I'm looking for some good travel literature. Modern and historic are both fine. I'm especially interested in motorcycle and railway travel around Europe.
I'm probably going to start with Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide. What do you think, /lit/?
I've actually been contemplating getting in to some of Bradshaw's writing recently. I must remember to keep an eye out next time I go t'shops.
I'd recommend Andrew Blackwell's Visit Sunny Chernobyl. It's a nice twist on ecological and environmental travel literature, where Blackwell avoids the preachy attitude most pop literature on the environment seems to have. I mean, Blackwell obviously recognises he's researching environmental atrocities, but when writing about a specific location he goes about it with more focus on what it is as an entity.
The book is more than Chernobyl; Canadian oil fields, a grim Chinese city, and my personal highlight, the water pollution issues in India.
It was last year I read it, but it certainly left an impression.
Oh, and while it's less factual travel lit and more of an autobiography; W. H. Davies' Autobiography of a Supertramp. It may be my personal favourite book.
Can only abdise you Bill Bryson, I am afraid. My dad was always on about someone who was the previous generations travel author of choice, but I can't remmeber his name.
However, if you set up a thread on the appropriate board I can regale you with tales of my trip from Aleppo to the UK along the Orient Express route.
Paul Theroux (dad of Louis) is the master of railway travel literature. There are ones for Europe, China, a bizarre trip through Africa as a bitter old pensioner and a phenomenally great one where he goes from Boston to Patagonia through seemingly innumerable countries via train. I can't remember all the titles, sorry. When trimming down my book collection I got rid of the Bill Bryson - much as they are very enjoyable you're not going to read them again - but kept the Theroux; they're so good you will go back to them.
Jupiter's Travels is pretty much the definitive motorcycle travel journal. Inspired me, and countless others, to climb on a bike and ride over the horizon.