The Grand Tour has included Europe for centuries, and one of its most desirable stops has always been Paris.
The City of Light is indisputably one of the world’s most beautiful, and as Joan DeJean, who’s written exhaustively about France and the French, explains in How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City, its transformation began in the 17th century, with a great urban plan for boulevards, bridges, sidewalks, and public parks. Visit with new insight and appreciation or just marvel at its conception with DeJean’s book in hand. And while we’re on the subject of France, which brings to mind that mystical beverage, wine, Maximillian Potter has written a wonderful real-life mystery concerning its production: Shadows in the Vineyard: The True Story of a Plot to Poison the World’s Greatest Wine, about a plan to destroy the vines of La Romanée-Conti, Burgundy’s finest vineyard producing its most expensive wine, comes complete with intriguing characters, smalltown politics, a ransom note, suicide, and a fascinating trial.
Wine figures heavily in the country next door, but in The Secrets of Italy: People, Places, and Hidden Histories, native son Corrado Augias focuses on what makes Italy tick as he takes the country apart, exploring its history, its cities, its literature, and its contradictions, contrasting Michelangelo with the Mafia, Pavarotti with Berlusconi, to discover the nature of the Italian character. Described as Kapuscinskiesque, Gottland: Mostly True Stories from Half of Czechoslovakia by Mariusz Szczygiel is a peek into the chaos of this region, a cultural history told through the stories of its artists, musicians, and peasants and how they endured with cleverness and humor the absurdities and struggles that have dominated Czech lives during the past century.
Few places have captured the imagination more than Egypt (Flaubert traveled there in 1849), and in The Nile: A Journey Downriver Through Egypt’s Past and Present, Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson takes a hypnotic trip along the legendary river to recount the ancient civilization it supported as well as the river’s source and its place in the tumult of Cairo where the Arab Spring changed history. With Rudyard Kipling’s writings, we get another glimpse of “Orientalia” and a world long gone from a master of travel. On the Orient is Kipling’s musings on his time in India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canton, Japan, and Burma.
Where to travel is one thing; how to travel is another, and for Dan Kieran it’s all about taking your time. With The Idle Traveller: The Art of Slow Travel, Kieran advises ditching the guide books, embracing disaster (inevitable), and remembering that it’s not the destination but the journey. Take heart, however. If that makes you uncomfortable, alleviate your anxiety with USA Today columnist Christopher Elliott, who has 20 years of experience as a travel advocate under his concealed money belt. Elliott tells in great detail how to navigate leaving your backyard in How to Be the World’s Smartest Traveler (and Save Time, Money, and Hassle). And while you’re figuring all this out, don’t forget to eat. The Foodspotting Field Guide by April V. Walters from Foodspotting—the global online community of recreational foodies—leads you to 75 must-try dishes on six continents, from raw fish to chicken and waffles, with details on each dish and accompanying mouth-watering photographs.
For sheer fun, there’s America’s self-proclaimed weirdo, John Waters, who’s written a book about crisscrossing the country: Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America. Would that we could be a fly on the windshield.
PW’s Top 10: Travel
How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City. Joan DeJean. Bloomsbury USA, Mar. 4
Shadows in the Vineyard: The True Story of a Plot to Poison the World’s Greatest Wine
Maximillian Potter. Twelve, July 1
The Secrets of Italy: People, Places, and Hidden Histories
Corrado Augias. Rizzoli Ex Libris, Apr. 1
Gottland: Mostly True Stories from Half of Czechoslovakia
Mariusz Szczygiel. Melville House, May 6
The Nile: A Journey Downriver Through Egypt’s Past and Present
Toby Wilkinson. Knopf, June 10
On the Orient
Rudyard Kipling. Hesperus Press, July 1
The Idle Traveller: The Art of Slow Travel
Dan Kieran. AA Publishing, Apr. 1
How to Be the World’s Smartest Traveler (and Save Time, Money, and Hassle)
Christopher Elliott. National Geographic, Mar. 4
The Foodspotting Field Guide
April V. Walters. Chronicle, Mar. 18
Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America
John Waters. Macmillan, June 3
Travel Listings
AA Publishing
(dist. by IPG)
The Gentleman’s Guide to Travel by Vic Darkwood (Apr. 1, hardcover, $17.95, ISBN 978-0749575045). A paean to the lost art of traveling in exquisite style: including the necessity while on expeditions of repelling leeches and maintaining personal hygiene in the heat of the tropics.
The Idle Traveller: The Art of Slow Travel by Dan Kieran, foreword by Tom Hodgkinson (Apr. 1, paper, $13.95, ISBN 978-0749574734) inspires voyagers to travel more meaningfully: toss the brochure, embrace disaster, and enjoy true journeying.
Abrams
New York Is... by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Mar. 25, paper, $18.95, ISBN 978-1419711695) highlights the collection of the world-famous Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Allen & Unwin
(dist. by IPG)
Destination Cambodia: Adventures in the Kingdom by Walter Mason (Apr. 1, paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-1742376622). A literary journey to meet taxi drivers, writers, hip-hop stars, and monks in a vibrant Cambodia excited about the future, while never denying the haunted past.
Atlantic Books
(dist. by IPG)
Following Fish: Travels Around the Indian Coast by Samanth Subramanian (Apr. 1, paper, $13.95, ISBN 978-0857896032) collects nine essays investigating India’s coastal societies.
John Beaufoy Publishing
(dist. by Midpoint Trade)
Wild Sri Lanka by Gehan De Silva Wijeyeratne (Apr. 1, hardcover, $49.95, ISBN 978-1906780982) tours through Sri Lanka’s endemic plants and animals, including large mammals, that make it one of the best places in the world for seeing and photographing blue whales, sperm whales, leopards, and Asian elephants.
World’s Most Spectacular Railway Journeys by Brian Solomon (June 1, paper, $24.95, ISBN 978-1909612051). A portrait in words and photographs of more than 50 unusual and exotic railway journeys in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, accompanied by route maps.
Bene Factum Publishing
(dist. by IPG)
Things Can Only Get Feta: Two Journalists and Their Crazy Dog Living Through the Greek Crisis by Marjory McGinn (May 1, paper, $12.95, ISBN 978-1909657083) chronicles a foolhardy, yearlong adventure in Greece just as the country faces economic collapse, along with a crazy Jack Russell in a country with zero dog tolerance.
Bloomsbury USA
(dist. by St. Martin’s)
How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City by Joan DeJean (Mar. 4, hardcover, $30, ISBN 978-1608195916). The birth of Paris in the 17th century.
Nicholas Brealey
(dist. by Consortium)
The Kama Sutra Diaries: Intimate Journeys Through Modern India by Sally Howard (May 13, paper, $17.95, ISBN 978-1857885897). A provocative “sexploration” of the cultural and political landscape of modern India.
Chartwell Books
(dist. by Quayside)
America by Natalie Danford (Feb. 3, hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-0785830788) showcases America’s impressive manmade sights and natural wonders with historical overviews from the American Revolution to civil rights, with side trips, including baseball.
Chronicle Books
The Foodspotting Field Guide by April V. Walters (Mar. 18, paper, $12.95, ISBN 978-1452119878). A guided journal from Foodspotting—the global online community of recreational foodies—presents 75 must-try dishes from six continents.
Cicerone Press Limited
(dist. by Midpoint Trade)
Hiking and Biking in the Black Forest by Kat Morgenstern (Mar. 1, paper, $24.95, ISBN 978-1852846565). A guide offering a blend of culture and nature that reflects the traditional lifestyle of this region.
Via Ferratas of the French Alps by Richard Miller (Mar. 1, paper, $24.95, ISBN 978-1852846480). Recent years have witnessed a surge in the number of protected climbing areas, or via ferrata routes, set up in the French Alps. This guide shows 66 of the best available.
Cleis Press
(dist. by PGW)
Gaysia Adventures in the Queer East by Benjamin Law (May 13, paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-1627780360). Law lives in the freedom of Australia, but as the child of migrants, he’s also curious about how different life might have been had he grown up in Asia as a gay man. So he sets off to meet his fellow Gaysians.
Editions du Chêne
(dist. by ACC)
Film Lover’s New York: 60 Legendary Addresses That Inspired Great Movies by Barbara Boespflug and Beatrice Billon (Mar. 1, paper, $19.95, ISBN 978-2812309861). A guide to the most famous and some of the lesser-known locations in the city, neighborhood by neighborhood, that have served as film backdrops.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America by John Waters (June 3, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-0374298630). A cross-country hitchhiking journey with America’s most beloved weirdo.
