Books and Travel : Inspiration, Quests and Transformation

The books that we read, whether travel-focused or not, may influence the way in which we understand the process or experience of travel.

This multidisciplinary work provides a critical analysis of the inspirational and transformational role that books play in travel imaginings.

Does reading a book encourage us to think of travel as exotic, adventurous, transformative, dangerous or educative?

Do different genres of books influence a reader's view of travel in multifarious ways?

These questions are explored through a literary analysis of an eclectic selection of books spanning the period from the eighteenth century to the present day.

Genres covered include historical fiction, children's books, westerns, science-fiction and crime fiction.