I like Stephen Fry. He’s an engaging comedian, actor, writer and renowned brainiac. He’s been on British television for years, and as someone always aI like Stephen Fry. He’s an engaging comedian, actor, writer and renowned brainiac. He’s been on British television for years, and as someone always attracted to all things American, I couldn’t resist grabbing an audio copy of this book, narrated by the man himself. It’s effectively a follow-up, or accompaniment, to a BBC television series which was released in 2008. Therefore some elements are somewhat dated, but nonetheless the opportunity to follow him as he visits every state in the Union was too tempting to miss.
It’s fair to say that his adventures are somewhat whistle-stop. I’d even say that some states barely get a visit. But Fry is amusing and interesting company as he scoots around the country in a black London Taxi. He’s clearly in love with, and in awe of, America and his enthusiasm for (nearly) everything he comes across is, in a sense, uplifting. But one of the more irritating elements – despite his pledge in his introduction to avoid such things – is the obvious set-ups for the television series which was the prime motivation behind his journey. These set-piece ‘adventures’ felt trite, and I skipped through a few of them. He’s much more interesting when he talks about things he came across, and people he met, whilst not being filmed.
A few takeaways:
Grimmest place: Trump’s casino in New Jersey
Most boring states: the Dakotas
Most beautiful state: Utah
Most friendly state: Actually, practically everywhere ...more
English writer David Reynolds starts his journey at Ocean City, Maryland. It’s a place I’ve never heard of but it’s one end of America’s Route 50, a 3English writer David Reynolds starts his journey at Ocean City, Maryland. It’s a place I’ve never heard of but it’s one end of America’s Route 50, a 3000 mile road that that once traversed the country, ending (or beginning, depending from which side you begin your journey) at San Francisco. On the map the route looks like a pretty straight line, passing through Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California. He’s completing the journey alone, taking as much of the original road as possible and he’ll be taking his time, driving for around seven weeks.
Reynolds is good company as he travels sans Sat-Nav and therefore frequently gets lost. This isn’t helped by the fact that he has to navigate himself around regular interruptions to his chosen path. He stays at cheap hotels, accommodation he hasn’t booked in advance as he’s not sure where he’ll be at the end of any given day. In the evenings he usually grabs a stool at the bar in a promising looking joint and grabs a beer or two as he chats to locals about his journey, their life and Donald Trump.
Set in the year 2000, Trump is in the White House and the author is clearly not a fan, being a self-confessed middle-class, white, liberal. In fact most of the people he chats to aren’t Trump fans either, though some of them confessed that they did vote for him. It seems that many found the appeal of Hilary Clinton to be even less attractive than that of The Donald. Many, it seems, liked neither and chose not to vote at all.
En route, he visits a good number of museums, meets some interesting people (nearly everyone he meets being extraordinarily friendly) and reflects on the history of the places he passes through. I’ve read quite a bit about ‘manifest destiny’ and the Westward expansion, but this book still filled in some gaps in my knowledge. But above all, the author filled me with the pleasure of the journey – his journey. I loved the pure adventure of it. I’ve taken one road trip of around 2500 miles through parts of California, Nevada and Arizona and I’d love to take another trip, plotting a very different route. This book fuelled my ambition no end. ...more
A young woman's travels documented in words and pictures. I was initially struck by the photographs as I perused Autumn’s online blog prior to requestA young woman's travels documented in words and pictures. I was initially struck by the photographs as I perused Autumn’s online blog prior to requesting this book – the photos are stunning! It’s harder to appreciate the quality via the e-book I was given access to, but I do believe they’ll show brilliantly well on paper. There are some good practical tips too for aspiring travellers, for instance how to make a ‘proper’ cup of English tea (clue: it doesn’t involve a microwave) and the fact that when visiting an English pub you have to approach the bar to order food and drink, the staff won’t come to you. From a personal point of view these both tickled me.
But aside from the tips and photos what really grabbed me was Autumn’s story: her bravery in undertaking the trips alone, her angst when faced with challenging situations (e.g. getting an uninvited mauling twice when in Italy or travelling to Australia with a potential diagnosis of cancer overhanging her). It really is a gripping account, written with modesty and honesty. I couldn’t help seeking out a few places listed that I’d visited and checking her reaction against mine. It really is great fun and, I think, truly inspiring.
My thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
California is the wealthiest state in America and with a long cliff lined coastline, nine national parks, the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the CentraCalifornia is the wealthiest state in America and with a long cliff lined coastline, nine national parks, the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the Central Valley farmland and three deserts it could certainly claim to be the most diverse. This book suggests that it’s the perfect state for a road trip and from personal experience can definitely say that this claim has definite merits.
On our trip in 2017, we started out in Los Angeles before driving over the mountains to Palm Springs and on through the desert to Joshua Tree National Park. Then, after a brief spell in Arizona and Nevada, we travelled back into the state and through the amazingly hot and surprisingly beautiful Death Valley on our way to Sacramento and Napa. From there we drove to San Francisco and on down amazing the Pacific Coast Highway, eventually finding our way beyond L.A. to Laguna Beach in Orange County.
This book features just about all of the significant places we visited. It’s mainly a photographic exploration of the state, with just a brief overview of the places featured. The photographs are, though, excellent and I think they provide an really good start point for planning a road trip or perhaps just as a visual reminder of your own adventure.
My thanks to Amber Books Limited for providing an e-version of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more
I’ve always enjoyed trains – not spotting them, I was never into that – I like mix of the smells and sounds a station gives off and the ritual of boarI’ve always enjoyed trains – not spotting them, I was never into that – I like mix of the smells and sounds a station gives off and the ritual of boarding and then alighting at journey’s end. It’s more formal than a car journey, a proper event rather than something undertaken, more often than not, with little thought or planning. The longest train journey I ever experience was from South Devon, England to Aberdeen, Scotland, taking something between ten and twelve hours. I was very young and, in truth, can remember little about it though I know I enjoyed the excitement of the ‘sleeper’ on the way up though I found the seated return trip interminable. My dad was a railway man, so all virtually holiday journeys were by rail - I guess it’s how I got the bug.
I’d enjoyed the watching television episodes of ex-politician Michael Portillo riding trains on some of the most scenic routes in the world, and I though this book might recreate some of these adventures in my mind. Unfortunately, I found the book to be largely a compilation of photographs of trains and train stations, with the odd scenic view added for good measure. Broken into five sections - North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia – it’s still an interesting book for train lovers to peruse but don’t expect a breakdown of the great journeys of the world, it’s more a seemingly random selection of pictures with a small amount of background information. In this respect, it proved to be something of a disappointment.
I received a copy of this book from Amber Books Ltd via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
I’m not a train buff but I have travelled a good deal in the UK using this mode of transport. My dad worked for British Rail as a coach builder (a carI’m not a train buff but I have travelled a good deal in the UK using this mode of transport. My dad worked for British Rail as a coach builder (a carpenter who worked on the carriages) and he was allowed a small number of free tickets each year for use by himself and his family. Usually this made possible an annual excursion to London, and this meant that journey's end was Paddington Station, the station serving travellers from the South West. On exiting the train the sight of Brunel's triple-span iron and glass roof was (and still is) just awe inspiring. Latterly, my journeys to this station have been largely work related but the sense of arriving somewhere ‘significant’, of alighting at a station fitting the nation’s capital hasn’t diminished.
Until I read this book I didn’t know that London has more main line stations (13) than any other city in the world. All of these were built in the Victorian period: the first six months before her reign commenced and the last two years before she died. Seven of them opened between 1860 – 75. The grandeur of this period is fully reflected in some of the architecture, most notably the flamboyant neo-Gothic exterior of St Pancras (which is, in fact, the former Midland Grand Hotel). I drove past this station once and recall being somewhat gobsmacked at the sight of it, but had no idea it what the building actually represented.
The history provided here is comprehensive and the range of photographs equally so. I’ve never visited the majority of these stations but there are certainly a few I’ve now made plans to seek out. This is a wonderful book for railway enthusiasts or in fact anyone interested in the history of the city’s rail infrastructure. My sincere thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Theroux is no stranger to Africa, he’d lived and taught in Malawi and Uganda as young man and wrote about a journey he undertook from Cairo down the eTheroux is no stranger to Africa, he’d lived and taught in Malawi and Uganda as young man and wrote about a journey he undertook from Cairo down the eastern side of the continent to Cape Town in 2002. Here, now in his early seventies, he decides to commence his latest trip in Cape Town and follow a route up the western side, through Namibia and Angola and hopefully finishing in Timbuktu, Mali.
His hope in South Africa was to see improvements in the ten years or so since he was last in the country. And as he took a tour through the slums of Cape Town he was pleased to see that there had been some progress, with permanent structures having replaced the self-built shacks of old, in some places at least. He was surprised (and somewhat shocked) to learn that ‘slum tourism’ was a growing thing, with groups bussed in to visit townships and to witness the poverty and misfortune of those that reside on the margins of the city. But he left with a sense of hope after visiting a successful school for disadvantaged students run by an optimistic and energetic young woman.
