If you enjoy travel writing, 20th century British history, and some deep thinking, you'll love this exploration of British travel writers. Many of them were very popular in their day but are now forgotten, but you've probably seen the Durrells in Corfu on PBS, so you'll know about Lawrence Durrell. You may also recall Laurens van der Post, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Mrs Bailey, Wilfred Thesiger, Gavin Maxwell. Cocker takes us into the travel writer's perspective and shows why the genre appealed so much to certain people at a certain point in history. Be ready to think about travel as escape, as exploration of the past, as philosophical occupation, and enjoy the back story behind the insular culture that led to exploring and writing about Greece, Tibet, Arabian deserts, sub-Saharan Africa, and other far away places. Almost like new except for top corner bump. 1st US edition. Pantheon Books, NY. Hb, Dj. USED. $7.00
