You’ll find numerous books written by Guild members in bookshops and online. These books could make ideal gifts for keen travellers seeking inspiration for future journeys and experiences.
Here’s an overview of some of the books by our members published over the past couple of years:
Blue Guide Rome by Annabel Barber
Dublin-based Guild member Annabel Barber is one of the co-authors of the Blue Guide Rome.
“The Blue Guides are an institution, in business since 1918. The first Blue Guide Rome came out in 1956 and it was a huge honour to co-author the most recent edition, the twelfth, published earlier this year. Crammed as ever with information on the sites and monuments of one of the greatest city-repositories of human civilization, it retains its traditional Blue Guide focus on history, art and architecture. Researching it was utter joy,” says Annabel.
Lost Railway Journeys by Anthony Lambert
Want to be transported across the Patagonian wilderness or know what it was like to ride the Orient Express? In his evocative Lost Railway Journeys Anthony Lambert tells the stories behind 33 railway lines that can no longer be travelled.
The book outlines the railways’ builders’ feats of skill and endurance, provides insights into the people who used the railways plus the way of life that they represented. Anthony also examines the reasons behind the demise of lines.
Illustrated with more than 200 maps, vintage posters and photos, Lost Railway Journeys captures the spirit of a bygone era while looking at spectacular lines around the world.
My Four Seasons in France by Janine Marsh
Travel writer Janine Marsh lived in northern France. In My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life, Janine shares her experiences living in Pas-de-Calais’s Seven Valleys.
“Each season brings new challenges as well as new delights and reveals ‘the real France’ that’s hidden in hamlets and quirky villages, largely undiscovered by tourists. It’s a feel-good story that will have you longing to explore this little-known part of France and find out for yourself just what’s so special about this oh-la-la land,” says Janine.
Scotland Beyond the Bagpipes by Helen Ochyra
Following the sudden loss of her mother in 2017, Helen Ochyra spent three months on a personal journey around Scotland. During that journey Helen uncovered stories about the history, geography and people of what she describes as a ‘peerless and magical country’.
Based in England, Helen had previously been charmed by Scotland during a visit to Edinburgh. She says that a spell was cast on her during an undulating walk across ancient volcanoes – the story of getting from one side of the city centre to the other. She was bewitched by the landscape and charmed by the country’s famously chatty people. As a consequence she left wanting to discover more.
Helen shares what she discovered in the resultant book, Scotland Beyond the Bagpipes.
The Flightless Traveller by Emma Gregg
Discover how to explore our beautiful world sustainably and responsibly with this
trailblazing guide to flight-free travel published by Greenfinch (Quercus Books).
Award-winning travel writer Emma Gregg shows you how to get a no-fly holiday off the ground. The Flightless Traveller presents 50 inspirational, life-affirming trip ideas for those who would like to fly less, or not at all.
They include eco-friendly city breaks and coastal retreats, bike rides and sailing voyages, short jaunts on vintage railways and incredible intercontinental journeys.
Only in Krakow by Duncan J. D. Smith
Discover Krakow’s rich royal heritage, astonishing architecture and dynamic street life with Only in Krakow: A Guide to Unique Locations, Hidden Corners and Unusual Objects, an explorer’s guide to over 100 fascinating and unusual sights in Poland’s culture capital.
Duncan’s guidebook provides quirky facts and anecdotes about churches and mysterious monasteries, novel art spaces and industrial remains. The book covers colourful customs and candlelit cellars. Aimed at travellers who want to escape the crowds and go beyond the well-known paths, this book gives readers details about ancient mounds, an eco-incinerator and a town for steelworkers.
Only in Krakow is the twelfth European city guide in the stimulating and insightful Urban Explorer series.
Estonia: A Modern History by Neil Taylor
After a career in the travel industry specialising first in China and then in the Baltics, Neil turned to writing about the Baltics and Germany two decades ago.
Dividing his life between Britain and Estonia, Neil has written seven editions of the Bradt Guide to Estonia and is now busy working on the eighth.
To complement the guidebook, he has also written Estonia: A Modern History, the first time since 1947 that any British person has attempted such a task.
Slow Travel by Penny Watson
Penny Watson compiles a practical compendium of places, activities, tours and experiences in Slow Travel.
The book “explores slow travel as a physical and philosophical endeavour, taking readers off the beaten track and through nature, and unveils journeys that will nurture talent and ignite the inner-self. The book emerges as a post-Covid means of reconnecting with ourselves and our lives in more intense and meaningful ways,” says Penny.
Grasmere Yearbook by Bill Birkett
Grasmere, at the heart of the Lake District National Park and World Heritage Site, is one of the most celebrated valleys in the region. The Grasmere Yearbook is hardbound and a personal photographic diary by award-winning photographer Bill Birkett.
All the four seasons, and their many moods, are represented and the photographic journey extends from lakeshore, through village, wood and meadow, to the high fell tops. Extensive captions are based on a lifetime’s local knowledge.
More information
The books listed in this post could make ideal gifts for keen travellers seeking inspiration for future journeys and experiences.
You may also find it beneficial to look at the recent post outlining affordable gifts for travellers.
