World Travel

An Irreverent Guide

By: Anthony Bourdain, Laurie Woolever, Wesley Allsbrook

Narrated by: Bill Buford, Christopher Bourdain, Claude Tayag, Jen Agg, Laurie Woolever, Matt Walsh, Nari Kye, Shep Gordon, Steve Albini, Vidya Balachander

Bloomsbury presents World Travel by Anthony Bourdain, read by Laurie Woolever, Shep Gordon, Christopher Bourdain, Jen Agg, Matt Walsh, Bill Buford, Claude Tayag, Nari Kye, Vidya Balachander and Steve Albini.

'Terrific … His love for his subjects – both the food and the cook – sings' Telegraph
'Christ, could Bourdain weave words ... The guy wrote like a poet' Guardian

A celebration of the life and legacy of one of the most important food writers of all time – the inimitable Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain saw more of the world than nearly anyone. His travels took him from his hometown of New York to a tribal longhouse in Borneo, from cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, Paris, and Shanghai to the stunning desert solitude of Oman’s Empty Quarter – and many places beyond.

In World Travel, a life of experience is collected into an entertaining, practical, fun and frank travel guide that gives readers an introduction to some of his favorite places – in his own words. Featuring essential advice on how to get there, what to eat, where to stay and, in some cases, what to avoid. Additionally, each chapter includes illustrations by Wesley Allsbrook.

Supplementing Bourdain’s words are a handful of essays by friends, colleagues, and family that tell even deeper stories about a place, including sardonic accounts of traveling with Bourdain by his brother, Chris; a guide to Chicago’s best cheap eats by legendary music producer Steve Albini, and more.©2021 The Anthony M. Bourdain Trust UW (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers LLC

Critic reviews

This is the stuff of real writing … Bourdain is a great original

One of the world’s first and most influential celebrity chefs

Thrillingly profane, aggressively truthful voice … He would eat anything, go anywhere and say anything

Bourdain is a very funny writer; sharp, honest and with a beguiling mix of belligerence and sensitivity

Brilliantly written in a raw, stylist gonzo prose, with pitch-black humour and a devilish turn of phrase

Christ, could Bourdain weave words … Imagery like crime-scene photos, the flayed raw humour of a morgue attendant, the sort of one-liners a hitman drips as he pulls the trigger, and similes that would make Raymond Chandler eat his own pencils. For all the rock’n’roll, the easy, sleazy charm, the guy wrote like a poet

Terrific … His love for his subjects – both the food and the cook – sings

Thrillingly profane, aggressively truthful … He would eat anything, go anywhere and say anything

Bourdain is a vivid, bawdy and often foul-mouthed writer. He thrills in the attack, but he is also an enthusiast who writes well about things he holds dear

Fun and frank ... The perfect book for veteran travellers, armchair enthusiasts and those in-between

"Does the world need this book?"

With so many travel guides already in existence, this one is slightly different, or would have been had the personable and articulate Anthony Bourdain still be around to write it. In the original conception he was to have written essays for his selection of destinations with both his culinary and personal observations from his large travel catalogue. Sadly his death intervened before it passed the most basic foundations and his essays are now supplies by friends, colleagues and family.
Although a good attempt has been made, more than anything this book reveals how great was Bourdain's charisma: had.he been narrator it would have been so much warmer, But it remains as a touching memory to the man who brough so much pleasure to so many. And for those hoping to travel post covid, there are plenty of ideas suggested
The audiobook is accompanied by a downloadable PDF.

And, yes, we need all the Anthony Bourdain we can get to say goodbye.