Around the World in 80 Books
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- Create Date：2022-02-28 09:51:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：David Damrosch
- ISBN：0241501024
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Summary
'Restlessly curious， insightful， and quirky， David Damrosch is the perfect guide to a round-the-world adventure in reading' Stephen Greenblatt
A transporting and illuminating voyage around the globe， told through eighty classic and modern books
'It is always a pleasure to talk about books with David Damrosch， who has read all of them， and he is so eloquent and understanding about them all' Orhan Pamuk
Inspired by Jules Verne's hero Phileas Fogg， David Damrosch， chair of Harvard's Department of Comparative Literature and founder of Harvard's Institute for World Literature， set out to counter a pandemic's restrictions on travel by exploring eighty exceptional books from around the globe。 Following a literary itinerary from London to Venice， Tehran and points beyond， and via authors from Woolf and Dante to Nobel prizewinners Orhan Pamuk， Wole Soyinka， Mo Yan and Olga Tokarczuk， he explores how these works have shaped our idea of the world， and the ways the world bleeds into literature。
To chart the expansive landscape of world literature today， Damrosch explores how writers live in two very different worlds: the world of their personal experience， and the world of books that have enabled great writers to give shape and meaning to their lives。 In his literary cartography， Damrosch includes compelling contemporary works as well as perennial classics， hard-bitten crime fiction as well as haunting works of fantasy， and the formative tales that introduce us as children to the world we're entering。 Taken together， these eighty titles offer us fresh perspective on perennial problems， from the social consequences of epidemics to the rising inequality that Thomas More designed Utopia to combat and the patriarchal structures within and against which many of these books' heroines have to struggle， from the work of Murasaki Shikibu a millennium ago to that of Margaret Atwood today。
Around the World in 80 Books is a global invitation to look beyond ourselves and our surroundings， and to see our world and its literature in new ways。
A transporting and illuminating voyage around the globe， told through eighty classic and modern books
'It is always a pleasure to talk about books with David Damrosch， who has read all of them， and he is so eloquent and understanding about them all' Orhan Pamuk
Inspired by Jules Verne's hero Phileas Fogg， David Damrosch， chair of Harvard's Department of Comparative Literature and founder of Harvard's Institute for World Literature， set out to counter a pandemic's restrictions on travel by exploring eighty exceptional books from around the globe。 Following a literary itinerary from London to Venice， Tehran and points beyond， and via authors from Woolf and Dante to Nobel prizewinners Orhan Pamuk， Wole Soyinka， Mo Yan and Olga Tokarczuk， he explores how these works have shaped our idea of the world， and the ways the world bleeds into literature。
To chart the expansive landscape of world literature today， Damrosch explores how writers live in two very different worlds: the world of their personal experience， and the world of books that have enabled great writers to give shape and meaning to their lives。 In his literary cartography， Damrosch includes compelling contemporary works as well as perennial classics， hard-bitten crime fiction as well as haunting works of fantasy， and the formative tales that introduce us as children to the world we're entering。 Taken together， these eighty titles offer us fresh perspective on perennial problems， from the social consequences of epidemics to the rising inequality that Thomas More designed Utopia to combat and the patriarchal structures within and against which many of these books' heroines have to struggle， from the work of Murasaki Shikibu a millennium ago to that of Margaret Atwood today。
Around the World in 80 Books is a global invitation to look beyond ourselves and our surroundings， and to see our world and its literature in new ways。
Reviews
Hardcover Hearts
，
This is an enjoyable book to dip in and out of， gleaning insights as you go along。 I started to read this straight through and enjoyed how the author strings together books， ideas， authors， inspiration from one place to the next as he connects a world of seemingly isolated books and places。 I enjoyed his research into some of the author's backstories， which helped contextualize the books I had never heard of， or to emphasize books I had heard of but have yet to pick up。 I enjoyed the breadth of This is an enjoyable book to dip in and out of， gleaning insights as you go along。 I started to read this straight through and enjoyed how the author strings together books， ideas， authors， inspiration from one place to the next as he connects a world of seemingly isolated books and places。 I enjoyed his research into some of the author's backstories， which helped contextualize the books I had never heard of， or to emphasize books I had heard of but have yet to pick up。 I enjoyed the breadth of the recommendations and can see this being a book I refer to in the future。***I would like to thank the publisher for access to this book in digital arc format in exchange for an honest review。** 。。。more
Josh
，
