In 'A Book of Travellers' Tales' one of the world's great travel writers has compiled a marvelously entertaining anthology of writings by his peers. Spanning the globe from Africa to the Antarctic, from Penzance to Poona, Eric Newby treats us to a wealth of travel literature, including samples from more than 300 travel writers from 430 BC to the 1980's.
In choosing his selections Newby shows the same eye for the curious and unexpected, the same ear for a good story, that distinguish his own writing. And though he of course gives full due to the classic travel writers of every age and culture, one of the delights of this anthology is this compiler's gift for hunting out fascinating, illuminating or simply wonderfully funny pieces by obscure or unexpected travellers. Thus we find descriptions of London not only by Henry James but also by Hsieh Ch'ing-kao, an eighteenth-century Chinese seaman; Stanley's account of his meetings with Livingstone in darkest Africa in 1871 is followed a few pages later by Cecil Beaton's description of his encounter with the Rolling Stones in the lobby of a Marrakesh hotel in 1967.
Most of Newby's travellers are brave and resourceful; a few are in a constant state of terror. Many are somewhat eccentric; some are plain mad; all are remarkable. From Alexander the Great to Queen Victoria, from Ibn Battuta to Paul Theroux, they join forces to produce an anthology that will provide hours of entertainment and enlightenment.