Grove Press
(dist. by PGW)
Everything Is Wonderful: Memories of a Collective Farm in Estonia by Sigrid Rausing (Mar. 4, hardcover, $24, ISBN 978-0802122179)., Granta publisher Rausing spent a year, in 1993, while studying for a Ph.d., in a village that had once been the center of the Lenin Collective Farm.
Hesperus Press
(dist. by IPG)
On Provence by Henry James (July 1, paper, $14.95, ISBN 978-1843916253). A meander through Provence in the company of Henry James’s prose and excellent travel writing.
On the Orient by Rudyard Kipling (July 1, paper, $14.95, ISBN 978-1843916246). A trip with Kipling through India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canton (now Guangzhou), Japan, and Burma.
Hodder & Stoughton
(dist. by IPG)
Clarissa’s England: A Gamely Gallop Through the English Counties by Clarissa Dickson Wright (June 1, paper, $15.95, ISBN 978-1444729115). A quintessential Englishwoman takes readers on a personal journey from Cornwall to Cumbria, Norfolk to Northumbria.
Imagine Publishing/Travel & Leisure
(dist. by Random House)
Travel + Leisure: Where to Eat Around the World by Nancy Novogrod (Mar. 4, paper, $19.95, ISBN 978-1932624625). From the editors of Travel + Leisure, a collection of stories of the world’s greatest foods and where to find them.
Interlink
Australia: The East by Les Beletsky (May 2, paper, $29.95, ISBN 978-1566566148) is a full-color, eco-friendly wildlife guide that includes more than 650 of Australia’s most common fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and plants, with info on habitat, the Great Barrier Reef, parks, and reserves.
Miami: A Cultural History by Anthony P. Maignot (May 16, paper, $15, ISBN 978-1566569835). The story of Miami, the city with the highest percentage of foreign-born residents in the U.S., from the days of the indigenous people to Spanish claims, the Cuban influx, and today.
Knopf
The Nile: A Journey Downriver Through Egypt’s Past and Present by Toby Wilkinson (June 10, hardcover, $27.95, ISBN 978-0385351553). Accompany an acclaimed Egyptologist as he travels down the Nile and shows how the river continually brought life to an ancient civilization and sustained its successors, now in tumult.
Frances Lincoln
(dist. by Quayside)
Portobello Road by Julian Mash (May 1, hardcover, $29.95, ISBN 978-0711234901). The alternative history of a street covers the market, the music scene, Carnival, and the changing local population.
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet: The World’s Great Wonders by Jheni Osman (Apr. 1, hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-1743214305). The former editor of the BBC’s science magazine delves into the secrets of natural and manmade wonders.
Lyons Press
Organic: A Journalist’s Quest to Discover the Truth Behind Food Labeling by Peter Laufer (July 1, hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-0762790715). This eye-opening look into the anything-goes world behind the organic label is a food narrative, an investigation, and an adventure story.
Melville House
(dist. by Random House)
Gottland: Mostly True Stories from Half of Czechoslovakia by Mariusz Szczygiel, trans. by Antonia Lloyd-Jones (May 6, hardcover, $25.95, ISBN 978-1612193137). This Kapuscinskiesque book, winner of the Europe Book Prize, gives us a glimpse at the absurdities and struggle that have dominated Czech lives during the past century.
Midpoint Trade Books
Keep on Going by Richard Coe (June 30, paper, $14.95, ISBN 978-1849634243). Beginning at Southampton in England, Richard Coe relates his traveling, for nearly 50 years, to every corner of the globe, from the British Isles to Saudi Arabia, from Ghana to the Maldives to South-East Asia.
National Geographic Books
(dist. by Random House)
How to Be the World’s Smartest Traveler (and Save Time, Money, and Hassle) by Christopher Elliott (Mar. 4, paper, $19.95, ISBN 978-1426212734). The USA Today columnist draws on his 20 years as a travel advocate to give the inside scoop on how to navigate the world of travel, with detailed advice.
The Dog Lover’s Guide to Travel: Best Destinations, Hotels, Events, and Advice to Please Your Pet—and You by Kelly E. Carter (Apr. 1, paper, $22.95, ISBN 978-1426212765). The ultimate resource for traveling with your furry friend, from doggie daycare to canine cruises, including walks you can take with your dog and tips from local pet parents.