The great syntheses written by comparatists of the mid-twentieth century--and here I'm thinking of writers like Auerbach; Curtius; Wellek; and yes， even Joseph Campbell--were in many ways attempts to repair a shattered world though an emphasis on shared culture。 Written during and marked by our ongoing coronavirus pandemic， David Damrosch's book fits squarely into this tradition。What distinguishes Damrosch's effort from his predecessors' （Campbell excepted） is that he's writing here for a genera The great syntheses written by comparatists of the mid-twentieth century--and here I'm thinking of writers like Auerbach; Curtius; Wellek; and yes， even Joseph Campbell--were in many ways attempts to repair a shattered world though an emphasis on shared culture。 Written during and marked by our ongoing coronavirus pandemic， David Damrosch's book fits squarely into this tradition。What distinguishes Damrosch's effort from his predecessors' （Campbell excepted） is that he's writing here for a general audience， and openly admitting that his list of eighty books is idiosyncratic。 That is to say， he's more concerned with how in difficult times the comparative method of reading， which *anyone* can do， may have an ameliorative effect。 （Don't worry; he doesn't make grandiose claims about healing the world or anything like that。）The result is something of a love-letter to comparative literature as well as model for how it can be done in a way that's personally useful to readers。 I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it。 。。。more
Mayda （My Book Cafe Life）
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I love reading books about books， however this one was not one of them。 I found the book difficult。 At times the author would provide too many spoilers of certain books and would go a little off topic。 While not my favorite， I did get a nice list of books to read。
sab ◡̈
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“whichever direction we choose， we certainly can’t stop with eighty。”at least i got some cool recommendations
Sally
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I actually listened to the audio。 The author was the narrator。 I also borrowed a print edition。 There are a number of images in the print。 Thought this might be an interesting selection for Global Reading Book Club。I guess I didn't really realize until the end （I probably miss listened somewhere） that these are really the author's selection， books he himself read/encountered and made an impression as he traveled。 This was made clear to me during chapter 15 "Bar Habor: The World on a Desert Islan I actually listened to the audio。 The author was the narrator。 I also borrowed a print edition。 There are a number of images in the print。 Thought this might be an interesting selection for Global Reading Book Club。I guess I didn't really realize until the end （I probably miss listened somewhere） that these are really the author's selection， books he himself read/encountered and made an impression as he traveled。 This was made clear to me during chapter 15 "Bar Habor: The World on a Desert Island。" The author was born on Maine's Mount Desert Island。 One of books listed was "One Morning in Maine" by Robert McCloskey。 E。B。 White's "Stuart Little" was also listed in this chapter。Chapter 16 covered New York。 This chapter made it obvious to me that California was excluded。[Reflecting on the book， I wondered what titles/author's I would include for Wisconsin。。。。Lois Ehlert。 Kevin Henkes。。。and Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac， which I have not read。]What of the discussions that struck me was different editions。。。。different editions can be directed to different audiences， the college student for example， and because of this can read differently。 if that makes sense。 。。。more
Allen Adams
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One of the things that the pandemic has taken from us is our ability to travel freely。 It has kept us close to home in so many ways， leaving us to remember wistfully past journeys to other places。But what if you could see the world … without leaving the comfort of your favorite reading nook？That’s what David Damrosch offers with “Around the World in 80 Books。” The decorated comparative literature professor has assembled a selection of works that originated all over the globe。 Some of these books One of the things that the pandemic has taken from us is our ability to travel freely。 It has kept us close to home in so many ways， leaving us to remember wistfully past journeys to other places。But what if you could see the world … without leaving the comfort of your favorite reading nook？That’s what David Damrosch offers with “Around the World in 80 Books。” The decorated comparative literature professor has assembled a selection of works that originated all over the globe。 Some of these books are ancient classics， others are more contemporary offerings， but through each one， Damrosch takes the reader a new more steps on this Phileas Fogg-inspired journey around the world。It’s a thoughtful work of nonfiction， one that is unafraid of its own intelligence while also never deigning to condescend to its reader。 That’s not an easy balance to strike， especially when one considers the massive range of the canon Damrosch has assembled。It’s worth noting too that you don’t actually have to have read all the books discussed within。 In truth， unless you yourself are a scholar of comparative literature， the odds are pretty good that you have not – as I said， it is a vast array of wildly disparate work。 But thanks to Damrosch’s insightful breakdowns， the context is clear even if you yourself have never consumed the actual text。“Around the World in 80 Books” consists of 16 chapters consisting of discussions of five books。 