This collection of wide-ranging essays from the New York Times–bestselling travel writer is "a steamer trunk full of delights" (Chicago Sun-Times).

This collection of decidedly opinionated articles, essays, and ruminations, by the author of My Other Life and Kowloon Tong, transports the reader not only to exotic, unexpected places in the world but also into the interior life of the writer himself. Whether it is his time serving in the Peace Corps, his memorable interview with tennis star John McEnroe, bearing witness to the uprising in Uganda, or the debt he owes to his mentor, V. S. Naipaul, Theroux approaches each subject with characteristic intelligence, insight, and an eye for life's great ironies.

Over the course of two decades, Paul Theroux gathers people, places, and ideas in precise, evocative writing that "serves as both the camera and the eye, and both the details and the illusions are developed with brilliance" ( Time).

"What makes Mr. Theroux most persuasive as a writer is simply his willingness to put himself on the line. . . . Gusty, personal, and astonishing." — The New York Times

"These pieces prove anew Theroux's unflagging, infectious enthusiams [sic] for exploring." — Kirkus Reviews