In Namibia he rode elephants at a luxury safari resort and made a cute observation in comparing the orderly and respectful way multiple breeds of animal behaved around a small but crowded watering hole to the chaotic gathering he witnessed amongst a group of tourists waiting in line for their turn at a buffet table. He also visited the delightful Ju/’hoansi tribe and spoke to an elder who whispered the belief that a praying mantis can kill anything and that all humans come from animals and all animals come from humans. But everywhere he went he was warned about his intention to travel overland into Angola, ‘it’s a nightmare’ said one and shortly after arriving in the country the author described it as a ‘hell hole… run by thieves’.
His border experience was an illustration in rudeness and the contempt officialdom held for tourists. His journey from the border to the municipality of Lubango was even worse, in a crowded car driven by a drunken driver. By this point he was already asking himself the question ‘why am I here?’. The country, he concludes, is unhappy and inhospitable. Angola’s wealth comes from the rich natural resources of the land: oil, gold and diamonds. But Theroux states that the government is ‘utterly uninterested in its people’, the vast majority of whom live in abject poverty. Having made his way to the capital city of Luanda (known at that time as the most expensive city in Africa) he reflected on his journey:
- Three men he’d befriended along the way had since died, two in violent circumstances: one murdered in his own home by an invader and another trampled to death by an elephant he was caring for.
- His credit card had been cloned somewhere along his route and $48,000 in expenditure had been debited to his account.
- The political landscape was unpromising in respect of his forward path and would he learn anything new, see anything he hadn’t already witnessed in the other countries he planned to travel through: isn't every city in this western part of Africa equally as squalid and isn't every shanty town just like the last?
Theroux is a serial traveller, a man who lives for or the chance experience or unanticipated discovery. His trips have a degree of planning – he’ll have committed to a meeting here or a lecture there – but he is never in a hurry, his travel arrangements are loose and fluid. He always moves overland, often using the path less trodden. But on this trip his resolve was tested early on and he quickly began to question himself on the reason for this trip. It was, to all intents, an unhappy experience. And yet it’s a fascinating journey to observe – he has a keen eye, his descriptive skills are peerless and he’s stoically outspoken regarding his contempt for aid givers and for Irish musician Bono in particular. Theroux is a man who is easy to travel with, wise and fun and sometimes able to make you feel that you’re there with him. I’m hooked and I’m off to look out another account of one of his many trips....more
I’ve long been a fan of Anthony Bourdain: ten years ago or more I read, and loved, Kitchen Confidential and A Cook’s Tour and ever since I’ve voraciI’ve long been a fan of Anthony Bourdain: ten years ago or more I read, and loved, Kitchen Confidential and A Cook’s Tour and ever since I’ve voraciously chased down episodes of his television shows No Reservations and Parts Unknown. In these shows he travels the world, meets people, explores the area and eats and drinks his way through just about anything you can think of. I was so obsessed with these programmes that I even tracked down a food shack he visited in one of his episodes. After watching it on a flight from the UK to Australia I tracked down Harry’s Café de Wheels, in Sydney, which is known for its meat pies and mash – and I have to say the food really was very good!
Like so many people, I was devastated when AB took his own life in 2018. What a tragic loss. And I was surprised when I spotted this book, due for release in April 2021 – is it a book that had been written before his death and was just now being released? Unfortunately, not, in fact it’s something that grew out of the recording of a one hour meeting between Bourdain and his assistant, a few months before he died. The net result is, I think, something of a mishmash. In close to five hundred pages we are treated to brief overviews of quite a few of the places Bourdain visited, with each section comprising a collection of quotes from the man himself, details of restaurants he visited (address, average cost of a meal etc.) and some travel information such as where the airports are situated and how much it might cost you to get from there into the nearest centre.
To be fair, the lines from Bourdain are often priceless, reminding me just what a clever and amusing writer and raconteur he was. But why mix it up with the sort of information you’d get from a travel guide or online? In addition, in the e-copy I read the text was broken up by a series of drawings - what a missed opportunity, I’d happily have dispensed with the travel information and swapped the drawings for some photographs. In this format, the book just didn’t work for me. So, where is the audience for it? I suppose the best fit might be fans of the man who decide they want to track down some of the places featured in his shows, or perhaps just have a record of these places accompanied by some of Bourdain's memorable lines.
