Departures and Arrivals

'Wit, charm and effortless storytelling ability' Time Out '[Newby's] eye as sharp as ever, he remains the King of Wry, and this quiver of 19 stories from a travelling life a delicious entertainment in the understated tradition... Newby is a true comrade in tenuous and uncomfortable places and plainly a good man to be with when you are down to the last bottle of rough peasant red' Trevor Fishlock, Daily Telegraph 'Wherever he is, he writes with an eye for strange details and with a strong conviction that whatever else it is, travel should be fun' Sunday Times Travel 'A kind of pointillist memoir, a series of charming snapshots from a fascinating life. Newby is one of the funniest English writers ... fans will find in this collection of pieces all the hallmarks that have made him one of our best-loved writers: the gentle humour, the unpretentious modesty and the self-deprecating charm' William Dalrymple, Mail on Sunday 'With Newby in charge, you are guaranteed a memorable moment every step of the way. No other writer engages his readers more wholeheartedly in his adventures, or views the world through fresher eyes ... Newby is a travelling companion sans pareil' Christopher Matthew, Daily Mail 'Newby conveys the quirks of his histories and the contours of his landscapes and cultures with infectious enthusiasm and a gentlemanly scholarship' Andrew Mackenzie, Scotland on Sunday 'This book is like a suitcase into which Newby has stuffed colourful oddments from his life ... A writer with a painter's eye' Clare Colvin, Sunday Express