5.6
Peter Hessler
Why is this writer at his best when he doesn’t try to be a journalist?
Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory | 2001 | 7 years | China | driving, journalism
4.8
Richard Wilhelm
Is this an effort in soul searching or rather a classic work about China?
The Soul Of China | 1899 | 25 years | China | missionary work
5.4
Matsuo Basho
Does true poetry only flourish in the depths of the wilderness?
The Narrow Road To The Deep North | 1689 | 6 months | Japan | walking
4.8
China
Odoric of Pordenone
Was this a 14th-century fact finding mission or just another medieval mystery tale?
The Travel | 1314 | 15 years | Silk Road | caravan
5.2
China
Sun Shuyun
Is this book more about contemplation or more about adventure?
Ten Thousand Miles Without A Cloud | 1999 | 2 months | India | backpacking
3.8
Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff
Is this guy a missionary or is he really a spy?
Journal Of Three Voyages Along The Coast Of China] | 1831 | 2 years | China | missionary work
6.4
Himalayas
Reinhold Messner
Did the best mountaineer ever write the best book about mountaineering ever?
Everest Solo | 1980 | 2 months | Himalaya | mountaineering
4.2
Iraq
Jean de Mandeville
Why is it so much fun to read Medieval travel stories that are at least partly untrue?
The Travels | 1322 | 34 years | Europe, Africa, Asia | caravan, walking, ship
4.2
Thailand
Andreas Altmann
How was an otherwise good travel book spoiled by too much preaching?
The Price Of Lightness | 2005 | 2 months | Southeast Asia | backpacking
5
China
Sven Hedin
Are we looking at a career-obsessed explorer or at a blueprint for Indiana Jones?
In The Heart Of Asia | 1893 | 4 years | China | caravan
4.2
Rob Gifford
Are the errors in this book due to poor editing or is this an expert who doesn’t know his craft?
China Road | 2005 | 2 months | China | journalism
5.8
China
Ji Xianlin
Are these travel memoirs worth reading, or has censorship ruined them?
Wandering Around The World (行走天下) | 1934 | 70 years | world | research
4
China
Stanley Stewart
Is China really that quirky, or do we sometimes just want things to be a certain way?
Frontiers of Heaven | 1994 | 1 month | China | backpacking
4.2
Saudi Arabia
Ibn Battuta
Did conservative ethics turn this great adventure story into such a slow read?
The Travels | 1325 | 29 years | Asia, Africa, Europe | ship, caravan
5
China
Mildred Cable
Is this just a book about three ladies taking it slow, or is it an epic adventure?
The Gobi Desert | 1926 | 12 years | China | caravan