My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Greece is a place I’ve often been drawn back to. Over the years I’ve enjoyed holidays on a number of islands - Corfu, Crete, Kos, Zakynthos, Skiathos Greece is a place I’ve often been drawn back to. Over the years I’ve enjoyed holidays on a number of islands - Corfu, Crete, Kos, Zakynthos, Skiathos and Thassos - as well as the northern mainland costal area of Halkidiki, which included a boat trip that provided a view up to the magnificent elevated monasteries of Meteora. During my visits, I’ve always loved the affable manner in which locals unfailingly seem to greet visitors, the beautiful beaches, the simple but gorgeous dishes served up at the tavernas and the stunning vistas just about everywhere you turn. To me, it’s a land of sunshine, white houses and smiles where the pace of life seldom seems to exceed that of a slow stroll.
This book is full of glorious photographs and though it does depict my Greece it also uncovers a country I haven’t yet seen: the glory of the Acropolis and the bustle of the city of Athens, Mount Olympus, the magnificent Vicos Gorge and photographs of some of the many islands I’ve yet to visit. It’s a book that will provide plenty of enjoyment for anyone who has visited the country and inspiration for those who haven’t yet. As well as the photographs some interesting background information and history is provided. A book to browse through and keep to hand for when you require a reminder of a place that surely all travellers should seek an opportunity to visit
My thanks to Amber Books Ltd & NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
This is another of these coffee table books featuring places we all might want to visit at some time in our lives. There’s some crossover here with a This is another of these coffee table books featuring places we all might want to visit at some time in our lives. There’s some crossover here with a another book I recently read and reviewed from the same publisher and author (Wonders of the World) but the focus here is on where we might want to visit for that dream holiday or adventure.
The first thing to say is that the photographs are gorgeous! There are actually very few places featured here that I’ve visited, just a handful of European destination and a couple of obvious spots in California and Australia. For the most part I found myself scribbling away trying to compile a short-list of future destinations from the stack of options here.
If you like dreaming of fantastic places to visit or you’re thinking of planning a trip but you don’t know where to go then this book is a great place to start. Or just have it handy to browse through from time to time, it might just spark a desire to visit somewhere you’ve never previously heard of – it did for me.
My thanks to Amber Books Ltd and NetGalley for supplying an electronic-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more
I really enjoy browsing through books like this, compromising great photographs and a limited amount of text concerning the most famous, most amazing I really enjoy browsing through books like this, compromising great photographs and a limited amount of text concerning the most famous, most amazing (and sometimes most visited) places in the world. The introduction here reminds us that there were originally seven wonders of the world, based on a list compiled by a Greek historian in the 5th Century. Of these, only one survives – the Pyramid of Khufu at Giza. But what now constitutes a great wonder? The pages here include both the natural and the man made. There will always be debate over what should and should not be included in such a collection but I think the producers of this book have done a pretty good job.
In working my way through the pages I counted fifteen sites I’ve visited in Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. And I’m pretty sure anyone who has done even a limited amount of travel would be able to tick off a few featured in the two hundred plus pages. My own favourites are those of the natural world and in this regard my personal memory bank puts the Great Barrier Reef, Australia and the Grand Canyon, USA as the most amazing spots I’ve visited. In terms of buildings I’d go for the Colosseum, Rome and the view of the Grand Canal, Venice from the Rialto Bridge. But on another day I might pick alternative favourites, and that’s the beauty of a book like this: it fires up the memory bank and prompts thoughts of future journeys to exotic and enticing places.
So what would be on my future list? I’d love to visit Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and see the view from the Christ the Redeemer statue, pop down to the border with Argentina to take in the Iguazu Falls and skip across to Peru to wonder around the site at Machu Picchu. And that barely covers my ‘must see’ list for just one part of the world. Yes, there’s too much to see in one lifetime but one can dream.
My thanks to Amber Books Limited and NetGalley for providing an electronic-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more
I’m not a churchgoing person but I do appreciate architecture that excites and delights the eye, and some of these structures turn out to be places ofI’m not a churchgoing person but I do appreciate architecture that excites and delights the eye, and some of these structures turn out to be places of worship. This book features more than 150 Christian chapels, basilicas, abbeys and cathedrals, a good number if which are absolutely stunning. The buildings are modern and old, large and small and situated in the centre of bustling cities and in remote places - there’s even a floating church in Cambodia. Some of the exteriors are famously eye-catching, such as St Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, but many of the the interiors make statements of comparable impact.
