18 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ JULY 29, 2019
M
any of the newest travel titles lure would-
be adventurers with the guidebook equiv-
alent of clickbait headlines—but these
books deliver on their promises. They
offer a visual grab bag brimming with
recommendations for the world’s most beautiful locations and
the best, most epic experiences.
The first edition of 2016’s Atlas Obscura (Workman) was a
major success in this vein, with 361,000 print copies sold, per
NPD BookScan, of a book disclosing some 700 of what the
subtitle called “the world’s hidden wonders.” In October,
authors Joshua Foer, Ella Morton, and Dylan Thuras return
with a revised and updated second edition, with about 100
new entries as well as a foldout map for a global road trip and
miniguides to L.A., Mexico City, and Tokyo, among other
metropolitan areas.Fantasy Islands, Mo
Travel publishers urge
readers to dream big
BY JASMINA KELEMEN
New entries include man-made and natural wonders such as
the Mafra Palace Library in Portugal, a resplendent example of
Rococo architecture housing almost 40,000 copies of books
from the 14th to 18th centuries; the glowing termite mounds
of Emas in Brazil; and Thrihnukagigur volcano in Iceland.
“Here’s this book with all these marvels you’ve never heard
of,” says Maisie Tivnan, executive editor at Workman. “Could
you go? Sure, why not? It inspires not just wanderlust but the
desire to be more adventurous and do the unexpected.”
Moon offers its take in Wanderlust (Oct.), a large-format hard-
cover that mixes full-page photography with snapshots and spot
illustrations. The book opens with an illustrated map of the
world pinpointing 50 natural wonders, then widens its scope
in chapters for urban explorers and outdoor adventurers alike—
think “legendary bars and cafes” or “10 treks of a lifetime.”
“This is a departure from our bread and butter, which is the
travel guidebooks,” says Grace Fujimoto, v-p of acquisitions at
Moon Travel. “We do a lot in the planning and experiences
space, but we didn’t have anything that concentrated on
dreaming and inspiring.”
The book’s roots lie in a 2011 study conducted by Google,
which sought to quantify how travelers used online tools to
guide them in the travel-planning process. The study’s authors
broke down the results according to what they termed the five
stages of travel: dreaming, planning, booking, experiencing,