Road Trip Books Worth Reading
This year, you resolved to read more. Here are three car-centric books that may interest you.
1. In Search of the Holden Piazza (2006) by Chris Warr and Joe Kremzer. This Australian book was tough to find, but it’s now available on Kindle (thanks to capitalism and nerd-dom). Two intrepid young men buy an old Holden Piazza (a.k.a. Isuzu Impulse) and proceed to drive through all of Australia to track down every remaining Piazza in existence. There’s plenty of research on the marketing failure that was the Piazza in Oz, travel hijinks, and an armchair psychologist’s look into why people own obscure cars.
2. Road Fever (1992) by Tim Cahill. Because Cahill is a famed and lauded travel writer, this book is the most well-written of the three. This quick read documents Cahill (and a partner’s) record-setting 23-1/2 day drive from the tip of South America to Alaska’s Pruhdoe Bay in a GMC Sierra.
3. My Mercedes Is Not For Sale (2008) by Jeroen Van Bergeijk. Have you ever wondered why some West African countries are full of clapped out Mercs? Well, a Dutchman looks into this phenomenon when he buys a 1988 Baby Benz (190E diesel) near his home and drives it across the Sahara to West Africa. Adventures, of course, ensue.
Do you have any travel books you would recommend?
Images source: Jim Yu. The lead photo is of Highway 50 in Nevada.
Related posts:
P. J. O'Rourke's "Driving Like Crazy"
Southern road trips, Baja 1000, general hoon-ness. Highly recommended.
I read it before I did my west coast tour in the Mustang.
And to share…
East bound on 40 headed to Albuquerque from said road trip.
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I was right there 2 days ago. Stayed in Santa Rosa overnight. I'm currently in a motel in BFE Arkansas.
<img src="http://www.tanshanomi.com/temp/ted-simon-jupiter.png">
These two volumes constitute perhaps the most well-documented, deeply personal account of an individual attempting to find himself by digesting the human experience whole.
The first book chronicles the experiences of a man in his early 40s, in the mid 1970s. When Ted went on his second circumnavigation in 2001, he was 70 years old. He and the world was a much different place. You really have to read both books in series to truly get the panoramic picture of our civilization and our planet that Mr. Simon paints.
My mom — in her eighties, with zero interest in motorcycles — devoured both books. They're that good.
Echo…. Great books!
Add me to the list of people who will recommend his books to anyone who will listen. I heard him speak in person to a small crowd of motorcycle fanatics about his books and travels, years ago. Fascinating man in person, and a great storyteller.
Ted Simon's "Jupiter's Travels : Four Years Around the World on a Triumph." Might not be a car book, but certainly has the proper mindset. Over 4 years, he traveled some 64,000 miles around the globe on a Triumph Tiger. This book was part of the inspiration behind the documentary series "Long Way Round" and is one of the most fascinating lone-man travel books you will ever read.
Awesome list, thanks! I'll get on it right away
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Checked this out from the Hanzel Automotive Library (HAL-DS21 for short) and just started reading this last night…
<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nZ614aYsL._SL500_.jpg">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/boot-full-right-arms-London-Sahara-Munich/dp/0726932299” target=”_blank”>http://www.amazon.com/boot-full-right-arms-London-Sahara-Munich/dp/0726932299
Hey that is not a DS 21…hell, it's not even a DS 19…Plagarism abounds…
Cycle Canada magazine recently had an interview with Ted Simon. He's not terribly interested in motorcycles it turns out, but is an incredible personality.
Yes, his bike was just a means to get around with the least hassle or expense; just a tool.
I've read Brock Yates: "Cannonball: Worlds Greatest Outlaw Road Race" and Ben Collins: "The Man in the White Suit"
but I think they're both considered low-hanging fruit with this crowd.
Investment Biker and Adventure Capitalist by Jim Rogers.
Also Blue Highways.
Only partially road trippy: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.
