The Routledge Companion to Travel Writing offers the ideal springboard for beginners to the area, but is also an essential resource for those already working in the field. Each essay provides the historical, theoretical and cultural contexts as well as cutting-edge approaches and close readings of travelogues. "Readers of this volume will be transported away from a cosy middle-class voyeuristic observation of travel into a serious new world, which offers new perspectives and insights into travel writing. This is a welcome addition to a respected series of volumes, which aim to throw new light on familiar topics. Having approached this volume with the feeling that I was entering familiar territory, I soon realised that the journey had only just begun. With its excellent bibliographies and wealth of references, the way is well signposted." - Diana Dixon, Freelance reviewer and Editor Local Studies Librarian, Oakham, UK