Tuesday 19 June 2012

Collectable Travelogues

by Julie Oreskovich

An English Girls First Impressions of Burham by Beth Ellis

The thrill of travel is nothing new. Exploring the world - and writing about the adventure - starts as early as the 8th century BC with Homer's Odyssey, an epic poem accounting the travels of the Greek hero, Ulysses, on his voyage home from Troy.
To some, Karl Baedeker is the grandfather of travelogue writing. Baedeker guidebooks have been published since 1832 and to this day remain at the top of their publishing niche. Many other famous people have followed in Baedeker's footsteps including Mark Twain, Herman Melville, Henry James and Richard Haliburton. Certainly the most popular travel writer in modern times is Bill Bryson, best known for his works including, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, In a Sunburned Country and A Walk in the Woods.
AbeBooks has an immense selection of travelogues that will put the travel bug into the most dedicated couch potato. From the beautifully designed An English Girls First Impressions of Burmah to Winston S. Churchill's My African Journey, to a first edition copy of Baedeker's guide to Switzerland, you are bound to find a book that will whisk you away on a trip around the world.