Equator: A Journey

by Thurston Clarke

Book Overview

Widely considered a jewel of contemporary travel literature, the classic and witty account of author Thurston Clarke's solo journey along the Earth's torrid midsection returns to print in a handsome... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380708558
• ISBN13: 9780380708550
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 463 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic and unique

Though I may be naive, this was a fantastic book. There is something so appealing about following an indiscriminate line while traveling, even if it only highlights the absolute irrelevance of manmade lines and borders that the powers that be have drawn across the globe. However, this book was not just a cynical statement about those lines; it was a heartfelt and honest tribute to the places and people found along the way. The kindness and compassion which Clarke writes with is not condescending, but genuinely respectful and curious. Though it was perhaps an unintended consequence of linear travel, the variety and newness (at least to me!) of places he traveled to was outstanding. This is certainly not just another boring, cliché travel book about Tuscan suns and cozy cafes in Paris - it took me to places I'd never understood really existed. Thank you for this book - I hope to shake your hand someday.

Perfect travel writing

I read this book years ago when it first came out. I keep going back and reading it again. I don't generally enjoy travel writing, but this book is simply one of the best I've ever read. Not just interesting, but witty and interesting, which is something much better.The kind of book that you regret having read the first time because you'll never get to read it again for the first time!

Great company on a long trip

This is a difficult book not to like. I was worried at first that Clarke's tour of the equator might be a sort of weak gimmick, but he sticks to his plan only in so far as it helps bring to life the people and the cultures that he visits along the way. This is a very human book, with many stories of lives along the equator that are at once quite finely drawn but still pointing to the larger issues of environmental degradation overpopulation and disease. I think it is this very humanness that prevents it from seeming overly depressing or

A great travel book

Intelligent, insightful, and not at all patronizing of the cultures he visits. He did manage to hit some of the world's hell-holes along the way. The sections on French Guyana and the South Pacific were particularly interesting.

Very interesting.

A surprisingly human look at a line of longitude. Clarke takes us on a journey along the equator, bringing life to what could be considered just a line on a map. Learn about the people, countries, and history surrounding 0 longitude. A good read