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Biography & Autobiography. Reference. Travel. Nonfiction. HTML: A guide to some of the world's most fascinating places, as seen and experienced by writer, television host, and relentlessly curious traveler Anthony Bourdain Anthony Bourdain saw more of the world than nearly anyone. His travels took him from the hidden pockets of his hometown of New York to a tribal longhouse in Borneo, from cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, Paris, and Shanghai to Tanzania's utter beauty and the stunning desert solitude of Oman's Empty Quarterâ??and many places beyond. In World Travel, a life of experience is collected into an entertaining, practical, fun and frank travel guide that gives readers an introduction to some of his favorite placesâ??in his own words. Featuring essential advice on how to get there, what to eat, where to stay and, in some cases, what to avoid, World Travel provides essential context that will help readers further appreciate the reasons why Bourdain found a place enchanting and memorable. Supplementing Bourdain's words are a handful of essays by friends, colleagues, and family that tell even deeper stories about a place, including sardonic accounts of traveling with Bourdain by his brother, Christopher; a guide to Chicago's best cheap eats by legendary music producer Steve Albini. For veteran travelers, armchair enthusiasts, and those in between, World Travel offers a chance to experience the world like Anthony Bourdain. The audiobook is read by Laurie Woolever, Shep Gordon, Christopher Bourdain, Jen Agg, Matt Walsh, Bill Buford, Claude Tayag, Nari Kye, Vidya Balachander, and Steve Albini. Copyright 2021 by Anthony M. Bourdain Trust UW; "A Child's View of Paris (1966)," "Revisiting New Jersey," and "Uruguay Dreamin'" copyright 2020 by Christopher Bourdain; published with permission of Christopher Bourdain Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook… (more)
User reviews
The result is a very odd book that lacks a clear focus. In particular, it is really not useable as a guidebook, at least not in the traditional sense. The information it provides in each country-specific chapter is far too limited to actually sustain someone’s travels. Instead, what is presented are a few dining tips (for the places Bourdain visited for the shows, of course), along with detailed instructions of how to get from the airport into whatever major city where he was staying. Far less frequent are mentions of hotels or other sights worth seeing in the area. In fact, when hotels are noted, they are the ones that Bourdain himself used and they tend to be high-end luxury places in the $400-500/night range. (Tony clearly like to stay in style, which is really out of keeping with his “man of the people” style of eating and probably why his accommodations were seldom featured on the shows themselves.)
Where the book shines is in reading Bourdain’s own thoughts about the places he visited, which is achieved by inserting parts of his transcribed monologues from each of the respective episodes. It was a pleasure to relive these moments; Bourdain was a wonderful writer as well as a deeply insightful observer of the world around him, and these passages capture that quite well. Unfortunately, one thing that is uniformly missing in the book are the times when he would go to a person’s home and sit down for a family meal. (For me these were always the best part of any show and cast Bourdain at his gracious and appreciative best.) In this same spirit, the volume also includes a somewhat random collection of essays by friends, colleagues, or relatives, but these often read more like personal tributes than anything else.
So, what is the proper overall assessment of this project? I am really torn in answering that question. On one hand, the information it contains is disappointingly shallow and it is really unfocused in its execution—I simply do not need that much detailed information about airport transportation options, which is likely to be outdated in a very short time. On the other, it really was great to revisit some memorable places in Bourdain’s presence again and be reminded of just how much we all are missing with his passing. I cannot imagine that this was very close to the final product he originally imagined, but World Travel is a book that should resonate with many of his fans. However, for those looking for an introduction to just how great a food and travel writer Bourdain could be, a volume such as A Cook’s Tour or No Reservations would be a better choice.
This is posthumously-produced Anthony Bourdain: snippets of quotes taken from his many taped shows, accompanied by occasional, short essays by acquaintances, and editorialized updates on the restaurants and places he talked about--which in themselves may already be out of date.
Though his
Of limited interest to everyone but the most dedicated fans.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
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