For several decades, Bryan Dahlberg has collected books from the “Golden Age” of illustrated travel writing — by such authors as Ludwig Bemelmans, S.J. Perelman, Rockwell Kent and Stephen Longstreet. Most of these books were published between 1930 and the 1960s. They are not travel guides; they are enduring examples of personal anecdote and observation, intensely individual and full of character. Inspired by these warm, poignant and often funny stories, and drawing on his many years of living in Europe, he has turned his own travel tales into a collection that vividly evokes days of innocent adventure and misadventure.

Whether the story involves smuggling literature behind the Iron Curtain in an ancient camper van, or teaching two young birds to fly behind a Bavarian castle, the stories irresistibly invite the reader to come along for the ride. Be sure to look at the sample pages.

The charm of this book is expressed in much more than the text. The author’s own illustrations complement the words in both content and style, in a variety of media. Most of the pictures are line drawings in the tradition of his favorite authors and illustrators, but some are photographs created by unusual methods. The cover photograph, for instance, is a gum bichromate print. This technique was invented in 1855, and for several years the author has been developing the process further. His gum prints have been shown in several exhibits.



From the chapter Tram 27.