Sea and Sardinia

D.H. Lawrence

Written after World War I when he was living in Sicily, Lawrence records his journey to Sardinia and back. He offers insights in Italy's political turmoil and describes the stunning scenery.

Green Hills of Africa

Ernest Hemingway

A great traveler, Hemingway wrote this safari journal of game country in East Africa after going there in 1933 with his wife Pauline. The thrill of the hunt and the glory of the bush.

Journey without Maps

Graham Greene

It's Liberia in 1935, a country untouched by colonization and Western influences. There's poverty, disease and a native spirit that fascinates Greene on his journey.

Lost on a Mountain in Maine

Donn Fendler

Twelve-year-old Fendler steps away from his scout troop for a minute and becomes lost. For the next two weeks he tries to survive and make his way through the wilderness.

Black Lamb and Grey Falcon

Rebecca West

Read this to understand the Balkans. First published in 1942, the book details a six-week journey in 1937. West goes through Croatia, Dalmatia, Herzegovina, Bosnia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro.

No Picnic on Mount Kenya

Felice Benuzzi

Sounds crazy! Who'd break out of a POW camp in Africa in order to climb a mountain with no equipment, food, shelter or maps? A remarkable story of three men on a mission. Published in 1952.

In the Land of White Death

Valerian Albanov

In 1912, six months after Robert Falcon Scott came to grief in Antarctica, a Russian ship searches for new Artic hunting grounds, and things go badly wrong for Albanov and the rest of the crew.

Rome and a Villa

Eleanor Clark

Published in 1952, one of the best account of the Eternal City. In 1947, Clark traveled to Rome on a Guggenheim fellowship and produced a series of sketches of Roman life.

Seven Years in Tibet

Heinrich Harrer

Published in 1953, Austrian mountaineer Harrer recounts his 1943 escape from an internment camp in India, his trek across the Himalayas, and his sojourn in Tibet, a place rarely seen by foreigners at this time.

South from Granada

Gerald Brenan

Part autobiography, part travelogue, a tribute to southern Spain. Between 1920 and 1934, Brenan lived in the remote village of Yegen. He portrays the landscapes, festivals, folk-lore, people and customs.

A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush

Eric Newby

Bored with work in the fashion industry, Newby takes four days training in Wales and then walks the Hindu Kush where he bumps into Wilfred Thesiger. Newby went on to become the travel editor of The Observer newspaper.

The Valleys of the Assassins

Freya Stark

An instant classic when published in 1934, Stark was an intrepid explorer. This book chronicles her travels into Luristan, the mountainous region between Iraq and present-day Iran.