But it is still apparently possible to discover, not geography, but music and atmosphere, cuisine and local hospitality, if, as Jacob has done, one reads extensively before buying an air ticket. He includes what must be the finest list of travel books ever written. Listed also is some great literature which capture atmosphere like no travel writing—Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses, Vikram Seth’s Golden Gate, Timothy Mo’s Renegade and Micklethwaite’s A Future Perfect. Books to read before going include Louise Koke’s Our Hotel in Bali, Max Rodenbeck’s Biography of Cairo, George Mason’s Companion Guide to Rome, Ibn Batuta’s Travels—to hear how Batuta brutalised the islanders—and Vade Meccum, a Baedeker for Calcutta in 1810, depicting how ‘the attachment of many European gentlemen to their native mistresses is not to be described’. Some cities leave readers unconvinced of the merits of a visit—Dubai, Bangalore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, for instance.
The locations where Jacob captures magic are Rome and Cairo, but above all, Sante Fe and its breathtaking opera. Jacob’s favourite venue is undoubtedly Manhattan, but most of us, bombarded by the stunning expertise of movie cameramen, know it all too well. India naturally comes in for special attention through descriptions of Delhi, Goa, Bangalore, Indore and a tiger reserve. Indians, who can ruin any tourist’s stay in India, are only gently criticised as having developed their anarchy and paranoia from ‘decades of scarcity brought on by socialist rule’.
The book has both Asian and non-Asian sections. The European portions may sound convincing to UK readers but the Asian traveller is unlikely to go to Lyon for a great steak, or to Italy for the best ricotta, when, as the author says, Notting Hill in London serves the best European food. Perhaps the best portion is the interviews with several authors, as well as a great rediscovery of the Empire by both the former rulers and the ruled. Some interesting gems illuminate the text like Ochterlony, known in history for defeating the Gurkhas of Nepal, worrying over the fate of his illegitimate daughters from an Indian mistress. More than being a mere travelogue, this is a very readable book capable of inciting the innocent reader to wanderlust.
