Travel / Asia Books

Two Toronto food-lovers who are also photographers explore the cuisine of the Mekong River Valley in this gorgeously illustrated cookbook, which features 175 recipes for Southeast Asian dishes, many of which are unfamiliar to non-Asian audiences. Recipes include Buddhist Sour Soup, Thai-Style Chinese Greens, Rice Paper Roll-Ups with Shrimp and Herbs, and Fried Bananas. Chosen by the New York Times as one of the best cookbooks of 2000.

Paul Theroux revolutionized travel writing with his 1975 book THE GREAT RAILWAY BAZAAR, a stirring and very personal account of his travels by railway from London to Tokyo and back. Choosing to go by train, alone, and with minimal gear, afforded the intrepid Theroux the opportunity of encountering a fascinating galaxy of fellow travelers (who range from merely colorful to downright eccentric) as he makes his way across the continents of Europe and Asia, and of seeing the ever-changing landscape close-up. Theroux himself is, of course, the main character--sometimes arrogant, often impatient, always bluntly realistic, and ever-curious, eloquent, and very, very funny.

An acclaimed guidebook to Japan that offers a survey of every region, arranged in geographical order and including a history and culture section.

Theroux narrates an ambitious railroad journey beginning in London, continuing through Europe, Russia, and finally China.

These dreamy black-and-white photographs by Infinity Award-winner Ackerman move closer to the cinematic than to the pictorial, blending into each other to create a narrative about the City of Light, Benares, in India.

In this memoir, a young Canadian woman decides to take her first trip outside of North America before she is to be married. After accepting a teaching post in Bhutan, a tiny kingdom in the Himalayas bordering China and India, she eventually breaks off her engagement and falls in love with another man.

A unique travel book that traces the steps of the man-god Rama across India, and gives us a vivid portrait of India today.

This entertaining memoir, a quietly persuasive classic of its kind, is about the journey of a young martial arts-obsessed American to China, where he teaches English to Chinese medical students and studies with a kung fu master.

Existing in a state of cultural and political transition since the collapse of the Soviet Empire, Central Asia--home of the Silk Route, ascetic geographies, and the ghosts of Stalin's regime--is the subject of Thubron's sharp eye and generous description.