| THOMAS MARTIN SMITH - writer & photographer |
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What I wrote on the main autograph page bears repeating here.... Michael - winner of the 1998 Lowell Thomas award in the "Travel News and Investigative Reporting", author of acclaimed books including NetTravel: How Travelers Use the Internet and Internet Travel Planner - has given us a superb book: A SENSE OF PLACE - taking us on his two-year odyssey of interviewing some of the greatest travel writers at their homes, getting them to talk candidly about their craft, lives, and inspiration. He did this against the backdrop of his father's terminal illness. What you get is a very down-to-earth,sensitive and generous look at the lives of these 18 great writers - including Paul Theroux, Jan Morris, Bill Bryson, Arthur Frommer, Pico Iyer, Eric Newby, Jonathan Raban, and Tim Cahill. I've just begun reading Michael's book - and it is superb! Like listening in on highly entertaining and informative informal conversations with these great writers. LOOK BELOW THE PHOTOS FOR A DETAILED REVIEW of Michael's book... Michael's website: http://www.michaelshapiro.net Michael kindly inscribed a copy of A Sense
of Place to yours truly:
Tom's review of Michael Shapiro's As a writer who has traveled around the world, written travel pieces for magazines and newspapers, and authored IN THE LONG RUN: A Hopeful World Odyssey, I look to the works of great writers of travel for guidance and inspiration. But what inspires them? What are their lives like? Michael Shapiro has provided us with an insider's look into the lives, habits, and inspirations of 18 of today's best writers in the genre including Paul Theroux, Pico Iyer, Jan Morris, Jonathan Raban, Tim Cahill, and Bill Bryson. (Note: many writers of this caliber do not like the moniker, "travel writer" - they consider themselves writers who travel and write about it. But for us, it helps distinguish the genre and provides a concise term to identify writers of travel.) Michael Shaprio's book is a superbly constructed resource for anyone who loves great travel writing. To produce the book, Michael undertook his own two-year odyssey to interview these writers where they are when they are not traveling - at their homes - including Jan Morris in Wales, Tim Cahill in Montana, and Frances Mayas in Italy. Reading Michael's book, you get a feeling of being privileged to sit in on what seem more like wonderful catch-up conversations with friends as they talk about their own lives, their travels, their work, and sometimes about each other. That's a tough assignment when you consider that writers are often intensely private outside their writing - but Michael succeed wonderfully in getting all of them to open up. Take Paul Theroux. He dislikes being interviewed - and did Michael's interview by e-mail - but he shared with Michael fresh insights into his life and what influences his work. All of the writers Michael interviewed are candid about themselves. I found that they are really not so different from the rest of us. For example, like so many budget travelers, Pico Iyer said that to research an upcoming trip, he turns to a familiar publication: "These days I mostly read Lonely Planet books and look at a couple of other guidebooks..." Michael's book has inspired me - and I know it will continue to do so. I heavily annotated and underlined my copy, showcasing so many great tips from these writers - inspirations and lessons that will surely help me with my writing. To help you with yours, or in deciding what great travel books to read next (you'll be tempted to rush out and get some their books), or if you just want to get to know these writers better and learn how they do what they do - BUY MICHAEL'S BOOK! _____________________________________________________________________
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