Saturday, September 01, 2007

"The 100 Greatest Adventure Books"

January Magazine editor Linda L. Richards has posted an entry about National Geographic's 2001 list of “The 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time.”

The list is worth perusing if travel writing (or lists) is your thing, but I think I would begin my actual reading list with Richards' selection of worthy books that didn't make National Geographic's top 100:
While the list makes fascinating reading, and while it's difficult to disagree with many of these choices, there are a few notable absences. I was surprised, for instance, that something by Paul Theroux didn’t make the cut, especially his very important The Great Railway Bazaar from 1975. Another few surprising no shows: Colin Thurbron’s Behind the Wall from 1987, Bill Bryson’s Notes From A Small Island (1995) and, even though it’s very, very recent and, arguably, more about food than travel (though when is food not an important part of that thought?) Anthony Bourdain’s A Cook’s Tour from 2001. [read on]
--Marshal Zeringue