Best adventure travel books: Part II
Two years ago I wrote about some of the best adventure travel books I had read at the time. Since then I’ve read a number of great travel books I’d like to recommend in no particular order. First, though, a recap of books I recommended in my previous post:
- On the Beaten Path by Robert Alden Rubin
- Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (since made into a movie) *
- The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev
- Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
- On the Road by Jack Keroac *
- Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux
- Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing *
- A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins *
- Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
- Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon *
- Kon Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl *
The asterisk marks above denote the books I highly recommend as they’re truly adventure travel classics.
Since compiling the original list I’ve expanded my reading to include all the books by Peter Jenkins: The Walk West (AKA: A Walk Across America 2), Along the Edge of America, Looking for Alaska, and Across China. Truthfully none of the books or adventures can compare to Jenkins’ first but his books are still entertaining nonetheless.
If you prefer fiction, I recommend some of the classics in the travel genre: Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne is great, as is his 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe is another classic that’s worth a second read, especially if you haven’t picked up the book since grade school. Some may argue with me here but I also think Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck is a great travel story about the massive western migration.
Finally, if you’re looking for an easy, fun travel read check out Catch Me if You Can by Frank Abagnale (or rent the movie if you prefer). This summer I read Cabin Pressure by Josh Wolk which took me back to my days as a kid at summer camp in Tallulah Falls, GA - not really a travel book but it does have an outdoor flavor to it. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson is another outdoor travel / hiking book that’s certainly worth a read.
Whew, that’s a big reading list! If anything, writing this follow-up has inspired me to seek out more adventure travel books - look for Part III of this thread in just a few months…
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November 13th, 2008 at 1:45 am
[...] fall. If the Mountaineers are looking for some books to check out I recommend skimming my list of adventure travel book recommendations Too bad checking out a book would mean visiting a library more than once to make the [...]