I’ve visited my share of religious buildings over the years, sometimes the experience has been memorable and at other times significantly less so. One unscheduled viewing occurred when I stopped for lunch at a pub in a small village on the edge of Exmoor, in my home county of Devon, and the landlord suggested I cast my eye over the church next door - it dates back to the twelfth century, he said. And what an amazing place it was, it had been knocked around over the years but the front of the church was original and much of the rest was five or six hundred years old. It also had box pews, something I hadn’t seen before. It’s not in this book, but in case you’re interested it was the church of St Mary in Molland.
This book, with its amazing photographs and brief but interesting overview and history showed just how varied places of worship can be. Obviously you have enormous buildings such as St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome but at the other end of the scale the church featured in a Kenyan township is literally a tin hut. The weirdest is high heeled shoe, fifty six feet high, made almost entirely of glass in Taiwan and the one I was most awed by is an unbelievable space carved into a mountain in Cairo.
At this point, nearing the end of the first quarter of 2020, it doesn’t look like I’ll be visiting any of the featured sites in the near future. But let’s hope things look and feel a little different at some not too distant point, there are a few here I’d definitely like to get to.
My thanks to Amber Books Limited and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I love travel books, particularly those with big glossy pictures and enough historical and cultural facts to help me decide where on my mental list ofI love travel books, particularly those with big glossy pictures and enough historical and cultural facts to help me decide where on my mental list of places to visit I’ll position any spots that take my fancy. This book focuses on 30 cities which it says are sure to make a strong impressions all who visit them, with each having a rich architectural heritage or a spectacular natural environment and a uniqueness that sets them aside from other cities. It’s a tough call whittling down all the major cities of the world to a final group of this size and whilst I might have included a couple not covered here I do think this is a pretty good stab at it.
I’ve visited about a third of the cities listed here and each of them certainly impressed me. My personal favourites include Berlin, Venice, San Francisco and Sydney but in truth they all offered something slightly different and each was amazing in its own way. The format here is to provide some historical background, an birds eye map with places of interest picked out and also a detailed plan of a major structure synonymous with that location. It a short and punchy introduction to each city. And the photographs are wonderful, I particularly loved a view of Sydney, tracking a runner as he makes his way over the Harbour Bridge and showing a superb view of the vista below - absolutely stunning!
My sincere thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – Chartwell Books and NetGalley for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Tidying out my bookshelf I came across this fairly ancient tome. I bought it for as a Christmas present for my wife over thirty years ago. Inside the Tidying out my bookshelf I came across this fairly ancient tome. I bought it for as a Christmas present for my wife over thirty years ago. Inside the book I'd secreted details of a holiday I'd booked to the Greek island of Kos the following Summer. We'd only gotten married the previous year and didn't have a lot of money so it was a fairly cheap deal, but I was so excited that I'd been able to afford the trip and it was the most glamorous present I'd ever given anyone. Full of excitement on the back of my promise of a 'surprise', on Christmas morning she ripped open the wrapping paper to discover... a book. To say she was underwhelmed is an understatement. She threw it to one side, sniffing 'my surprise is a book?!'. I managed to salvage the situation somewhat by directing her to the section of the book which hid the holiday confirmation slip. To this day she tells me it's the only surprise present I've ever bought her.
Actually, the trip to Kos was great, even though the accommodation was just about as basic as it comes: a semi-submerged one room apartment in a nondescript back street. Through our one small window all we could see were feet and ankles of fellow holidaymakers as they passed by on their way to the beach. But we were on a Greek island so who spends their time in an apartment - lets get ourselves to the beach and the bars! Over the years I've managed to get to a few other islands: Corfu, Crete, Skiathos and Thassos. Each of them are wonderful in their own distinct way. Actually, it's about time I added to that list and unearthing this book might just provide the stimulus for me to book another trip (and maybe a second surprise present)....more
It all started in the 1820s and 1830s, with a few short lines in Britain, the United States, France and Germany. By the early 1900s the combined systeIt all started in the 1820s and 1830s, with a few short lines in Britain, the United States, France and Germany. By the early 1900s the combined systems totalled over half a million miles. This book is a celebration of what I believe to be one of the most relaxing and pleasurable means of travel, featuring routes in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. It consists mainly of a series of photographs, covering more than two hundred pages. The accompanying text is simply a very brief commentary on each photograph.
