So, I'm convalescing for 8 weeks after having surgery on both feet (so I am literally on my bum 24-7), and my beloved husband brings me Tim MacKintosh-Smith's new book, "Hall of a Thousand Columns". It's the sequel to, or rather continuation, of, his previous "Travels with a Tangerine". For those of you who read the first, pick up 1000 Columns now. It's wonderful and this isn't the medication talking.
If you haven't read "Travels with a Tangerine", make an effort to read it. The author makes an attempt to faithfuly follow the footsteps of the 14th century Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta as he travelled across North Africa,the Middle East, India, Anatolia, China etc.. His humour, misadventures and keen observations will serve to make your itch to travel all the more irritating.
me too, thanks for the recommendation... some of the reviews said it was a little dense (in an academic way) but the whole project is facinating so I'm sure I'll get something out of it
might be a minute before I get to it tho, I have another book(s) and some travel to tend to first... care to comment on if/how it compares with Theroux' "Pillars of Hercules" (I think you mentioned you read that one??) ? Do they visit any of the same places in the Middle east/N. Africa?
Originally posted by mina olen: I have another book(s) and some travel to tend to first... care to comment on if/how it compares with Theroux' "Pillars of Hercules" (I think you mentioned you read that one??) ? Do they visit any of the same places in the Middle east/N. Africa?
It can be a bit academic at times but he does an excellent job of flipping between the academic/historian and the traveler/storyteller. He maintains this balance in the second book as well. My husband - who runs for the hills from anything with a whiff of academia - loved Travels with a Tangerine.
Comparing Travels with a Tangerine with the Pillars is like comparing - well, apples and tangerines . Theroux's book is essentially a travelogue while MacKintosh-Smith is traipsing about North Africa & the Middle East trying to find evidence that Ibn Battuta "was there" - they do cover some of the same ground (Morocco for example). I'm glad that I read the Pillars & would recommend it - but I look forward to reading MacKintosh-Smith every night with much more anticipation.
UK I turned the first few pages last night... wow... I can see that this is indeed a book to savor, to look forward to, and to read slowly since it is so rich.
This is not something I can just breeze through, very different from a dime a dozen travelogue indeed... thanks again for a great recommendation~ I'm looking forward to both volumes~
. Theroux's book is essentially a travelogue while MacKintosh-Smith is traipsing about North Africa & the Middle East trying to find evidence that Ibn Battuta "was there" - they do cover some of the same ground (Morocco for example). I'm glad that I read the Pillars & would recommend it - but I look forward to reading MacKintosh-Smith every night with much more anticipation.
