‘Vintage stuff, funny, shrewd and deliciously perceptive. Theroux needs no more than three or four strokes of his pen to complete the most vivid of pictures’

The Times
Whether visiting the King of the Lozis at a bend in the Zambezi river or crossing the United States in a railway car of unsurpassable luxury, relating his experiments with biblical dieting, or detailing the illneses and diseases suffered in half a lifetime of travel, Paul Theroux, the fresh-air fiend himself, is always an entertaining and honest guide.
Full of startling encounters and memorable scenes, fascinating and sometimes bizarre locations, and enlightening musings on themes as various as sexual attraction and the point of travel writing itself, this extensive collection of his shorter pieces is a rich and remarkable book from a superb writer.
‘An enthralling, stimulating, provocative collection’

Daily Telegraph
‘Frank and funny. Theroux may be one of our most prolific travel writers, but he is also one of our best’

New Statesman