Each chapter focuses on a place – sometimes a city or cities， sometimes a region – and introduces the five books that Damrosch has determined will prove evocative of that place。From our kickoff in London – featuring familiar authors like Dickens and Wodehouse and Woolf – we’re off， zigzagging our way across the world。 In Paris， we spend some time with Proust。 From there， Krakow and Kafka （among others）。 In Venice-Florence， we’re greeted by Marco Polo and Dante。 From Egypt to the Congo to Israel， from Tehran to Calcutta to Beijing to Tokyo。 We head to South America – Voltaire’s “Candide” is there – and on to Mexico and the Antilles before making our way to the United States， where we visit two spots; the last is New York City， but the first will ring familiar to readers in our region – Bar Harbor， a place to which Damrosch has a deep connection。（In case you’re wondering， the Bar Harbor section’s books are as follows: “One Morning in Maine，” by Robert McCloskey; “The Country of the Pointed Firs，” by Sarah Orne Jewett; “Memoirs of Hadrian，” by Marguerite Yourcenar; “The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle，” by Hugh Lofting; and E。B。 White’s “Stuart Little。”）And that’s that – 80 books across five continents， all intended to serve as a sort of guided tour of the world through the literary works that it has produced。“Around the World in 80 Books” doesn’t quite fall into the category of what I call “stunt nonfiction，” but it has some of those tendencies – call it stunt-adjacent， perhaps。 What it does do is open up a rich and readable understanding of how place can influence the literature that springs from it， either directly or indirectly。 Whether the work is composed in the place or is simply about the place， that connection between the two cannot be disentangled。This means， among other things， that much can be discerned about a place by reading the books that spring from it。 And really， that’s the whole point of “Around the World in 80 Books” – it really does give you a way in which to explore the wider world。 Each book’s breakdown is engaging on its own， but it also invites the readers to find out for themselves – Damrosch has essentially given us a thoughtful and thorough introduction， one that will more than serve its purpose。 But if you’d like to dig deeper， well … you’ve got the list right there in front of you。For the record， the number of these books that I myself have read comes in at just shy of half。 Considering the list， I feel OK about that number。 The truth is that I probably enjoyed the sections on books I hadn’t read a little bit more – such is Damrosch’s gift for conflating the work with the place from which it originated。（Some of my personal favorites: Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart，” Italo Calvino’s “Invisible Cities，” “Candide” and “Stuart Little。”）“Around the World in 80 Books” is a wonderful read for any literature lover。 Fans of travel writing will likely dig it as well， though it’s far from a conventional example。 Few things are more engaging than a person discussing that about which they are most passionate; for David Damrosch， that’s books。 Within these pages， he takes us on a journey unlike any you’ve experienced – and it’s a trip well worth taking。 。。。more
Jan
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Not only for the limitations of a pandemic but also for the limitations of finances， work restrictions， languages， practicality （family）， or even disabilities of any kind， this work takes us around the globe and time through the world of books by mimicking Around The World In 80 Days by Jules Verne。 Each book and author are studied in place with many different perspectives and interesting detail。 I enjoyed reading segments several times a week。I requested and received a free e-book copy from PEN Not only for the limitations of a pandemic but also for the limitations of finances， work restrictions， languages， practicality （family）， or even disabilities of any kind， this work takes us around the globe and time through the world of books by mimicking Around The World In 80 Days by Jules Verne。 Each book and author are studied in place with many different perspectives and interesting detail。 I enjoyed reading segments several times a week。I requested and received a free e-book copy from PENGUIN GROUP/The Penguin Press via NetGalley。 Thank you！ 。。。more
Tripfiction
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An erudite meander around the world via literatureThe author is Ernest Bernbaum， Professor and Chair of Comparative Literature at Harvard University and director of Harvard’s Institute for World Literature。 He is thus incredibly well placed to bring together books that allow insight into familiar and unfamiliar parts of the world。His love of literature started at age 15 with reading The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy， Gentleman by Laurence Sterne， for which he put aside Lord of the Rings。 An erudite meander around the world via literatureThe author is Ernest Bernbaum， Professor and Chair of Comparative Literature at Harvard University and director of Harvard’s Institute for World Literature。 He is thus incredibly well placed to bring together books that allow insight into familiar and unfamiliar parts of the world。His love of literature started at age 15 with reading The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy， Gentleman by Laurence Sterne， for which he put aside Lord of the Rings。 