Travel Book

🇬🇧Evelyn Waugh

Journalism

1903–1966

"Creative Endeavour lost her wings, Mrs. Ape."

🇺🇸Hanya Yanagihara

Literature

b. 1974

"He experienced the singular pleasure of watching people he loved fall in love with other people he loved."

🇺🇸Bill Bryson

Literature

b. 1951

"Absolute brain size does not tell you everything — or possibly sometimes even much. Elephants and whales both have brains larger than ours, but you wouldn't have much trouble outwitting them in contract negotiations."

🇬🇧Wilfred Thesiger

Military

1910–2003

"They strolled with me through the streets hand in hand, as is usual with Arab friends, but I was lightly uncomfortable, having re-acquired my inhibitions with my trousers."

🇬🇧William Dalrymple (historian)

Literature

b. 1965

"Dalrymple is British—Scottish, to be exact—but his controversial statements are more likely to concern the country's Mughal or British past. He is today India's most famous narrative historian."

Robert Louis Stevenson

Literature

1850–1894

"There are circumstances in which even the least energetic of mankind learn to behave with vigour and decision; and the most cautious forget their prudence and embrace foolhardy resolutions."

🇬🇧John Galt (novelist)

Politics

1779–1839

"The cloven-foot of self-interest was now and then to be seen aneath the robe of public principle."

🇬🇧Rebecca West

Literature

1892–1983

"It's an absurd error to put modern English literature in the curriculum. You should read contemporary literature for pleasure or not at all. You shouldn't be taught to monkey with it."

🇺🇸Martha Gellhorn

Literature

1908–1998

"Nothing is better for self-esteem than survival."