Touring - book recommendations?

Hi folks-- (newbie here)
Can anyone recommend good books/travelogues on touring? I've found a few on-line travelogues, but would really like to read some top notch books (especially with good humor).
Thanks in advance.
Dewbert

Here you go:

Hurt City by Bob Voiland
Over the Hills by David Lamb
Freewheelih' by Richard Lovett
A Crossing by Brian Newhouse
Roll Around Heaven All Day by Stan Purdum
Miles from Nowhere by Barbara Savage
A Bike Ride by Anne Mustoe
Bicycling Across America by David Heston Fenimore
Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America? by John Seigel Boettner
We Passed This Way by Dick Swinnerton.

Metal Cowboy, I forget the authors name

I read "Cold beer and crocodiles" but I dodn't remember the author's name.

It's about a guy who rides around australia. The writer is pretty good, but I was hoping for something a little more like Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintence, except with the tour being on a bike instead of a motorcycle. After reading cold beer and crocodiles, I read Zen agian...that's a great book.

*Miles from Nowhere by Barbara Savage*

Recently finished reading this. It's fantastic.

Josie Dew - Wind in my Wheels

Cold Beer and Crocodiles is by Roff Smith and published by National Geographic. I really enjoyed it. Not quite as good is Cycling the Silk Road by Brady Fotheringham.

Metal Cowboy, I forget the authors name
That one's by Joe Kurmaskie (http://catalog.infodepot.org/uhtbin/cgisirsi.exe/kqMtSY2vKb/SPARTANBRG/294020053/8/807155/METAL+COWBOY+TALES+FROM+THE+ROAD+LESS+PEDALED). I'll be finishing that one today. I've found it to be entertaining but not that informative. The story about running across the Elvis impersonators was enough reason to consider touring.
Though I'm not sure what I would expect to find in an all informative book. It seems like it would boil down to a list of essentials, which might change from rider to rider or subject to change for locations. Still, I too would be interested in such a read if some of you could help narrow down the selections for us.

Yes, Miles From Nowhere definitely. Also, Over the Hills (mentioned above) is quite good.

A non-biking road book, Blue Highways, by William Least Heat-Moon, is also to be recommended. He ambles about the country in a simply-appointed van, and his musings and the people he meets are good lessons in how to go.

I really enjoyed Neil Anderson's books myself. Both are reviewed at the links below.

http://www.bicycletouring101.com/BookNeilAndersonLeadGoatVeeredOff.htm
http://www.bicycletouring101.com/BookNeilAndersonPartnersInGrimeReview.htm

Bernie Howgate writes some great books as well:

http://www.bicycletouring101.com/BookBernieHowgateNewfieOrBust.htm

If you are looking for a book that talks about the Touring Gear and stuff you might want to check out the The Essential Touring Cyclist by Richard Lovett.

http://www.bicycletouring101.com/BookEssentialTouringCyclist.htm

~Jamie N
www.bicycletouring101.com

I'm going to put in my usual plug for Miles from Nowhere and add that I actually met the Savages whilst they were on their tour in April 1980 in New Zealand. I guess they were underwhelmed by my presence as I never made it into the book...

Okay, thats my 15 seconds of near fame.

Ooops that should be 1980 not 2000. Brain weevils.

Try the following (I liked it a lot):

Magnouloux, Bernard
Travels with Rosinante; 5 years cycling around the world.
London, Grafton, 1990. ISBN 0-856-20828-3

"...this marvellousy racy account of his five-year bicycle ride around the world that took him through 45 countries, 77.000 cycled km's, 267 tyres and 199 punctures..."

And for pointers to additional books of traveling around the world by bicycle, try:

http://www.cyclingaroundtheworld.nl/index.asp

Here's another, I havn't read it but i'm going to go see him talk about his journey on thursday at the Saratoga REI.
Odysseus’ Last Stand: Chronicles of a Bicycle Nomad by Dave Stamboulis

Here's the link to the info about the talk for anyone who's interested. http://community.rei.com/bin/jobsevents/storeevents.cgi?read=283&topic=Saratoga&subject=Saratoga+Store+Clinics+and+Events&id=0901&boardtype=events

I suggest you take a look at this message thread. http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=16884

Since my entry then I've acquired several books to add to the list, but have yet to update my list.
Hopefully I will get a round tuit.

enjoy
wells

Hi folks-- (newbie here)
Can anyone recommend good books/travelogues on touring? I've found a few on-line travelogues, but would really like to read some top notch books (especially with good humor).
Thanks in advance.
Dewbert

Apologies for the selfish promotion but our travelogue account of riding around Australia can be found and bought online. http://www.geocities.com/andrewhooker59/CycleTouring.html Not too sure about the humor though :D
Regards
Andrew & Joanne

Time to update the list! Here are some new books to my bicycle touring collection. Let me know if you want additional information on any of them.

Wells Horton
wellsmarsha@frontiernet.net


Just the Two of Us; A Cycling Journey Across America; Norton, Melissa; 2001

Cycling Into Your Soul; A Journey out into the worold and down into the soul; Archibald, Marg; date?

