More book advice wanted.
August 14, 2006 10:10 AM   Subscribe

Another book question. I've just finished The Man Who Loved Egypt, and loved it. Any suggestions for other travelogues or journals by people living in foreign countries that were written 1900's-earlier? Thanks.
posted by Ohdemah to Writing & Language (9 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: Here's a link to the book.
posted by Ohdemah at 10:12 AM on August 14, 2006


Sketches in Holland and Scandinavia by August P. Hare.

And, not really travelogues, but hors concours in may other ways are Flaubert's letters about his travels, or Tocqueville's Democracy in America.
posted by ijsbrand at 11:05 AM on August 14, 2006


If you are not completely adverse to fiction (but very well written and convincing fiction) Alexandre Dumas has a great novel named The Fencing Master which is about a person who is witness to the Decemberist revolt in Russia. Really interesting, good stuff.
posted by banannafish at 11:09 AM on August 14, 2006


American Notes by Charles Dickens
Maybe something from this thread.
posted by mattbucher at 11:12 AM on August 14, 2006


There are two of which I'm very fond:

Wild Wales by George Henry Borrow. Borrow was an English amateur linguist who became an "expert" in Welsh before traveling there, only to learn that he couldn't understand it as it was spoken. A good bit of English snobbery despite all of this, but also a hearty love for the country.

The other is A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and the Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides by Samuel Johnson and his lackey James Boswell. Johnson is a pretty amazing literary character despite actually having lived and the admiration he receives from Boswell is almost hilarious at times in its religiosity.

Both are really wonderful for learning about each country, as well, though I suspect Borrow's is much more authentic as a representative of Welsh life a century ago.
posted by yamel at 11:17 AM on August 14, 2006


Following the Equator, by Mark Twain.
posted by blue mustard at 11:43 AM on August 14, 2006


Check out Lafcadio Hearn, who was one of those impossibly prolific fin-de-siècle writers and wrote extensively about Japan, among many other things.
posted by cgc373 at 1:31 PM on August 14, 2006


Sir Francis Edward Younghusband travelled around China, India and Tibet around the turn of the century. Some of his books are written prior to 1900 and some are written after.

Heart of a Continent (1898)
Among the Celestials (1898)
India and Tibet (1912)
Everest: the Challenge (1936).
posted by jessamyn at 4:58 PM on August 14, 2006


Uhm, this might not be old enough for you, but Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (aka Karen Blixen) is a very interesting read.
Don't expect to be the same as the film. The character of Finch-Hatton is in there, but he's really not a major character. It's really much more introspective and personal. Dinesen has a beautiful writing style.
posted by robabroad at 7:39 AM on August 16, 2006


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