French Lessons by Peter Mayle - Twelve chapters recounting Mayle's journeys to twelve food or wine festivals throughout France. The book amusingly answers many questions, such as why a five pound Poulet de Bresse costs $20 in the market and how one should eat frog legs, or indeed, if one should.
French or Foe? : Getting the Most Out of Visiting, Living and Working in France by Polly Platt - This book created some heated discussions. Amazon says: Let's face it: the French have gotten a bad rap. Mention that you're considering a trip to France and everyone will warn you about rude waiters, supercilious shopkeepers, and snooty concierges who won't give you the time of day--and worse, pretend not to understand your high-school French. Not so, says Polly Platt, author of French or Foe?; "The French are generous, exhilarating friends," but they are different--wonderfully so. The trick to getting along in France is understanding the culture and learning to accept it on French terms instead of your own. Though the book is designed primarily for people who will be living or working in France for extended periods, the lessons Platt teaches about manners, attitudes, and culture are invaluable for even those visitors just passing through.
Around the World in 20 Days : The Story of Our History-Making Balloon Flight
by Bertrand Piccard, Brian Jones
- About $12 - It's a different travel plan and a different way to travel, but it's an interesting read. On the 9th of March, 1999, eight days into their flight, Brian Jones and Bertrand Piccard were approaching Myanmar's air space. They had the following exchange with an air-traffic controller:
Air traffic control: Hotel Bravo-Bravo Romeo Alpha, what is your departure point and destination?
Brian Jones: Departure point, Château d'Oex, Switzerland. Destination, somewhere in northern Africa.
Air traffic control, after several seconds' silence: If you're going from Switzerland to northern Africa, what in hell are you doing in Myanmar?
Twelve days later the Breitling Orbiter 3 made a hard but safe landing in the Egyptian desert. Their successful circumnavigation, the first, put Piccard and Jones into the record books for distance (25,361 miles) and duration (477.47 hours aloft). Around the World in 20 Days tells the story of their flight, and the obstacles--both natural and manmade--they had to overcome. Struggling to get the balloon back into the jet stream when they had strayed too far south was one thing, but negotiating with dozens of countries for the right to fly in their air space was just as challenging. Even choosing a landing site was problematic: "Mali is mainly desert, and has lions, leopards etc.," while the Nigerians were hesitant, the Libyans wouldn't allow rescue planes to be brought in, and Egypt gave the balloon permission to overfly its borders but not to land. On the ground, the team's support system spelled out the situation to the Egyptians: "Listen--the balloon is running out of fuel. If the pilot doesn't have permission to land, he'll have to declare a full emergency, and you'll be obliged by the international rules to deal with it." The Egyptian controller replied, "In that case, I give you permission."
Man Flies : The Story of Alberto Santos-Dumont, Master of the Balloon, Conqueror of the Air
by Nancy Winters
- About $23, but much less used - If you fly down, like most of us, this is an interesting twist on the Wright Brothers. From Book News:
Tells how wealthy Brazilian heir Santos-Dumont (1873-1932) came of age in Paris determined to live out the novels of Jules Verne by
developing human flight. Describes how his airships gradually improved so that he was counted brilliant as well as dashing in the world's
capitals until he learned that the Wright brothers had been there first with the most. Includes many old photographs, a chronology, and a
glossary
Little Museums : Over 1,000 Small (And Not-So-Small) American Showplaces by Lynne Arany and Archie Hobson This state-by-state listing of weird museums will help break the tedium of long drives. You could live in Fairbanks, Alaska and grow tired of the the Dog Mushing Museum during a long winter, so a quick trip Palo Alto to visit the Barbie Hall of Fame would be just the ticket. You may find the Museum of Ordinary People in Huntsboro, Alabama a bit boring, but surely the 24 Hour Church of Elvis in Portland, Arizona would thrill and enlighten. To aid in these quests, the museums are cross referenced by categories. You can buy it for about $15. Don't leave home without it.
World Guide to Nude Beaches & Resorts by Lee Baxandall This is the best source for nude beaches the world over. I'd say it was on my desk, but I can't find it because somebody borrowed it.
North American Guide to Nude Recreation from the American Sunbathing Assn Another choice, especially for North America.
Hot Springs and Hot Pools of the Southwest, 1996 by Marjorie Gersh-Young This is more like it, but still, a fine beach in the caribbean is better.
These aren't exactly travel books, but books by travellers:
Gargantua and Pantagruel by Francois Rabelais, translated by Burton Raffel This is the ribald satire that ends with our heroes seeking the Oracle of the Holy Bottle, whose advice is, "Drink."
Innocents Abroad or the New Pilgrims Progress: Being Some Account of the Steamship Quaker City's Pleasure Excursion to Europe and the Holy Land by Mark Twain This was written early in Twain's career before he came to believe everything he said about himself.
The Journals of Lewis and Clark by Meriwether Lewis, Bernard Devoto (Editor), William Clark If you liked the PBS series, read the book.