Emai: info@a5travelbooks.com
CONTACT US
A5 TRAVEL BOOKS
  • Home
  • Best Travel Books
  • Travel Guides
    • United States & Canada
    • The United Kingdom
    • Ireland
    • Europe
    • Caribbean, Mexico, Central & South America
    • Africa & Middle East
    • Asia
    • Australia & South Pacific
  • Adventure
  • Funny
  • Travel Novels
  • For Kids
  • The Classics
  • Travel Writers
  • Collections
  • MORE...
    • Blog
    • Travel Gifts
    • Travel Cookbooks
    • Atlases
    • About A5 >
      • Contact Us
      • Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • Best Travel Books
  • Travel Guides
    • United States & Canada
    • The United Kingdom
    • Ireland
    • Europe
    • Caribbean, Mexico, Central & South America
    • Africa & Middle East
    • Asia
    • Australia & South Pacific
  • Adventure
  • Funny
  • Travel Novels
  • For Kids
  • The Classics
  • Travel Writers
  • Collections
  • MORE...
    • Blog
    • Travel Gifts
    • Travel Cookbooks
    • Atlases
    • About A5 >
      • Contact Us
      • Privacy Policy

Journey Without Maps

Graham Greene (1936)

A5 Travel Books logo
image links to Amazon

THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

In 1935, writer Graham Greene, accompanied by his cousin Barbara, decided to leave Europe for the first time to discover Liberia, a remote part of Africa virtually untouched by Western civilization at that time.  Journey Without Maps describes this trip, a 350 mile walk assisted by a chain of porters and local guides, through a region that maps left blank, with a random description referencing “cannibals”.  Greene documents a dangerous land dominated by poverty and the prevalence of venereal disease, malaria and leprosy, but also a culture featuring a native spirit of pride and tradition.  It was a treacherous trip; Greene got very sick along the way and almost died.  The book is a bit dated and not easy for a modern reader, but the rich images and evocative commentary of this astounding journey makes Journey Without Maps one of the classics of travel writing.   
Click here to see reviews and prices for this book on Amazon.

photo of Graham Greene

ABOUT GRAHAM GREENE

Graham Greene (1904-1991) was an English novelist, best known for The Quiet American and The End of the Affair, and regarded by many as one of the great writers of the twentieth century.  His work included both serious novels touching upon Catholic religious themes and entertaining thrillers of international espionage and politics.  He was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize for Literature in both 1966 and 1967.  
More information on Graham Greene on Amazon

THE JOURNEY RETRACED, BY TIM BUTCHER

book cover of Chasing the Devil

Chasing the Devil: A Journey Through Sub-Sahara Africa in the Footsteps of Graham Greene

Almost three-quarters of a century later, African war correspondent Tim Butcher decided to recreate Greene’s epic trip in his own travel book, Chasing the Devil; A Journey Through Sub-Saharan Africa in the Footsteps of Graham Greene.  We actually recommend reading this book first, as it is a little more readable for modern audiences and it provides some helpful background on Greene's travels.

GREAT QUOTES FROM JOURNEY WITHOUT MAPS

“I had been afraid of the primitive, had wanted it broken gently, but here it came on us in a breath, as we stumbled up through the dung and the cramped and stinking huts to our lampless sleeping place among the rats. It was the worst one need fear, and it was bearable because it was inescapable.”
- Graham Greene, Journey Without Maps

INTERESTING LINKS:

  • Read Tim Butcher's review in the Independent of the impression Journey Without Maps made on him.​

LEAVE YOUR OWN REVIEW HERE


A5 Travel Books logo
HOME | THE BEST TRAVEL BOOKS | THE BEST TRAVEL GUIDES | EXPLORATION & ADVENTURE
FUNNY TRAVEL BOOKS | CLASSIC TRAVEL BOOKS | TRAVEL WRITING COLLECTIONS
BEST TRAVEL WRITERS | TRAVEL BOOKS FOR KIDS | TRAVEL NOVELS | BLOG
 ABOUT A5 TRAVEL BOOKS |
 CONTACT US | PRIVACY POLICY

A5 Travel Books | Facebook
​
A5 Travel Books (@a5travelbooks2023) • Instagram photos and videos

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.