Some of the images are stunning. My favourites include:
- Some truly magnificent station buildings such as: Chicago’s Union Station, Antwerp’s Central Station and, of course, Grand Central in New York. But also some much smaller constructions such as Skagway Station in Alaska with impressive mountains climbing in the background and with its buildings a reminder of the Klondike Gold Rush at the end of the 19th Century.
- The world’s highest railway viaduct at La Polvorilla, Argentina and another wonderful, but significantly smaller version, at Ribblehead, North Yorkshire in England.
- Some extravagantly appointed trains, such as Hiram Bingham, Cuzco-Machu Picchu, Peru and the Serra Verde Express, Curitiba, Brazil.
- And the view available from the train journeys are varied and, sometimes, breathtaking – like the close-up view of the Matterhorn available from the Zermatt-Gornergrat Railway in Switzerland.
All in all, there are way too many memorable images for me to do justice to here. This book is a must for lovers of train travel or for anyone seeking a memorable travel experience.
My thanks to Amber books Limited and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I’ve always loved castles. When I was a boy my dad, a carpenter, made me a castle as a Christmas present. It had four circular turrets, one at each coI’ve always loved castles. When I was a boy my dad, a carpenter, made me a castle as a Christmas present. It had four circular turrets, one at each corner, and a drawbridge that could be raised and lowered. It’s probably the best present I ever received. And when I worked in Wales for a period I used to take my son to visit castles at Caerphilly and Cardiff – I’m not really sure whether this was for his education or to feed my own fascination with these structures. So when I spotted this book I knew it was something I’d lap up.
It’s a pictorial journey through abandoned hill and sea forts, castles, towers and citadels from Europe to the Americas and from Africa to India and Japan. The structures featured here were built as early as the 6th Century BCE and as late as the 5th Century CE. This collection comprises 150 stunning photographs detailing more than 100 fortifications. My favourites include:
- The intricate fort at Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, India, its walls covered in sculptures depicting scenes from Hindu mythology.
- Caught on a misty day, Corfe Castle in Dorset, England, looks stunning perched in a commanding position on a steep hill in a break between the Purbeck Hills.
- The triangular Caerlaverock Castle, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland was the only British castle build in this shape.
- Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland is perched on a headland jutting into the North Sea. It was where the Scottish crown jewels were hidden when Oliver Cromwell invaded Scotland in 1650.
- The fortifications at Palamidi, Nafplio, Peloponnese, Greece seems to dramatically crawl down the mountain.
A great book to browse through and to dream of times past.
My thanks to Amber Books Ltd and NetGalley for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I love the whole concept of this book. It’s something I was vaguely aware of but had never attached a label to. Ghost Signs are the evidence a businesI love the whole concept of this book. It’s something I was vaguely aware of but had never attached a label to. Ghost Signs are the evidence a business leaves behind when it’s no longer there. Or to be more specific, it’s the sign displaying the name of the company and sometimes additional details of the enterprise. I’ve seen these locally, I’ve even worked in buildings where this has happened: old bank branches that are now shops or coffee houses. The signs may be carved into stone (as was often the case with old bank buildings in the UK – and similar to the Bowery Savings Bank featured in this book) or, more simply, a name painted directly on a wall adjacent to or above the business premises. Some are small and others cover vast areas of space. A number are barely visible and a few are are pretty well tucked away in dingy corners or below street level.
This book looks at Ghost Signs specifically in Manhattan. In fact, it doesn’t just look at the signs – and supply terrific photographs of the same – it also provides a potted history of each business featured. There’s some brilliant trivia too, interesting facts connecting some of the businesses with specific figures or events. And the book goes further, it sets the scene by running through what amounts to a history of the various neighbourhoods of New York, explaining how each district inherited its name and the way in which they have subsequently evolved. It’s an intriguing way of learning about the city.
I’ve got a few favourites here and they include a tiny sign on Seventh Avenue South on a spot where a five story building called the Voorhis once stood. After being purchased by the city and demolished, in the early 1900’s, it was later discovered that a minuscule triangle of land had been missed in the city survey. The family declined to donate this piece of land to the city and instead installed a sign which says ‘Property of the Hess Estate which has never been dedicated for public purposes’. I also loved some of the signs featuring neon tubing, such as the Rocco Restaurant sign in Greenwich Village, which has been repurposed to advertise a new eatery with a different name, though you can still clearly see the the chipped and peeling evidence of the old name below.
What a great hobby. I know I’ll be looking out for ghost signs wherever I go now and I might even photograph them to start my own collection. I really, really enjoyed this book. It’s essentially a browser but I read the whole thing through in a couple of days, I was absolutely hooked from the start.
