"The Serpent and the Rainbow," by Wade Davis. "Wade Davis set out to discover the truth about Haitian zombies. He learned (and wrote about) an incredible mix of science and culture. This is a great travel book that reads almost like a mystery."

"Cities of Gold," by Douglas Preston. "Preston set out to retrace the route of Coronado on his famous expedition in search of the fabled Seven Cities of Gold. Rich in description of the landscapes of the desert Southwest, the book also provides an excellent historical introduction into the Spanish exploration of the Southwest, the Native American cultures there and the ranchers, miners and Indians who share the area today."

"North of South," by Shiva Naipaul. "For those people who have had their fill of colonial memoirs or tourist guides that claim a proprietary interest in Kenya, I nominate Shiva Naipaul's 'North of South' as among the most telling -- and most perceptive -- travel books of the 20th century."

"My Family and Other Animals," by Gerald Durrell. "Gerald Durrell was not the writer his big brother Lawrence was, but he wrote with a sparkling wit, and the vivid pictures he renders of an idyllic Corfu before it was destroyed by rampant tourism are well worth going to."

"The Courage of Turtles," "Walking the Dead Diamond River" or "Notes from the Century Before," all by Edward Hoagland.

"An Empire Wilderness," "Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History" or "The Ends of the Earth," all by Robert D. Kaplan.

"Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan," by John Lloyd Stephens.

"In Ethiopia With a Mule," Dervla Murphy.

"Iron and Silk," by Mark Salzman.

"Travels in Tartary," by Peter Fleming.

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