Atlantica - 01.04.2006, Page 26

24 AT L A N T I CA
If you’re reading this, chances are
you have a few hours to spare either
watching an old movie or flipping
through magazines. To help keep you
occupied – at least for your next flight
- Atlantica brings you a tiny taster of
tremendous travel tales.
THE NEW RELEASE
The Caliph’s House by Tahir Shah
Filmmaker, journalist and travel
author Tahir Shah recently moved
himself and his family from London
to Morocco, in order for his young
children to experience the country
he remembered from early childhood
holidays. The Caliph’s House is his
affectionate account of his first year
in his newly purchased abode on the
outskirts of Casablanca. Projects to
make the run-down place livable again
inevitably lead to hilarious encounters,
including tales of how Shah tries to rid
his new home of jinns, the Moroccan
equivalent of Iceland’s hidden people.
More than the amusing anecdotes,
though, this book is about setting up
home in a new land and the challenges
and joys, both tangible and emotional,
that go along with it.
THE COFFEE TABLE
The Cities Book,
Lonely Planet Publications
This hefty tome chronicles some 200
cities around the world, as selected by
Lonely Planet travelers, authors and
staff. Travel manual, factsheet, story
teller and pictorial, The Cities Book
features a dazzling array of different
urban images as well as enough
statistics and quirky facts to keep you
entertaining at parties for months.
THE GUIDEBOOK
Iceland Road Atlas,
Stöng Publications
Much more than its name suggests, this
long-standing guide to Iceland is in its
ninth edition (it’s been around since
1973 in Icelandic). Eliot Weinberger
notes in the book’s introduction:
“Iceland has few notable buildings,
museums or monuments. What it has
are hills and rivers and rocks, and each
has a story. …What other modern
society so fully inhabits the landscape
it lives in? Where else does the middle
class still remember?” Not only does
the Iceland Road Atlas have maps
of every road in the country, it also
has information on the folklore and
history of every nook and cranny.
There are also extensive color photos
and separate information sections on
such diverse subjects as road safety,
Icelandic birds, golf courses and even
lighthouses. This book is a must for
anyone planning some road tripping
while in the country.
THE CLASSIC
The Wrong Way Home
by Peter Moore
Although perhaps a little young
to have fermented into a “classic,”
Peter Moore’s 1999 travelogue of his
overland trip from London to Sydney is
one of the most entertaining accounts
of this hippie trail trip through
countries like a war-torn Bosnia, Iran
and Afghanistan. The story boasts
an eccentric cast of characters from
Mirindi the friendly Albanian to Earnest
Young English Speakers everywhere,
and you should be warned you
may emit some guffaws of laughter
at various points. Even better, visit
Moore’s website, www.petermoore.net,
for a slideshow of the entire journey,
colorful characters and all. Rumor also
has it that the author will be taking an
Icelandair flight during the lifespan of
this magazine. Maybe he is sitting next
to you right now…
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Travel books to get you from A to Z. Compiled by Eliza Reid.
on the fly
009 airmail Atlantica 306.indd 24 23.4.2006 22:22:03