My sincere thanks to Schaffer Publishing Limited and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more
It’s true that to see, in real life, many of the wonders featured in this book a degree of neck contortion is required. I’ve visited a number of the bIt’s true that to see, in real life, many of the wonders featured in this book a degree of neck contortion is required. I’ve visited a number of the buildings featured here and to appreciate the most dramatic element on show you have to look up. Unfortunately, on at least a couple of occasions I seem to have, at least partially, missed out. At the Sistine Chapel in Rome the ceiling is so high I found it hard to fully appreciate the detail of the amazing paintings (and note that anyone trying to take a photograph was immediately ushered out) and at the Sangrada Familia in Barcelona ongoing construction work partially obscured efforts to fully admire the amazing work above. But in this book the superbly detailed photographs fully display the staggering beauty on show in these buildings and in a wide range of others across the world.
The photographs are amazing, both the large overviews and the detailed breakdowns. Colours are vividly captured and the overall result is, at times, mind blowing. It definitely inspired a desire in me to visit more of these sites at some point. My favourites include the subterranean art displayed across the walls and ceilings in Stockholm’s Metro Stations and the ceramic tiles covering virtually every surface in the Imam Mosque at Asafan, Iran. Many of the images included in this book have a religious context, but some scenes are political in nature and others are hard to categorise. An informative text accompanies each. I was viewing an electronic version but I’d imagine a hard copy of this book would be a wonderful item to own and peruse at your leisure.
My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Paul Theroux is often lauded as potentially the greatest travel writer of his generation and with this book he shows that his power remains undiminishPaul Theroux is often lauded as potentially the greatest travel writer of his generation and with this book he shows that his power remains undiminished.
Mexico is a big country, something like eight times the size of the United Kingdom, and yet its population is only about twice that of the UK. It’s ethnically diverse with just over half of its people identifying themselves as mixed race. It’s rich in natural resources, but its wealth is unevenly distributed, with the top ten percent of the population hogging nearly half of the income and (according to Wikipedia) a third the countries inhabitants are forced to get by on less that $5 per day. And the principle message I get from television and radio is that Mexicans are permanently queued up at it’s border attempting to bust, sneak or climb their way into the promised land that lies to the north. It’s the message that Trump has been blasting out, the ‘build the wall’ mantra he’s been been espousing for years, that appears to have been Theroux’s prompt to explore this land. What’s life really like on the other side of the fence?
Our intrepid traveller sets out a plan to drive along the American side of the border, from San Ysidro in the West to Brownsville in the East, slipping over into Mexico at every crossing opportunity to visit border towns and talk to people on both sides of the divide. Once this exercise has been completed he will head south and drive the length of the country. As always happens when I join him on his journeys, it becomes obvious from the start that he will meet interesting people, unearth thought provoking facts and stimulate a desire in me to step out of my own comfort zone and explore some of the more interesting regions of this big wide world we live in.
Theroux’s border exploration certainly threw up a few early eye opening surprises for me:
- His experience suggests that gringos (particularly those of advanced years – he’s now in his mid to late seventies) are treated with a good deal of respect in Mexico. This contrasts starkly with how Trump and his crew paint the average Mexican and therefore the way in which many who have made the journey in the opposite direction are treated or perceived.
- People living in the border towns in both countries tend to laugh at the idea of building a bigger, better wall: the standard retort being along the lines of if you big a bigger wall they’ll just find a longer ladder.
- The border is certainly very porous, though significantly less so since 911. It’s also clear that there is a ready market for crossings driven partly from people coming into Mexico and travelling north from violent Central American countries such as Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Also, increasingly many from Africa, India and Pakistan fly into Mexico and attempt to cross the border into America. There is a steady market for professional criminals (coyotes) who charge hundreds (or sometimes thousands) of dollars to transport these people across the border. But more than this, it’s clear that thousands of Mexicans make the journey across the border daily, quite legally, to work and then return to their homes at the end of their labours. In this sense the border felt to Theroux more like a blur than a clean straight line.
- In Theroux’s earlier book Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads he talked about the loss of manufacturing jobs to factories being set up in Mexico, but what I hadn’t realised is that many of these these are sited literally a stone's throw from the border itself, clearly visible from the American side. Mexicans working in these factories can typically work a ten-hour shift for an average pay of $6.
