On The Map - Simon Garfield

This splendid piece of work is lavishly (though sadly not colourfully) illustrated with maps of all ages, shapes and sizes.  Essentially a collection of short case studies taking us through the history of the map in all its forms over a thousand or more years, its triumph is some of the personalities behind the stories.

Garfield went to interview Patrick Moore for instance, who was sadly no longer with us by the time I got hold of the book.  A chunky hardback with a lovely cover design, this feel like a volume from a bygone age, yet it recounts the 'Apple maps' fiasco that seems only to have happened yesterday.

We are taken through the potentially disastrous tale of the Mappa  Mundi at Hereford Cathedral, learning that the decision to offload the little-seen map actually turned into a renaissance for the ancient plan.

A little later the history of the A to Z guides appears, something that was an essential part of travel to London (and indeed many other cities) for many decades before SatNav and Google Maps came on the scene.

Each of the chapters is constructed lightly and Garfield imparts knowledge so subtly that the reader could almost forget that this is a 'history book', perusing it is such a pleasure.

In summary, a lovely piece of work.  The only downside (which is nothing to do with the author I would imagine) is that the images inside the book do not live up to the spectacular cover and bold end-papers   Highly recommended.

Richard Saunders - Taipei Escapes 1&2

Finally I find time to write about a couple of books that actually feature Keelung and her environs. These two sizeable tomes are invaluable for the long-term Northern Taiwan resident keen to eschew the tourist traps and the department stores and to actually experience what can be a truly stunning place.

Taiwan is not particularly well-served by the travel literature available in English.  Official government publications are well meaning efforts that are usually a straight translation of their Chinese counterparts. This doesn't mean that they automatically become of use to foreigners seeking  good day out, Taiwanese and western concepts of what is worth seeing can be described as varying drastically.

The 'usual suspects' of the travel world are here of course. Lonely Planet have offered an English guide to Taiwan since 1987 with Rough Guides joining the fray a little under twenty years later.  For the less energetic sightseer Insight and broadcasting and publishing behemoth National Geographic offer a much glossier alternative.  Most recently Michelin have produced an edition of their iconic 'Green Guide' providing a slightly different take on tourism again.

These books are all fine in their own way and are aimed squarely at two markets, the intrepid western backpacker wanting to experience something culturally different and the richer, older western tourist wanting exotic oriental experiences without the discomfort of backpacking.  Both these activities have their merits and  these books have their place too.  What they don't cater for is those of us who may be here for more than a week or so and want to see more of the countryside than 99% of locals.

So, into this breech has stepped Richard Saunders with these two splendid volumes (actually fully updated versions of earlier similar books).  Both provide a selection of ten one-day trips to tourist spots followed by an excellent selection of routes which stretch the whole gamut of activity from 'walk' to 'hike'.  

What sets these works apart from anything else available (and there is very, very little) is the attention to detail.  Everything from pet-friendliness to location of bathrooms has been investigated in detail.  Saunders is also meticulous in providing the Chinese for anything of importance, something that locally translated materials always forget (they just exchange Chinese for English).  He also provides hand drawn sketch maps of the routes and some mouthwatering photos to whet your appetite.

It seems almost churlish to be in any way critical about such a wonderful project which is obviously done out of love for the environment of Northern Taiwan and a desire to share it with others.  Richard may possibly live in a fortified Tianmu condominium and spend his time counting the billions he has made from these books, but I think that is somewhat unlikely!  

So many thanks for the time and effort put in, but here are a couple of suggestions for future versions.  Once you have packed your rucksack with the recommended supplies, these books are actually relatively heavy.  A simple, but rather environmentally unfriendly, solution has been to simply photocopy the relevant pages.

How about, given the amount of hardware that people carry around these days, offering both in an e-book format? Being able to carry both books around in your phone or tablet would be incredibly convenient.

Finally, just because I want the world on a stick, I keep looking at these books and thinking how amazing it would be if the maps and text could meld together on the page in the way that Alfred Wainwright did.  The old curmudgeon produced fabulous hiking guides to the hills of Cumberland and Westmorland that look like this. 

Imagine that for walks around Jiufen and Jinguashi or Fulong, it would be quite spectacular and far nicer than anything available in Chinese.  The ultimate accolade I presume would be for a Chinese publisher to produce a translated version. I hope that happens one day.

To purchase these estimable books: In Taiwan, they are on the shelves at Eslite (various branches) and Page One (Taipei 101).  Also online from Eslite http://www.eslite.com/product.aspx?pgid=1002123202052489

If you can't find them there, contact the publisher http://www.communitycenter.org.tw/publications

Also highly recommended is Richard's guide to Yangmingshan, but that is, as they say, another story.

Blood River - Tim Butcher

I've just finished the fabulous 'Blood River', a gritty and epic description of a trip up the Congo in the footsteps of Stanley.

Butcher doesn't hold back on the poverty, terror and sheer horror of some of the places that he visits.  He also leaves the reader to decide their own view of the colonial period in that part of Africa, offering enough insight into the technological developments in the way of trains and ships that changed the region, but only for a fleetingly brief period.

Another thing to mention is the humanity that he comes across in what would be considered an inhumane environment, not only from aid workers and missionaries, but from the locals too.  There is tragedy in this tale and hopelessness, but there is beauty too, a rare feat in a 'mere' travel book,

A hybrid of regional history, travelogue and journalistic reportage is a difficult thing to pull off.  Butcher does it here brilliantly and leaves the reader glad they didn't accompany him, but very glad that he made the trip on their behalf.