He has always had a love of books and in this book he chooses 5 books for each chosen locale， alighting on authors who have drawn both on their home culture and on traditions beyond their own。 He examines how， in these books， they interpret their surroundings and heritage and how they capture images beyond their everyday existence。He ‘sets out’ on his journey from the Reform Club， where it all began in Verne’s novel ‘Around The World in Eighty Days’He opens this book with London （London: Inventing a City） and first up is Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Wolf， which takes place on one day in central London in June 1923。 He moves on to Charles Dickens of whom he says “Few writers and their cities have ever been so closely linked as Dickens and London”。 The author stresses how innumerable guidebooks and websites invite you to join them on tours of Dickens’ city， perfect for people who want to really understand the city having read amazing literature and who want to travel by book。The next chapter is Paris: Writer’s Paradise – you cannot really discuss literature with a sense of place without mentioning the city of light。 Books set in Paris always come top in searches， people love to read evocatively about the city。 He opens with Proust and feels “Paris is Proust”。 Moving on through Kraków， he descends on Venice – Florence: （Invincible cities） and delves into the works of Boccaccio （the Decameron）， Marco Polo and Dante Alighieri， and chooses to feature Donna Leon’s "By Its Cover" （just how do you choose a single Brunetti novel， now that she has written well over 30？）。 A curated list of books set in Venice has to feature this author！ The author says “Literary pilgrims often seek out settings they’ve read about in a favourite author 。” （of course！） and Donna Leon， he feels， is “a particularly good guide to her adoptive city， as she views it both as an insider and an outsider“。 Much like Boccaccio’s plague， says the author， Venice now has its own plague – tourism – which the publishers of the ‘Dream of Venice” series constantly highlights， innate citywide corruption and bribery notwithstanding。The author chooses many socially aware titles across the world that offer depth and understanding of the history of any given country， alighting on the major continents and sharing books that he feels will get under the skin of the people， culture and tradition。 He ‘travels’ the world from Europe， through the various continents and winds up in the migrant metropolis of New York。The author acknowledges that it has been a real challenge deciding which places and books to choose and which to leave out。 Selected titles， not included in the main body of the book， get a quick mention at the end。Around the World in 80 Books is a very erudite look at world literature， focussing on the individual interpretation of place and history。 Many books featured offer a sense of the footsteps past that shed light on places as they are experienced today。 The author has brought together an interesting collection of books in this tome。 。。。more
Jane Fudger
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An interesting book and I liked the format however I did not always like all the books chosen as I felt some of the more important books were missing plus some of the descriptions/ synopsis of the books would not entice me to read them I particularly did not enjoy the UK selection particularly Woolf who is hypercritical of other authors work and although Mrs Dalloway was successful her other books were not - I would have replaced this novel with anyone of E M F orster。 Likewise for popularity o An interesting book and I liked the format however I did not always like all the books chosen as I felt some of the more important books were missing plus some of the descriptions/ synopsis of the books would not entice me to read them I particularly did not enjoy the UK selection particularly Woolf who is hypercritical of other authors work and although Mrs Dalloway was successful her other books were not - I would have replaced this novel with anyone of E M F orster。 Likewise for popularity of reasons Wodehouse and DickenE would be better served by D H Lawrence and Laurie Lee who better express the UK。 。。。more
John W。
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An interesting collection of the author's thoughts on what he saw as some of the most important books。 An interesting collection of the author's thoughts on what he saw as some of the most important books。 。。。more
Jessica
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Very cool concept， I will be buying this for my collection
Matt Carton
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A delightful way to begin the new year。 I love books about books and the love of books。 I’ve discovered so many writers and books I’d never heard of， and now hope to read as the year progresses。
Roman Clodia