New Holland Australia
(dist. by Midpoint Trade)
High Road Rider: An Incredible Two-Wheel Journey Through the Alps by Mike Hannan (Mar. 1, paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1742574424). Veteran riders Mike and Jo Hannan explore the Alps on a motorcycle through 1,200 kilometers of mountain ranges that pass through eight countries.
New Holland UK
(dist. by Midpoint Trade)
Global Suitcase by Mary Dinan (Apr. 1, hardcover, $19.99, ISBN 978-1780094571). A compilation of interviews with everyday people and well-known personalities who have taken extraordinary journeys or lived unusual lives, often guided by a cause, in the name of work or in pursuit of adventure.
New York Review Books/Little Bookroom
(dist. by Random House)
Old-Fashioned Pleasures of Paris by Christophe Destournelles, photos by Christophe Lefebure, trans. by Simon Beaver (May 6, hardcover, $19.95, ISBN 978-1936941100). An insider’s guide to an almost vanished Paris, in a small and exquisite catalogue.
New York Review Books/NYRB Classics
(dist. by Random House)
The Broken Road from the Iron Gates to Mount Athos by Patrick Leigh Fermor (Mar. 4, hardcover, $30, ISBN 978-1590177549). In 1933, 18-year-old Patrick (“Paddy”) Leigh Fermor set out to walk across Europe, starting in Holland and ending in Constantinople. Decades later, he told the story of the journey, but died in 2011 before he could write about the final leg. His biographer, Artemis Cooper, and the travel writer Colin Thubron, completed the story of his trek from his manuscripts.
Oneworld Publications
(dist. by PGW)
A History of London in 100 Places by David Long (May 13, hardcover, $16.99, ISBN 978-1780744131) is told through the places that best showcase the events that have shaped the city.
Palgrave Macmillan
Teach a Woman to Fish: Overcoming Poverty Around the Globe by Ritu Sharma (June 10, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1137278586). The firsthand account of one woman’s rugged travels through Sri Lanka, Burkino Faso, and Honduras, and of the women struggling to overcome the forces that threaten to keep them in poverty.
Plume
I Never Knew That About New York by Christopher Winn (Mar. 25, paper, $16, ISBN 978-0142180631) collects New York City anecdotes and trivia.
Princeton Architectural Press
(dist. by Chronicle)
Conversations on the Hudson by Nick Hand (Feb. 4, hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-1616892241). A visual record of Hand’s 500-mile bike journey through New York State’s Hudson Valley talking to artists and craftspeople.
Rizzoli
(dist. by Random House)
One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in Italy by Paolo Lazzarin (May 6, hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-0847842940) is a pictorial guide to little Italian towns buried deep in the countryside.
Rizzoli Ex Libris
(dist. by Random House)
The Secrets of Italy: People, Places, and Hidden Histories by Corrado Augias, trans. by Alta L. Price (Apr. 1, hardcover, $26.95, ISBN 978-0847842742). One of Italy’s best-known writers takes a Grand Tour through the country’s cities, history, and literature in search of the true character of this contradictory nation.
Roaring Forties Press
(dist. by PGW)
Ruby Slippers: Adventures of a Travel Writer by Susan Spano (May 13, paper, $15.95, ISBN 978-1938901249). A collection of pieces by the travel columnist for the Los Angeles Times.
Robert Hale
(dist. by IPG)
The Politics of Washing: Real Life in Venice by Polly Coles (Apr. 1, paper, $14.95, ISBN 978-0719808784). An account of ordinary life in an extraordinary place, with anecdotes about Venetian life.
Rowman & Littlefield/Down East Books
(dist. by NBN)
Maine Outdoor Adventure Guide by John Christie and Josh Christie (May 1, paper, $15.95, ISBN 978-1608932672). Avid outdoorsmen, John and Josh are the perfect guides for your Maine adventure.
Seal Press
(dist. by PGW)
The Other Side of Paradise: Life in the New Cuba by Julia Cooke (Apr. 1, paper, $17, ISBN 978-1580055314). A young American journalist shares her experience of living in Havana and offers an evocative and revealing look at Cuba’s youth culture.
