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.The Travels of Ibn Battutah

by: Ibn Battutah

June 06, 2003
Ibn Battuta was a medieval traveller from modern day Morocco. He was a Qadi (judge) who travelled, lived and worked in large swathes of the ancient world ranging from China, India, Ceylon, Sub Saharan Africa, and the Middle East! A feat one wonders if ever has been repeated.

The book is an autobiography written in the first person that details and describes his extensive travels in the form of a journal, dictated in the first person. The book gives an incite of the Islamic culture, customs and habits, as well as his perception (from the prospect of a Medieval Muslim) of his interactions and private thoughts with and of other cultures, be it Christendom, China, or even different Muslim regions.

I found that it opened ... Read More:
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.The Travels of Sir John Mandeville (Penguin Classics)

by: Sir John Mandeville

March 31, 2005
I cannot hide my bias about this book; it is my absolute favourite. One of the major differences between ourselves and the Medieval World was the notion of the East and the concept of otherness. The World Sir John Mandeville chronicled was the World we see on antique maps, there is scant regard for topographical accuracy but a wonderful mixture of beasts and monsters. There is controversy as to whether this 'Knight' ever ventured anywhere, some even believe that the name itself is made up. All these issues add to the mystery and sense of adventure in what must be one of the World's first travel books.
In our 'Age of Reason' we try to explain everything using rational methods and scientific experiment, this book succeeds in ... Read More:
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.The Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus (Classics)

by: Christopher Columbus

November 28, 2005
Very revealing texts, mainly drawn from the biographies written by his son and by a Spanish Court historian after his death, as well as Columbus's surviving documents. The biographies based much on primary documents which are now lost. Despite Columbus's continuous declared goals of spreading Christianity and Spanish glory, the lust for gold comes through on every page. The translator JM Cohen does feel the need at one point to draw in a less 'official' source to show explicitly how native women were treated by Columbus's men with his clear blessing. Some of the most memorable passages relate to the practices of the Carib cannibals, which I hesitate to repeat in polite company. The collection conveys clearly why historians continue to find Columbus ... Read More:
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.Travels with a Tangerine: A Journey in the Footnotes of Ibn Battutah

by: Tim Mackintosh-Smith

June 07, 2002
This is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read. Not just in terms of the fact that its very well written. It is funny, I had to put it down in the metro as people were starring at me as I was laughing so much, it's informative and it really does carry you along on the authors journey.

It has rekindled a desire to explore the arabic world described at the start of IBs journey as well.
A brilliant book, buy it!!
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.Travels in the Land of Kubilai Khan (Penguin Great Ideas)

by: Marco Polo

August 25, 2005
This is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read. Not just in terms of the fact that its very well written. It is funny, I had to put it down in the metro as people were starring at me as I was laughing so much, it's informative and it really does carry you along on the authors journey.

It has rekindled a desire to explore the arabic world described at the start of IBs journey as well.
A brilliant book, buy it!!
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.The History and Topography of Ireland (Classics)

by: Gerald of Wales

September 30, 1982
This is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read. Not just in terms of the fact that its very well written. It is funny, I had to put it down in the metro as people were starring at me as I was laughing so much, it's informative and it really does carry you along on the authors journey.

It has rekindled a desire to explore the arabic world described at the start of IBs journey as well.
A brilliant book, buy it!!
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.Shadow of the Silk Road

by: Colin Thubron

October 04, 2007
Colin Thubron is such an evocative writer. This is a fascinating read about a fascinating journey.
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.Seven Pillars of Wisdom (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature)

by: T.E. Lawrence

June 01, 1997
Brilliant. T E Lawrence poured his soul into this magnificently crafted autobiography. It takes you from his arrival in Cairo as an upstart academic, through his dramatic evolution into a desert soldier/strategist and leader of the Arab revolt against the Turks, to his ultimate failure to win justice for the people he'd grown to be part of. Lawrence was a gifted writer as well as an extraordinary soldier and I was fascinated by the insights that run through it: into his political naivety, his ambivalent loyalties, and the hints of concern (almost certainly ill-founded) about his own mental state. The combination of high politics and personal danger, played out in the dramatic and mysterious Arab world as it meets the West is quite magnificent.

The writing style ... Read More:
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.The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the Fourteenth Century

by: RE Dunn

December 03, 2004
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even more than reading Marco Polo. Battuta logged over 70,000 miles, some of it through dangerous regions, and as far as from Morocco to China and back. Travel that far was an astonishing feat for that period. It offers very interesting insights into the Muslim world of the 14th century. The author also attempts to paint a realistic picture of Battuta as a man of his times. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of Battuta's pilgrimage to Mecca and his experiences in India. One thing I think some Western readers might also gain from this book is a greater appreciation and understanding of the Muslim world in general and the Arab world in particular.
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.The Voyage of the "Beagle" (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature)

by: Charles Darwin

April 05, 1997
One of the amazing things about the voyage of the Beagle is that Darwin survived it! On the voyage south along the eastern coast of South America and then later on the western coast he would frequently take to the land and meet the Beagle at its next port of call further south or north. He would travel the land hiring gauchos or other guides and horses and mules so that he could study the geology and the flora and fauna. The hardships and dangers he encountered and survived would in some ways put Indiana Jones to shame. In Patagonia amidst the constant gaucho and Indian wars, rife with wanton bloodshed and a kind of genocidal determinism, Darwin rode on horseback and slept on the ground and ate mostly animal flesh of all kinds, including mare's flesh. In Tierra del Fuego the cold ... Read More:
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