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I'm not usually one to read popular books about books but I was given this as a present - and it's a delight！ Damrosch genuinely eschews the usual suspects and that annihilating concept of 'the Western canon' and ranges widely around the world of global literature。 He also ventures into non-novelistic writing， only a dip of a toe， admittedly， but includes occasional plays， books of poetry and essay collections。 He's also a delightful companion on this voyage and is happy to discuss the way our i I'm not usually one to read popular books about books but I was given this as a present - and it's a delight！ Damrosch genuinely eschews the usual suspects and that annihilating concept of 'the Western canon' and ranges widely around the world of global literature。 He also ventures into non-novelistic writing， only a dip of a toe， admittedly， but includes occasional plays， books of poetry and essay collections。 He's also a delightful companion on this voyage and is happy to discuss the way our individual circumstances， inheritances and baggage inflect the way we read and respond to individual texts。 Most of all， he's no book snob and is as happy to discuss Doctor Doolittle and The Lord of The Rings， Wodehouse， Donna Leon and Sherlock Holmes as he is to delve into Dante and Achebe。For me， personally， it's illuminating to read 'trips' to the Middle East， Africa， Israel and Palestine， Tehran to Shiraz， China and Japan， before returning via Latin America （though slightly odd to locate More's Utopia and Voltaire's Candide under Brazil-Columbia？） and the Caribbean （again， what is Atwood's The Penelopiad doing here？ Placing it as a response to Homer， as is Walcott's Omeros is a little eccentric， no？） before returning via New York to London。 Each 'trip' comprises a handful of books and Damrosch makes some careful segues between them。 It's sad that out of the eponymous 80 books only 20 are by women - a function of looking at literature historically as well as globally， perhaps？ Possibly also limited to books that are easily available in translation and are therefore already deemed 'publishable' for commercial or scholarly reasons？ So not necessarily a book to read cover to cover or all in one go but a lovely tribute to global literature with lots of books I'd like to get to - and who doesn't need to add more to their TBR， eh？！ 。。。more
Eugenia
，
I am not usually a fan of Best of type books because ultimately， it’s always based on someone else’s opinion， and lord knows， I frequently don’t agree with critical reviews of books or movies。 But that doesn’t mean I won’t give an anthology a valiant try because you know what， I relish the opportunity to be introduced to unexpected reads。 This was the case of this particular anthology。 I could tell very early on that the author was a literary academic， such was the style of his writing and some I am not usually a fan of Best of type books because ultimately， it’s always based on someone else’s opinion， and lord knows， I frequently don’t agree with critical reviews of books or movies。 But that doesn’t mean I won’t give an anthology a valiant try because you know what， I relish the opportunity to be introduced to unexpected reads。 This was the case of this particular anthology。 I could tell very early on that the author was a literary academic， such was the style of his writing and some of the books he recommended on his journey were ones I read in college - Heart of Darkness is a good example of the type。 As an academic， he also leaned a lot into poetry which isn’t my personal jam。 But I can honestly say that the breadth and diversity of his choices: from Dante to Georges Perec， from Orhan Pamuk to Mo Yan， and so on， really drove home to me the universality of language， literature， and just story telling in human experience。 Damrosch’s choices were expected in some cases: who doesn’t love Sherlock Holmes？ And very unexpected in so many ways， so in the end， there is a book for every reader in this anthology and isn’t that the point of it all？。 。。。more
Jonathan
，
This book was an absolutely joy to read。 It reconnected me with some favorite authors from my past and introduced me to a ton I’ve never read before。 And I learned a lot of interesting stuff along the way。 Such a worthy read that has lengthened my “to read” list。
Linda Chrisman
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I enjoyed his recommendations and added some to my own "'to read" list。 O was delighted to find Kipling's Kim， a personal often reread favorite on the list， as well as Tolkein's Lord of the Rings，Sarah Orne Jewett's The Country of the Pointed Firs， and Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time there too。 The man has great taste。 I enjoyed his recommendations and added some to my own "'to read" list。 O was delighted to find Kipling's Kim， a personal often reread favorite on the list， as well as Tolkein's Lord of the Rings，Sarah Orne Jewett's The Country of the Pointed Firs， and Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time there too。 The man has great taste。 。。。more
Kenzie Mills
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I received a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest reviewThis was a pretty interesting book。 I enjoyed the books they described and actually went through and read all of the ones that I could get my hands on， following the 80-book world tour。 very awesome！
Susan Morris
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I enjoy reading books like this， which delve into many other books， and add do many titles to my TBR list。 But how will I ever get to read all of these？！ There are so many amazing books out there！ （Own）
Trevor Seigler
，
