The Back of Beyond: Travels to the Wild Places of the Earth

The author of Backroad Journeys of Southern Europe here offers a selection of his ``personal best'' adventures in travel diary form. Yeadon is a seeker of ``places that possess an essential integrity and centeredness''--but he's often content to stop for a chat in a pub in Yorkshire or tea in a yurt in Inner Mongolia or in a Haitian voodoo shrine. The 20 destinations in this collection yield decidedly native thrills in (mostly) Asia, the British Isles and the Caribbean. Like-minded adventure travelers will enjoy getting there with Yeadon, who journeys with a cheerful, transcendent eye and a steady spirit. Illustrated. (Feb.)