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The Best American Travel Writing 2002
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Editorial Reviews (Courtesy of Amazon.com)
From Publishers Weekly
Writer Mayes (Under the Tuscan Sun) is the guest editor of this third annual collection, in which "writers cover many latitudes and longitudes, physically and metaphorically." Several pieces are topical and look at how political realities have reshaped travel destinations, as in Scott Anderson's "Below Canal Street" and Adam Gopnik's "The City and the Pillars," both about New York City on and after September 11; or Edward Hoagland's thought-provoking "Visiting Norah," about a trip to Uganda to visit a family of orphans to whom he'd been sending money. Some are lighthearted, such as David Sedaris's boisterous account of a Logan Airport layover, "The Man Upstairs" ("The cancellation was a reminder that I do not govern the activities of major airports, which seems obvious enough but always comes as a terrible shock when stated out loud"). More traditional essays include "Spain in a Minor Key" by Tony Perrottet, a leisurely look at Menorca, and Lawrence Millman's evocative and informative "In the Land of the White Rajahs," about his travels through Malaysian islands. P.J. O'Rourke, Andre Aciman, Molly O'Neill and many other authors are featured here, while destinations range from Bolivia to the Sahara. It's a captivating literary anthology that can be enjoyed on location or in the oft-mentioned armchair.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Mayes, author of the best-selling Under the Tuscan Sun, is the guest editor of the third annual volume in this series, with the previous volumes edited by Bryce and Theroux. The 26 articles in the collection appeared in three newspapers and 15 periodicals, some well known (e.g., The New Yorker and Esquire) and some less known (e.g., Islands and Hemispheres). The writers also vary in fame and their essays in experience: Some are grim and serious, such as Scott Anderson's "Below Canal Street" and Adam Gopnik's "The City and the Pillars," both depicting New York on and after 9/11. Others are quite humorous, such as David Sedaris's "The Man Upstairs," which describes an annoying airport layover. Then there are more traditional travelogs, such as Edward Hoagland's "Visiting Norah," which recounts his trip to Uganda, and Lawrence Millman's "In the Land of the White Rajahs," recounting his travels through Malaysian islands. With the continents of Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America well represented, the quality of the writing is very good, and the subject matter will generally hold the reader's interest. As with any compilation, some essays, depending on one's taste, will be more appealing than others. Recommended for large public libraries and those with extensive travel collections. An optional purchase for all others. John McCormick, New Hampshire State Lib., Concord
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The third Best American Travel Writing volume is a clear indication that the series is off to an excellent start. This year's guest editor, Frances Mayes, author of the best-selling Under the Tuscan Sun (1996), has selected 26 essays, all of them published within the past year. All the authors have impressive credentials, with nary a brand-new writer among them. These big names include New Yorker contributor Adam Gopnick, novelist Jim Harrison, and humorist David Sedaris. As series editor Jason Wells says in his foreword, these essays are "fiercely personal," and their wide range is staked out on one side by Andre Aciman's "The Pleasure Principle" (from Conde Nast Traveler ), about his tender memories of Rome, and on the other side by Scott Anderson's "Below Canal Street" (from Esquire ), a frightening remembrance of New York City on September 11. For all travel literature collections. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"It's a captivating literary anthology that can be enjoyed on location or in the oft-mentioned armchair."
Book Description
The Best American Travel Writing 2002 is edited by Frances Mayes, the author of Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany and the master of “running away to live in the place of one’s dreams” (Los Angeles Times). Giving new life to armchair travel for 2002 are David Sedaris on God and airports, Kate Wheeler on a most dangerous Bolivian festival, André Aciman on the eternal pleasures of Rome, and many more.
About the Author
Jason Wilson is a prolific travel writer, having published numerous travel essays in such publications as HEMISPHERES, THE WASHINGTON POST, TRAVEL &
Table of Contents (Courtesy of Barnes & Noble.com)
| Foreword | xi | |
| Introduction | xvii | |
| Roman Hours (from Conde Nast Traveler) | 1 | |
| Below Canal Street (from Esquire) | 11 | |
| Sovereigns of the Sky (from The Atlantic Monthly) | 20 | |
| Throw Junior from the Car (from The Washington Post Magazine) | 27 | |
| Postcards from the Fair (from The Oxford American) | 36 | |
| A Rio Runs Through It (from The San Antonio Express-News) | 45 | |
| Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Void (from National Geographic Adventure) | 81 | |
| Forty Years in Acapulco (from Men's Journal) | 97 | |
| Beyond the End of the Road (from National Geographic Adventure) | 107 | |
| The City and the Pillars (from The New Yorker) | 124 | |
| Soul Food (from Men's Journal) | 131 | |
| Slow Flying Stones (from DoubleTake) | 145 | |
| Visiting Norah (from Worth) | 163 | |
| The Scent of Two Cities (from Conde Nast Traveler) | 188 | |
| In the Land of the White Rajahs (from Islands) | 200 | |
| Lambs of God and the New Math (from The San Francisco Chronicle) | 211 | |
| Ancient Roads, Walled Cities (from Hemispheres) | 220 | |
| Where the Bee Sucks (from Harper's Magazine) | 229 | |
| Home for Dinner (from The New Yorker) | 245 | |
| Zion's Vital Signs (from The Atlantic Monthly) | 263 | |
| Spain in a Minor Key (from Islands) | 282 | |
| Making Rain (from Quarterly West) | 294 | |
| The Man Upstairs (from Esquire) | 310 | |
| Stolen Blessings (from The South Florida Sun-Sentinel) | 316 | |
| Spetses, Greece (from Islands) | 321 | |
| The Fist of God (from Outside) | 327 | |
| Contributors' Notes | 343 | |
| Notable Travel Writing of 2001 | 348 |