Travel Books
recommended by travel writers
Last updated: December 19, 2024
The best books on India, recommended by Mark Tully
The veteran journalist, who has lived in India for most of his life, talks about the country’s new-found self-confidence and recommends books to better understand its history and complexities
The best books on Spain, recommended by Jason Webster
From the book Robinson Crusoe was based on to surrealist filmmakers, Jason Webster chooses five books that illustrate the power of the Spanish imagination.
The best books on The Diplomat’s Wife, recommended by Brigid Keenan
The author discusses a varied selection of books about young women living abroad. Draws on her own experiences as a Diplomat’s Wife. Features Out of Africa and The Jewel In The Crown with three more travel classics
The best books on Foreign Memoirs, recommended by Jennifer Steil
The first five books in the genre, as picked by a writer, journalist and actor who wrote a memoir about running a newspaper in Yemen.
The best books on Travel in the Muslim World, recommended by Ziauddin Sardar
Travelling is not the same as going on holiday, says Ziauddin Sardar, the writer, broadcaster and cultural critic He recommends five books about travellers in the Muslim world—from 14th-century Morocco to 20th-century Damascus by way of Indonesia.
The best books on The Nile, recommended by Dan Morrison
Journalist and author of The Black Nile, who spent six months travelling the famous river, discusses some of the turbulent times that the Nile has witnessed – and praises its extraordinary beauty.
The best books on Mexico, recommended by Hugh Thomson
Explorer, film-maker and writer, Hugh Thomson, picks the best books on Mexico, from the revolution in 1910, to the conquistadors, to gold mines, to the fatalism of Mexico and more.
The best books on The Andes, recommended by Michael Jacobs
The respected author and prominent Hispanist examines the history and people of The Andes. Selects and reviews five great reads, including classics from Isherwood and Hemming
The best books on India, Ancient and Modern, recommended by William Dalrymple
The award-winning writer selects five books on India and says that the Mahabharata, eight times the length of the Bible, is one of the great works of literature of mankind – and every bit as good as it’s made out to be
The best books on The Khyber Pass, recommended by Paddy Docherty
Historian discusses five books on one of the world’s most enigmatic and dangerous places. “The atmosphere inside the Khyber is certainly very tense. You don’t see people strutting around having a nice time”