One for the Road: Uncommon Traveler

by Kelly Amabile on

My mom is a children’s librarian and often introduces me to great travel titles for kids. The other day I was helping hang posters at her elementary school library when I spotted this book displayed on a top shelf: Uncommon Traveler is the true story of Mary Kingsley, born in England in 1862. Her father was a family physician who traveled the world caring for his wealth patrons, while Mary led a busy, sheltered life at home tending to her ill mother. But at the age of 30, both parents deceased, Mary was free to travel, and headed to West Africa.

The book has beautiful illustrations of Mary crossing dangerous ravines, battling an eight-foot croc and trekking with her guides through the forest towards the Remboue River (near what is now Gabon.) She took two journeys to West Africa, in 1893 and 1894, and developed a close relationship with members of the Fang tribe during her visits. She died during her third trip to the continent, while in South Africa as a volunteer nurse. Author and illustrator Don Brown has done a wonderful job capturing her bravery and spirit. Do you know of other children’s books that tell the stories of great women travelers?

One for the Road: Virago Book of Women Travellers

by Kelly Amabile on

Virago is a Latin word for woman, and Virago Press is a U.K. publisher known for its titles written by female authors. Several years back, travel writer Mary Morris (author of River Queen) edited the beautiful Illustrated Virago Book of Women Travellers, which was subsequently released in paperback.

It’s a lovely collection of stories by and about some of the greatest female explorers: Gertrude Bell, Freya Stark, Edith Wharton, Leila Philip, Emily Carr and Mary Wollstonecraft (mother of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley.) The book claims to capture “300 years of wanderlust as women travel the world for pleasure and peril.” Some things never change, huh? No matter the decade, there have always been adventurous women out there doing their own thing. Nice to see this tribute to some of the bravest from years gone by.

One for the Road: Our Dumb World – Onion’s Atlas

by Kelly Amabile on

I just finished listening to some short clips from the audio book version of the Onion’s new atlas of planet earth, aptly titled Our Dumb World. After a short introduction, it begins: “Here are audio clips from some of the countries that matter – France: One nation above God.” It goes on to share important facts about France that you really ought to know. For example, that the leading cause of death is turtle neck asphyxiation. It doesn’t get any nicer. While rattling off the facts about Bolivia, the narrator stops to blow a line of cocaine.

In true Onion style, the book prides itself on offering up incorrect statistics on all of the Earth’s independent nations. (They’re just not sure how many there are.) And they guarantee that once you finish listening to the audio book or reading the hardcover, you will, of course, be the smartest person in your dorm room, carpool or cell block. This is anything but your average atlas.

One for the Road: Transit Maps of the World

by Kelly Amabile on

There’s a lot of buzz about this new title on the web today and it looks like a goodie. Actually, Catherine already mentioned this book, but I’ve got to salute it again as our travel book suggestion of the day. I mean, Boing Boing calls it sheer subway porn — it deserves more love. Transit Maps of the World: The World’s First Collection of Every Urban Train Map on Earth has a flashy cover that screams fun for fans of public transport systems. I’m definitely in that category — I love conquering subway systems when I visit a new city. There is such a sense of accomplishment in getting from A to B, learning station names and knowing how to navigate yourself through tunnels and tubes, especially when you throw in that added layer of language barrier. And the names of favorite (or most often used) stations always linger: Jianguomen in Beijing, Principe Pio in Madrid, Dupont Circle in DC.

Penguin’s new book claims to be the first and only comprehensive collection of historic and current maps of every rapid-transit system on earth. Whew! Author and transport extraordinaire Mark Ovenden traces the history of mass transit-including rare maps, diagrams, and photographs. I don’t doubt that this book will live up to what the publisher calls “the graphic designer’s new bible, the transport enthusiast’s dream collection, and a coffee-table essential for everyone who’s ever traveled in a city.”

One for the Road: Journeys of a Lifetime

by Kelly Amabile on

Another recent entry in the popular mega trip-list travel book category is National Geographic’s Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World’s Greatest Trips. Compiled from the favorite trips of National Geographic writers, this 400-page collection of glossy color photos and descriptions is another daydream machine for wanderlust readers. In addition to the featured journeys, there are also secondary lists for things like the top 10 elevator rides, ancient highways and bridges to walk across.

So, can every travel experience be listed? It seems that way these days. But, as Frank Bures eloquently argued in a recent World Hum travel book column, the checklist approach to travel misses the point. Super-sized itineraries are not practical, and in most cases, just not possible. And that is a good thing. However, this book, and similar titles, are still fun to flip through. They’re kind of like destination menus for travelers to pick-and-choose from — for ideas, inspiration or discussion with others. But over-ordering should be avoided.