Seven Stories Press
(dist. by Random House)
The Disunited States by Vladimir Pozner, trans. by Alison Strayer (June 3, paper, $24.95, ISBN 978-1609805319) reprints, 75 years later, a classic travelogue across the United States during the height of the Great Depression by one of France’s great voices of conscience.
Skyhorse Publishing
(dist. by Perseus)
Bizarre London: Discover the Capital’s Secrets & Surprises by David Long (Feb. 4, hardcover, $18.95, ISBN 978-1628738254) tours London’s strangest and most intriguing locations with anecdotes of magic, mystery, and murder.
Sourcebooks
Only in Spain: A Foot-Stomping, Firecracker of a Memoir About Food, Flamenco, and Falling in Love by Nellie Bennett (July 1, paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1402293856). A memoir of dance, gypsies, love, food, and the occasional donkey, combines armchair travel with the enticing flair of flamenco dance.
We’ll Always Have Paris: A Mother/Daughter Adventure by Jennifer Coburn (Apr. 8, paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1402288630). A mother’s obsessive desire to travel with her daughter to a dozen European cities offers a heartwarming exploration of how we have to let go of daily life to really live.
Square One Publishers
An Inspirational Tour of Catholic New York City by Sharon Hazard and George Lankevich (June 1, paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-0757003271) is a pictorial travel guide that provides a firsthand, up-close-and-personal view of the Roman Catholic experience in Manhattan; produced with the Knights of Columbus. 25,000-copy announced first printing.
St. Martin’s/Thomas Dunne Books
Tuscany’s Wild West: Discovering Art, Culture, and Memories in a Well-Known Region’s Unknown Places by John Keahey (June 10, hardcover, $25.99, ISBN 978-1250024312). A new travel narrative focuses on Tuscany’s western coast, showcasing a lesser-known region.
Thames & Hudson
(dist. by Norton)
On the High Line: Exploring America’s Most Original Urban Park by Annik LaFarge, preface by Rick Darke (May 20, paper, $29.95, ISBN 978-0500291412). Published to coincide with the opening of the third and last section of the High Line, an updated edition of the guide to one of New York City’s most popular destinations.
Twelve
Shadows in the Vineyard: The True Story of a Plot to Poison the World’s Greatest Wine by Maximillian Potter (July 1, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-1455516100). Potter uncovers a plot to destroy the vines of La Romanee-Conti, Burgundy’s finest and most expensive vineyard, with a window into smalltown French politics. 35,000-copy announced first printing.
Universe
(dist. by Random House)
Greenwich Village Stories: A Collection of Memories, edited by Judith Stonehill (Mar. 18, hardcover, $29.95, ISBN 978-0789327222). A love letter to Greenwich Village, 60 stories written by artists, writers, musicians, restaurateurs, and other neighborhood habitues, including Jonathan Adler, Mario Batali, Graydon Carter, and John Guare, who each share a favorite memory of this storied neighborhood.
Beaches: 100 Ultimate Escapes by Stefano Passaquindici, edited by Sabrina Talarico and(Mar. 11, hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-0789327291). An illustrated tour of 100 of the most breathtaking beaches in the world, from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to Love Beach in the Bahamas.
Univ. Of Chicago Press
Pilgrimage to Dollywood: A Country Music Road Trip Through Tennessee by Helen Morales (Apr. 14, hardcover, $22.50, ISBN 978-0226536521). A pilgrimage to Dollywood, with stops on the way at Graceland and Loretta Lynn’s ranch, to see just what it is about Dolly that draws so many people to her.
The Westbourne Press/Telegram Books
(dist. by CBSD)
Meet Me in Gaza: Uncommon Stories of Life Inside the Strip by Louisa B. Waugh (July 15, paper, $14.95, ISBN 978-1908906243) is the travel writer’s account of life inside Gaza.
White Star Publishers
(dist. by Sterling Publishing)
Voices of Tuscany: Discover the Land of Genius & Beauty by Giorgio De Martino, intro. by Andrea Bocelli (Apr. 1, paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-8854408272) explores new ways to discover Tuscany’s culture and power, with singer Andrea Bocelli’s personal impressions.
Brazil: A Country Racing Towards the Future by Francesca Piana (May 6, paper, $29.95, ISBN 978-8854408210). A portrait of Brazil’s spirit, history, and people, from the lush Amazon to sophisticated cities, from lavish colonial churches to favelas.