When COVID-19 hit last year， it put a lot of our plans on hold。 For David Damroch， an author and teacher， this mean not going on an epic literary journey around the world， trying to re-create in scope （if not in time and swiftness） much of the travels undertaken in Jules Verne's classic "Around the World in 80 Days。" But inspiration struck him when he decided that he could still embark on his journey simply by picking up the books that had inspired him and presenting short essays on each that he When COVID-19 hit last year， it put a lot of our plans on hold。 For David Damroch， an author and teacher， this mean not going on an epic literary journey around the world， trying to re-create in scope （if not in time and swiftness） much of the travels undertaken in Jules Verne's classic "Around the World in 80 Days。" But inspiration struck him when he decided that he could still embark on his journey simply by picking up the books that had inspired him and presenting short essays on each that helped his readers ground themselves in a particular locale。 That project spurred the writing of this book itself， a delight from start to finish。"Around the World in 80 Books" is a travelogue through the pages of some of the best books ever written， and many books that some readers （myself included） may not be familiar with。 Full disclosure: I've read a whopping total of seven of the eighty books Damrosch profiles， but this book helped give me some ideas for things to add to my ever-expanding "to be read" list。 Beginning at the starting point that Verne's fictional travelers did （London）， Damrosch takes us around the world in a path that doesn't always stay on the specific route as Phileas Fogg。 But Damrosch's travels include entertaining stops in Paris， China， Nigeria， and the Caribbean， as well as more sobering locales like Krakow （the site not only of Auschwitz but also the homeland for Damrosch's family） and the Middle East。 Each locale is represented by five books that Damrosch has picked， with an eye not just to people from those countries but also including authors whose most popular or best-known works are associated with those spots （thus including Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" in the stopover in Africa）。 Like any list， you can pick or choose which ones you agree with or think don't fit entirely （for me， the absence of Haruki Murakami is a glaring oversight in terms of Japan， and I'd argue that a trip across the United States would unearth more than the usual canon of Hemingway/Fitzgerald/Twain， though obviously any trek across America might impede the progress and make "eighty books" become "well over a hundred or more" instead）。 But Damrosch is an insightful guide to the authors and their works， and he has a sense of humor and a charming way of recounting autobiographical connections to the locations and works he's discussing。 In short， there's a reason why he's a professor of literature， and he'd be a great teacher to learn from for any aspiring undergrad。 "Around the World in 80 Books" is one of those charming "books about books" that I love to come across from time to time （what can I say， I'll always be an English major in my heart）。 You may not have heard of some of these books， but you'll likely compile a list of works you want to pursue after you finish （as I did）。 Right now we can't really go around the world like Fogg and Verne would want us to do。 But we can read about the world and learn a little bit about ourselves along the way。 。。。more
Jessica
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Thanks to netgalley for this amazing advanced readers copy in exchange for a honest review。
Maddie O。
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I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley。I liked this book， but it got a little repetitive and in certain places I was a bit bored。 It definitely gave me some new books to add to my list， though！
Phillip
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4。25 / 5。0Nice mix of Ancient， Classical， and Contemporary。 Good job tying selections together in universal themes。 Heavily tilted to the less obvious Authors from region。 Well done。
Marcela
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And now I have at least 70 new books on my TBR！Great insight and go around the globe， the one thing it was missing was spoiler alerts before every chapter！ I didn't expect him to give you the entire plot， just a synopsis would've been fine， but I found myself trying to block out a lot when it came to books I'm going to read soon。 And now I have at least 70 new books on my TBR！Great insight and go around the globe， the one thing it was missing was spoiler alerts before every chapter！ I didn't expect him to give you the entire plot， just a synopsis would've been fine， but I found myself trying to block out a lot when it came to books I'm going to read soon。 。。。more
Mike
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Staying true to the title， the book is a treat……While the 80 book selection is thoughtful， the book has a feel of 80 authors from all over the world……Entertaining， well researched and very enjoyable…。
Ilse
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Around the world and 80 books in 13 days。 Full review to come。 Atlas of MovementsChristoph Fink （Ghent， °1963） has been working on his Atlas of Movements for many years， exploring the borders of the human body and its interaction with its surroundings。 This takes the form of detailed accounts of his travels， photographs， sound recordings， etc。 which the artist then turns into experimental exhibitions such as space-filling cartographic and acoustic constructions consisting of drawings， diagrams， Around the world and 80 books in 13 days。 Full review to come。 Atlas of MovementsChristoph Fink （Ghent， °1963） has been working on his Atlas of Movements for many years， exploring the borders of the human body and its interaction with its surroundings。 This takes the form of detailed accounts of his travels， photographs， sound recordings， etc。 which the artist then turns into experimental exhibitions such as space-filling cartographic and acoustic constructions consisting of drawings， diagrams， tables and layers of sound。 Fink thus presents an alternative world view in which he calls into question the relationship between the various elements around us。（from: Museum M） 。。。more