The First Big Ride; A Woman’s Journey; Hanner, Eloise; 2000

A Bicyle Journey to the Bottom of the Americas; Being a true account of a bike adventure from Alaska to Tierra Del Fuego; Hawkins, George J.; 2000

World Ride; Going the extrea mile against cancer; Drorbaugh, Richard; 1995

The Lead goat Veered Off; A Bicycling Adventure on Sardinia; Anderson, Neil; 2000

Pilgrim on a Bicycle; Coast to coast in search of community; Johnson, Barbara Mary; 1982

On the Trail of Marco Polo; Along the Silk Road by bicycle; Fotheringham, Brady; 2000

Around the World On a Bicycle; Stevens, Thomas; 2001 (originally published in1887)



These I have listed in the forum in the past:

Two Wheels North; Bicycling the West Coast in 1909; Gibb, Evelyn McDaniel; 2000

2 Wheels 2 Years & 3 Continents; A Bicyclist’s Dream Fulfilled; Galen, Ralph W.;1977

Cold Beer and Crocodiles; A Bicycle Journey into Australia; Smith, Roff; 2000

A Bike Ride;12,000 miles around the world; Mustoe, Anne;1992

The Adventure of Two Lifetimes; Goetz, Pegy Newland and Brian Goetz;2001

Computing Across America; The Bicycle Odyssey of a High-Tech Nomad;Roberts, Steven K.;1988

Metal Cowboy; Tales from the road less pedaled;Kurmaskie, Joe;1999

Where the Pavement Ends; One Woman’s Bicycle Trip Through Mongolia, China & Vietnam;Warmbrunn, Erika;2001

Spokesongs; Bicycle Adventures on Three Continents;Weir, Willie;1997

The Trail to Titicaca; A journey through South America;Attlee, Rupert;1999

Following the Sun; A Bicycle Pilgrimage from Andalusia to the Hebrides;Mitchell, John Hanson;2002

A Crossing;A Cyclist’s Journey Home; Newhouse, Brian;1998

Riding the Desert Trail; By bicycle to the source of the Nile;Selby, Bettina;1988

Cycling Adventures of Coconut Head; A North American Odyssey;Schredd, Ted;1996

Against the Wind; A Maine to Alaska Bicycling Adventure;Basch, Marty;1995

Free-Wheelin’; A Solo Journey Across Ameerica;Lovett, Richard A.;1992

Africa Trek; A Journey by Bicycle through Africa;Buettner, Dan;1997

The Impossible Ride; The Story of the First Bicycle Ride across the Amazon Jungle;Sutherland, Louise;1982

Over the Hills; Lamb, David;1996

Stealing from a Deep Place; Travels in Southeastern Europe;Hall, Brian;1988

Pedaling the Ends of the Earth; Four young me come of age in a great bicycling adventure stretching from Spain to Japan;Duncan, David;1985

Himalayan Passage; Seven months in the high courtry of Tibet, Nepal, China, India, and Pakistan;Schmidt, Jeremy;1991

Short Summer in South America; Sanders, Nick;1989

Hurt City;;Voiland, Bob;1994

Cycling to XIAN and other excursions; Travels by bicycle through China & Tibet;Buckley, Michael;1988

Seeing Myself Seeing the World; A Woman’s Journey Around the World on a Bicycle;Vantress, Sally;1990

Changing Gears; Bicycling America’s Perimeter;Schnell, Jane;1990

Round Ireland in Low Gear; Newby, Eric;1987

Lone Traveller; One Woman, Two Wheels and the World; Mustoe, Anne;1998

The Masked Rider; Cycling in West Africa;Peart, Neil;1996

Travels in a Strange State; Cycling across the USA;Dew, Josie;1994

We’re Outta Here!; How to plan and take the trip of your dreams;Wooten, David;1997

Three Men on a Bike; A Journey through Africa;Spowers, Rory;1995

The World up Close; A cyclist’s Adventures on Five Continents;Nasr, Kameel B.;1990

Six Years After D-DAY; Cycling through Europe;Alsmeyer, Marie Bennett;1995

Ride with the Wind; The Adventures of a Grandmother who Bicycled around the World;Hamlin, Charlotte;1997

Roll Around Heaven All Day; A Piecemeal Journey Across America by Bicycle;Purdum, Stan;1997

The Long Ride; Sumner, Lloyd; 1978

Two Wheels around New Zealand; A bicycle journey on Friendly Roads;Bischke, Scott;1989

The Road of Dreams; A Two-Year Bicycling and Hiking Adventure around the World;Junek, Bruce B.;1991

Ironhourse Rider; A Coast to Coast Bicycle Odyssey;Turner, Bo;1996

Two of my favorites are from the 19th century

The Wonderful Ride by George Loher, Harper and Row, 1978

Wheels of Chance by H.G. Wells, Breakaway Books. Very funny fictional account of touring by THE H.G. Wells

And for on-line content there is always http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/. Lots of good stuff there. I'm told that one guy's stuff is really funny but I know the author personally and I think his stuff is dreck ;) :D

My favourite bicycle touring book is "Full Tilt" by Dervla Murphy.

Sudipto