The Pillars of Hercules: A Grand Tour of the Mediterranean
by Paul Theroux
List Price:
Our Price: $8.61
You Save: $8.39 (49%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.04 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Paul TherouxEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1996-10-29
ISBN: 0449910857
Number of pages: 528
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of The Pillars of Hercules: A Grand Tour of the Mediterranean
Book Review: A Misanthrope's Holiday
Summary: 3 Stars
Do NOT read this book if you are looking for a travel guide (unless you are looking for places NOT to go, like the entire Mediterranean region). This is essentially a book by an extremely well-read and erudite misanthrope who pours (not undeserved in many cases) scorn upon most everyone he meets and every place he visits, preferring to reflect on the dead authors and men of genius admired by him who visited or inhabited these places. (One exception: ALMOST dead in the case of Paul Bowles.) His basic approach can be summed up in a statement in Chapter 7 he makes regarding the Sardinians: "Excessive friendliness is perhaps a philistine trait; in a place where no one reads, no one values or understands contemplative solitude, and so they need each other to be friendly and talkative." It doesn't seem to occur to him that a man might be complex enough to be both extremely friendly and extremely contemplative; perhaps because Theroux himself is not, or perhaps because to recognize the possibility would staunch the outpour of his vile, which is really what this book is all about. The book does have its moments. Snide remarks have their place, and his dismissive, irreverent comments on Syrian president Assad and his contempt for the Israeli dependence on American largesse hit the mark like no other writer can. But anyone familiar with Theroux's work can not help but be reminded of his alter ego and the protagonist of his earlier novel, The Mosquito Coast, who ends up destroying himself and his family because of his disdain for non-geniuses....Well, at least Theroux knows what he's about. I can't really think of whom to recommend this book to besides intellectual snobs who are not MERE snobs but truly well-read and who get a rush out of hearing about where famous authors worked and lived, and, of course, what Theroux thinks of it all. Theroux probably gives it all away when he (supposedly) visits the ailing Paul Bowles, and the first thing he records Bowles as saying as our author enters the room is: "Yes, I know your is vanity, saith the preacher.
Essays & Travelogues Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Essays & Travelogues Books
Around the World in Many Waysby Joan Mooney
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd; Published: 1987-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Diogi a Chynhyrfu (Welsh Edition)Gomer Press; Published: 1996-12-31; Paperback; Book
The Village (Radio Readings & Drama)BBC Radio Collection; Published: 1996-02-06; Audio Cassette; Book
Waterfront: A Journey Around Manhattan (Crown Journeys)by Phillip Lopate
Crown; Published: 2004-02-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.31
Price in other shops:
Beyond the Sky and the Earthby Jamie Zeppa
Pan Macmillan; Published: 2000-05-26; Paperback; Book
Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iranby Jason Elliot
St. Martin's Press; Published: 2006-10-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.83
Price in other shops:
The Cruise of the Snark (Penguin Classics)by Jack London
Penguin Classics; Published: 2004-04-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
A Tramp Abroad (Penguin Classics)by Mark Twain
Penguin Classics; Published: 1997-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.65
Price in other shops:
Domestic Manners of the Americans (Penguin Classics)by Fanny Trollope, Pamela Neville-Sington
Penguin Classics; Published: 1997-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
The Lost Heart of Asiaby Colin Thubron
Harper Perennial; Published: 1995-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.82
Price in other shops:
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through Chinaby Paul Theroux
Mariner Books; Published: 2006-12-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.27
Price in other shops:
To the Ends of the Earthby Paul Theroux
Ivy Books; Published: 1994-04-02; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.10
Price in other shops:
Fresh Air Fiend: Travel Writingsby Paul Theroux
Mariner Books; Published: 2001-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.95
Price in other shops:
The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacificby Paul Theroux
Mariner Books; Published: 2006-12-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.17
Price in other shops:
The Kingdom by the Sea: A Journey Around the Coast of Great Britainby Paul Theroux
Mariner Books; Published: 2006-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops:
The Great Railway Bazaarby Paul Theroux
Mariner Books; Published: 2006-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.69
Price in other shops:
Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetownby Paul Theroux
Mariner Books; Published: 2004-04-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops:
The Tao of Travel: Enlightenments from Lives on the Roadby Paul Theroux
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Published: 2011-05-19; Bonded Leather; Book
Best price: $13.89
Price in other shops:
Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: On the Tracks of the Great Railway Bazaarby Paul Theroux
Mariner Books; Published: 2009-08-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.59
Price in other shops:
The Old Patagonian Express: By Train Through the Americasby Paul Theroux
Mariner Books; Published: 1979-11-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.90
Price in other shops: