Travel books have been written since Classical times.

Note: Listed by year of publication of the majority of the writer's notable works.

Ancient Near East edit

  • Wenamun, Egyptian priest
    Story of Wenamun, account of his travels through the Mediterranean sea.

Classical Antiquity edit

Tang dynasty edit

10th century edit

  • Ibn Hawqal, Arab writer, geographer, and chronicler. Travelled to remote parts of the European Mediterranean, Asia and Africa. Ṣūrat al-’Arḍ (صورة الارض; "The face of the Earth").
  • Ahmad ibn Fadlan, Kitab ila Mulk al-Saqaliba (A letter to the king al-Saqaliba, Ibn Fadlan's account of the caliphal embassy from Baghdad to the King of the Volga Bulghars, c. 921)

11th century edit

12th century edit

13th century edit

14th century edit

  • John of Montecorvino (1247–1328), Italian Franciscan missionary, founder of the earliest Roman Catholic missions in India and China. Archbishop of Cambalec.
    Letters (1305-1306)
  • Odoric of Pordenone (1286–1331), Franciscan missionary who visited China
    Viaggio del beato frate odorico di porto maggiore del friuli...
  • Ibn Battuta (1304 – 1368 or 1369), Moroccan world traveler
    The Rihla (1355) – literally entitled: "A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Traveling".[1]
  • Giovanni de' Marignolli
    Cronica Boemorum
  • John Mandeville, fictional character.
    The Travels of Sir John Mandeville (c. 1356),[1] an imaginary account of his travels in Asia based on a variety of true sources about the eastern countries, such as Pordenone's.

15th century edit

16th century edit

17th century edit

  • Samuel de Champlain, (1567-1635), French explorer, founder of New France & Quebec City.
    Des Sauvages: ou voyage de Samuel Champlain, de Brouages, faite en la France nouvelle l'an 1603 (1604)
    Brief Discours des Choses plus remarquables que Sammuel Champlain de Brouage a reconneues aux Indes Occidentalles au voiage qu'il en a faict en icettes en l'année 1599 et en l'année 1601, comme ensuite
    Voyages de la Nouvelle France (1632
    Traitté de la marine et du devoir d'un bon marinier (1632)
  • Samuel Purchas, (c. 1577–1626), English cleric and travel writings compiler.
    Purchas, his Pilgrimage; or, Relations of the World and the Religions observed in all Ages, (1613) [1]
    Purchas, his Pilgrim. Microcosmus, or the historie of Man. Relating the wonders of his Generation, vanities in his Degeneration, Necessity of his Regeneration, (1619)
    Hakluytus Posthumus or Purchas his Pilgrimes, contayning a History of the World in Sea Voyages and Lande Travells, by Englishmen and others (4 vols.), (1625).[1]
  • Thomas Coryat, (c. 1577–1617), English traveller
    Coryat's Crudities hastily gobbled up in Five Months Travels (1611) [1]
  • Pedro Páez, (1564–1622), Spanish jesuit missionary in Ethiopia
    History of Ethiopia (1620), includes the first account of one of the sources of the Nile River ever written by a European.
  • Evliya Çelebi, (1610–1683), Turkish traveller
    Seyahatname
  • Johann Sigmund Wurffbain (1613–1661)
    Reise Nach Den Molukken Und Vorder-Indien, 1632–1646 (Travel to the Moluccas and the Middle East Indies, 1632–1646) (1646)
  • François de La Boullaye-Le Gouz (1623–1668)
    Les voyages et observations du sieur de La Boullaye Le gouz (1653 & 1657) – one of the first true travel books.
  • Edward Terry (1590–1660)
    A Voyage to East-India (1655)
  • Pietro Della Valle, (1586–1652), Italian who traveled throughout Asia during the Renaissance period
    The travels of Signor Pietro Della Valle, a Noble Roman, into East India and Arabia deserts... [1]
  • Jerónimo Lobo (1595–1678), a Portuguese Jesuit missionary in Ethiopia.
    Itinerário.[1] This book was translated by Samuel Johnson in 1723 and inspired his own work The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia.
  • François Bernier (1625–1688), personal physician of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb during his long stay in India.
    Travels in the Mogul Empire (1671) [1]
  • Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605–1689), gem merchant who made several trips to Persia and India between the years 1630 and 1668
    Les Six Voyages de Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1675) [1]
  • Jean Chardin (1643–1713), jewellery trader who travelled to Persia and India
    The Travels of Sir John Chardin in Persia and the Orient (edited bit by bit between 1686 and 1711).[1]
  • Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694)
    Nozarashi Kikō (Records of a Weather-Exposed Skeleton) (1684)
    Kashima Kiko (A Visit to Kashima Shrine) (1687)
    Oi no Kobumi, or Utatsu Kiko (Record of a Travel-Worn Satchel) (1688)
    Sarashina Kiko (A Visit to Sarashina Village) (1688)
    The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches (trans. 1967)
  • Adam Olearius (1599–1671), German scholar, mathematician, geographer and librarian
    Beschreibung der muscowitischen und persischen Reise (1647)

18th century edit

19th century edit

20th century edit

21st century edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Godfrey Cox, Edward (7 February 2018). "A Reference Guide To The Literature Of Travel Vol I". By The University Of Washington. – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ Mozer, Isolde, ed. (2010-11-16). Bernhard von Breydenbach: Peregrinatio in terram sanctam. doi:10.1515/9783110215816. ISBN 978-3-11-020951-8.
  3. ^ Cox (1935), p. 28.
  4. ^ Head, Dominic, ed. (2006). The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 1124. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. ^ * Rome, Naples et Florence [par] Stendhal. Texte établi et annoté par Daniel Muller, préf. de Charles Maurras (1919), Paris: E. Champion. Volume I et Volume II
  6. ^ Youngs, Tim (2015). "'Take out your machine': Narratives of Early Motorcycle Travel". New Directions in Travel Writing Studies. Palgrave Macmillan UK: 145–160. doi:10.1057/9781137457257_10. ISBN 978-1-349-56767-6.
  7. ^ "LOWELL THOMAS TRAVEL JOURNALISM COMPETITION". Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  8. ^ "awards - Christopher P Baker - Travel Writer Photographer - travel writer, photographer, tour leader, lecturer, adventure motorcyclist". Christopher P Baker - Travel Writer & Photographer.