book Expo in New York City today. They will then continue on with a series of events at bookstores and other venues from Boston to Portland.
They will visit The Geographical Society of Philadelphia and The Chicago Tribune’s Printers Row Book Fair, and will also stop by NPR’s Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me while in the Windy City next week.
The publishing powerhouse duo is touring in support of their two new books, both released this spring: Tony Wheeler’s Bad Lands: A Tourist on the Axis of Evil and Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story. Tony’s book offers a first-hand look at his travels through some of the world’s most dangerous regimes; places like Afghanistan, Burma, Iran, Libya, Cuba and North Korea. The other book, written together by the couple, is a personal account of their 40-years in the travel guidebook biz. I’ve only had time to skim the Table of Contents of my copy, but it looks as if it must read like a good story while also serving as a textbook for the travel publishing industry.