Susan
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An immersive book that endeavors to take readers on a voyage around the world--through literature--during a time when many of us barely left our homes。 The author is professor of comparative literature， and his expertise is evident throughout this book。 I added so many books to my to-be-read list as a result of reading this book。 Damrosch introduces the reader to a vast array of books far outside the traditional "classics" taught in high school and university （although some of those make the lis An immersive book that endeavors to take readers on a voyage around the world--through literature--during a time when many of us barely left our homes。 The author is professor of comparative literature， and his expertise is evident throughout this book。 I added so many books to my to-be-read list as a result of reading this book。 Damrosch introduces the reader to a vast array of books far outside the traditional "classics" taught in high school and university （although some of those make the list， too）。 I confess I skimmed portions of the book， and savored some sections。 There's something here for everyone who loves to read and travel。 #AroundTheWorldIn80Books #NetGalley 。。。more
Karen Foster
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Inspired loosely by the route taken by Verne’s Phileas Fogg， yet more of an imaginary journey through the joy of reading…。。 it’s an armchair travelogue to counteract the pandemic’s restrictions on physical adventuring。 It’s such a unique take on ‘books about books’ genre （my personal catnip）， exploring the world through literature old and new， connecting us as humans， through universal struggles and emotions， through fictional characters。 A true book lovers book， and also this would make an amaz Inspired loosely by the route taken by Verne’s Phileas Fogg， yet more of an imaginary journey through the joy of reading…。。 it’s an armchair travelogue to counteract the pandemic’s restrictions on physical adventuring。 It’s such a unique take on ‘books about books’ genre （my personal catnip）， exploring the world through literature old and new， connecting us as humans， through universal struggles and emotions， through fictional characters。 A true book lovers book， and also this would make an amazing reading challenge！ 。。。more
marta the book slayer
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Reading about books is not as enjoyable as reading books， ya feel me？ It's even worse when you're reading an explanation of a book you haven't read。 Often times the author would explain books by what other authors have said about them and thus it's hard to keep track of what I'm actually reading about or trying to gain from this。 That said， I decided to approach this more like a fun resource for finding books I would want to read。 This book was split into different sections around the world， I'l Reading about books is not as enjoyable as reading books， ya feel me？ It's even worse when you're reading an explanation of a book you haven't read。 Often times the author would explain books by what other authors have said about them and thus it's hard to keep track of what I'm actually reading about or trying to gain from this。 That said， I decided to approach this more like a fun resource for finding books I would want to read。 This book was split into different sections around the world， I'll provide you with the books that I found interesting enough to add to my tbr:W， or the Memory of ChildhoodThe Periodic TableInvisible CitiesMy Name Is RedThe Thing Around Your NeckInterpreter of MaladiesIf I learned anything from this book， it's that I don't like books like this - I would take that as a pretty valuable lesson。 Thank you Penguin Group and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest reviewwhat better way to end the year than learning as much as you can about the world？ （aka a non-fiction/memoir marathon）❄ the anthropocene reviewed❄ around the world in 80 books 。。。more
Anika | Chapters of May
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This read is fascinating and the kind of nonfiction that fiction and poetry fans will enjoy。 It’s essentially a literary itinerary that allows you to take a trip through books， without ever having to leave your cosy reading spot。 It begins in London， moving through Europe， to the Middle East， Asia， Africa， and the Americas。 It’s a nonfiction book that gives you the immersive escape of a fiction book。I didn’t connect to every book mentioned， as the choices are based on the author’s own preference This read is fascinating and the kind of nonfiction that fiction and poetry fans will enjoy。 It’s essentially a literary itinerary that allows you to take a trip through books， without ever having to leave your cosy reading spot。 It begins in London， moving through Europe， to the Middle East， Asia， Africa， and the Americas。 It’s a nonfiction book that gives you the immersive escape of a fiction book。I didn’t connect to every book mentioned， as the choices are based on the author’s own preferences， but I was impressed with the diverse spectrum of titles。 It’s a way to revisit old favourites and discover new ones， while travelling across the globe as you turn the pages。 One thing to note: this book contains ending spoilers of other books featured！ 。。。more
Jeimy
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