After completing the border section of his journey he heads south from Reynosa, heeding the many warnings he’s received from both his fellow countrymen and most of the Mexicans he’s met along the way; primarily the advice he received consisted of an instruction not to travel at night and to make sure that his car his was safely protected while he slept. As I read this account of his journey, the people he met and the conversations he had with them, I felt a mixture of envy at the adventurousness of it all mixed in with a pang of anxiety for Theroux’s wellbeing – it’s clear he was taking some risks, certainly more risks than I’d have entertained. On one occasion early on he explored the red light area of a town with the help of a local driver who was clearly reluctant to enter this dingy, threatening neighbourhood, even during daylight hours.
From the start, the author had heard talk of how the cartel gangs fought with each other over territory, how these gangs were often in cahoots with the police and that random kidnappings and murders were common place. In the town of San Luis Potosí he came across a demonstration concerning the kidnap and likely murder of forty-three students a few years earlier, most of the bodies never found. This is the dark side of Mexico. In fact, as he approached Mexico City, Theroux had two run-ins with the police, both as a result of minor (or perceived) traffic violations. In both instances the police officer aggressively demanded money (between $250-$300) or he’d have his car impounded. He was later to experience this again and learn that these shakedowns are routine in a country where corruption amongst the police, local authorities and the government is rife. In fact, it’s a commonly held belief that there is no separation between the police, the military and the narcos. On the flip side, he was to find, particularly amongst uncomplaining people who had the very least, a generosity and kindness of spirit that was restorative.
Through his journey, Theroux describes the what he sees and the places he visits, drops in a little history here and there, ruminates on Mexico’s art and culture and provides a regular dose of interesting and amusing anecdotes. He’s a chatty fellow and he clearly speaks passable Spanish, so he mixes readily with the locals and is able to provide a sense of their perspective on life in this country with its many challenges and significant perils. But he also sees that there is an appreciable upside of living in a place where, for the most part, family is sacrosanct and the old ways are still valued and preserved, particularly in the poorer towns and villages.
In fact, as he travels south, beyond Mexico City, he points out that though the north lies in the shadow of America, teased by its rich neighbour, the south is a place apart, the poorest part of the country. And his experiences confirm a phrase he’d come across before - the past of a place survives in its poor. He’d taught a class to a group of eager writers for ten days in Mexico City and now he’d booked himself in as a student to buff up his own Spanish during a three-week spell at a school in Oaxaca. In the final sections he heads further south still, increasingly delving into the history and culture of this land.
I most enjoyed Theroux’s accounts of the travel itself, talking to people he met along the way, the accounts of his small adventures and his honesty regarding the worries and insecurities he experienced as he travelled. His awe at the dramatic landscapes is obvious as is his displeasure at the ugly urban sprawl that is an ingredient of just about every city he passed through. But above all it’s the overpowering feeling of discovery that shines through. How brave of him to take on such a massive and hazardous trip at an age many are lighting the fire, pulling up the comfy chair and donning the slippers. He’s an intelligent and insightful companion and I’d urge anyone who has an interest in travel to grab a copy of this book – I found it truly inspirational.
My sincere thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Ever since I read Stephen King’s book Joyland, set in a 1970’s amusement park, I seem to be drawn to anything relating to American Carnivals. In the Ever since I read Stephen King’s book Joyland, set in a 1970’s amusement park, I seem to be drawn to anything relating to American Carnivals. In the UK we had (and still have, to some extent) the travelling fairground and I suppose it had its own attractions, but the ones of my memory were always sleazy and felt slightly dangerous. The American version stimulates thoughts of romance and glamour – at least from afar. So grabbing a look at this book with its many photos of people and rides and all that jazz was a complete no brainer for me.
The pictures were taken between 2010 - 2015, with just a few from the seventies thrown in for good measure. And to my eyes David Skernick has nailed it here. The first thing that leaps off the page is the colour. Nearly all the pictures are big and bold with primary colours blazing away at you. There’s loads of eye catching yellow and skies that are a deep, brooding blue or even jet black. The images assault your senses as your eyes fight for somewhere to focus. There’s movement here too – loads of movement – with blurred images of people flying around on rides called The Fighter and Orbiter and Zipper. Then there’s the people: the clowns, the sword swallower and the Iguana guy, all with faces seemingly carved from years of focus and effort, and maybe boredom too. But my favourite photos featured the stalls advertising the grotesques: The Headless Girl, 3 Eyed Bill, 2 Headed Racoon and others.
This is a book full of fun, excitement and, probably for many, fond memories of visits to the County Fair. I absolutely love it.
My sincere thanks to Schiffer Publishing Limited and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. More information on the book can be found via the link below.
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