The shortlist for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards, organised by
travel book and map store Stanfords, has been revealed. Here, the bookshop
shares what made these six reads stand outABOUT THE AWARDS
Underland
by Robert
Macfarlane
Macfarlane’s
exploration of
the spaces and
substances below
the Earth’s surface
are spread across
several years and
continents. He calls
the places he visits
the Underland — the
voids of limestone
caves, gushing
torrents within a
glacier and fungal
networks beneath
a forest. Although
terriied on several
of his subterranean
excursions, he’s
awestruck by
his encounters.
Note: if you’re
claustrophobic, you
might need to skip
some bits. (Hamish
Hamilton, £20)
Last Days in
Old Europe by
Richard Bassett
A memoir based
on 10 years of the
life of a young
British musician
turned foreign
correspondent,
this entertaining
read will appeal
to the musically
inclined — and to
any reader seeking
a irst-hand account
of the decline
and fall of Soviet-
controlled Eastern
Europe. The book
is written in three
long chapters, each
recounting his life
in a diferent city,
including richly
detailed descriptions
of key landmarks
singled out by the
author. (Penguin,
£9.99)Lotharingia by
Simon Winder
This book is dubbed
‘a personal history
of Europe’s lost
country’. It’s illed
with descriptions
of the ebb and low
of places, people
and activities across
Lotharingia (a
medieval region that
encompassed the
Benelux, Lorraine
and much of
northern Germany).
Winder describes
each individual
tessera making up
the mosaic that
is Lotharingia.
(Picador, £20)On the Plain
of Snakes by
Paul Theroux
Several of Theroux’s
previous books
have been based
on travels by train,
but his latest book
reveals the soul of
Mexico from his
car. He follows the
Mexico-US frontier
and observes the
tensions in the
border towns.
Theroux also
immerses himself
in the lives of
the people and
creatures along
the way. (Hamish
Hamilton, £20)The Bells of
Old Tokyo by
Anna Sherman
This is a story
that combines
Sherman’s search
for the bells that
used to mark the
time in Tokyo with
glimpses into her
growing friendship
with a cofeeshop
owner. Each
chapter describes
beautifully the city’s
neighbourhoods
and the inhabitants
Sherman encounters
when visiting the
supposed location
of each ‘bell of time’.
(Picador, £14.99)Epic Continent by
Nicholas Jubber
If you knew this
book was poetry,
there’s a chance you
might decide not to
read it, which would
be a grave mistake.
Several epic poems
create the trunk and
limbs of a book on
which core elements
of European
history, culture and
geography then
lower. Nicholas
explores how, over
many centuries, the
people of Europe
created lasting
traditions. (John
Murray Press, £20)ONE FOR THE BOOK
The Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards celebrate the world’s best travel writing and
travel writers. The 2020 competition winners will be revealed at an event in London on
26 February. For tickets go to: edwardstanfordawards.comMarch 2020 35SMART TRAVELLER