Obsessions Die Hard: Motorcycling the Pan American Highway's Jungle Gap by Ed Cuthbertson. (His bike is on display at the BMW museum in SC)
I was hoping for more motorcycling, and less capitalism, in the Jim Rogers books. I don't think he's a guy I'd have much to talk about with, after reading them.
Blue Highways is a classic; Garth Stein's book, not so much.
I have yet to read Cuthbertson's book, but it's been on my list for a while.
I'll check out the Jungle Gap book. I'm also doing the Pan-American and looking for advice/stories about the Darien Gap.
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It has a 49 Hudson in it, among other things.
Makes me sad to admit I bought a copy in 2006 and haven't finished it.
The movie "Magic Trip" is about the trip Ken Kesey and his gang made to the Worlds Fair. Has some 'Beat' content, some 'On the Road" content. Interesting film.
I am usually cautious in recommending On the road to people since it is 1.) Not a happy-go-lucky story of battles won and lost with a resolution at the end and 2.) not the easiest of subject matters at times, however, I enjoyed the read and the way the book builds, climaxes and falls is just awesome. I have read it 4 times and the hardest time was the first time through it.
Still a lighter read than Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Agreed. But I find most people who should read that book, or would enjoy it, have already read it.
Good God that book was tough.
I even bought the guidebook and still didn't get it done.
It's like a master's degree class…
I found the guidebook tougher to read than the actual book (which I've read 4 times now).
<img src="http://hellforleathermagazine.com/images/Dan_Walsh_book.jpg">
The author's a bit full of himself, but there's a healthy bit of self-deprecation in there too.
Against the Wind by the now late Ron Ayers.
Iron-Butt motorcycle rally story.
This'll have to do until I finish my own book about my wife and I's travels, which covers auto/motorcycle/motorhome travel.
I've gotta get back to that, damnit.
Why read about a roadtrip after it's over? Ara Gureghian and Spirit"s now 5 year ongoing roadtrip exploring the united states, it's scenery through photography, cullinary arts and the mechanical limits of his BMW motorcycle has been in a word, epic.
The Bike
<img src="http://beemerchef.smugmug.com/photos/i-CbMmHbq/0/L/i-CbMmHbq-L.jpg" /img>
The Dog
<img src="http://beemerchef.smugmug.com/photos/i-6MdTZ3Z/1/L/i-6MdTZ3Z-L.jpg" /img>
The food
<img src="http://beemerchef.smugmug.com/photos/i-6rs2D7F/0/L/i-6rs2D7F-L.jpg" /img>
& of course The Road
<img src="http://beemerchef.smugmug.com/photos/i-vRp6sfz/0/L/i-vRp6sfz-L.jpg" /img>
Sure, it's not in book form but now a days who doesn't have access to the internet and if you don't there are lots of apps out there that will allow you to capture web pages for off-line reading. http://theoasisofmysoul.com <- His online Blog
http://www.beemerchef.smugmug.com/ <- Photos of his journey, the people he meets and his dog, Spirit.
God's Middle Finger by Richard Grant is worth reading. Attempts to drive the length of the Sierra Madre in Mexico…
Peter Egan , " At Large" and "On The Road" !! Great reading !
'White Meat and Traffic Lights' by Georgina Wroe. This is an odd crime novel about a London Lada thief who is also the world's worst driving instructor, whose path crosses an incompetent lawyer who drives a Niva. It also features withering exposes of the sex trafficking trade and factory farming. But the cars are never out of the picture. So basically, it has something for everyone, and is a very entertaining read.
Alexander Roy. The Driver, My dangerous persuit of speed and truth in the outlaw racing world
"Going Postal" by Nathan Millward. He rides a Honda CT110 from Oz back home to London.
I read his entire travel log on ADVRider during a sleepless night in college. It really helped me put my life into perspective.
His website is here: http://www.thepostman.org.uk/
I haven't technically purchased the book yet, but it is on my list of things to do. Too many ones I haven't read on Amazon currently.