NEW YORK — Books about travel can inspire and inform. Here are a few out this season.
• “Great American Railroad Journeys.” This book is a tie-in to a BBC series of the same name that airs on public TV this summer, hosted by Michael Portillo. In the show, Portillo travels by train across America. The book (Simon & Schuster, $25) consists of essays about the development of rail routes across 19th century North America, with maps, photosand illustrations.
• “Footsteps.” This collection of essays is subtitled, “From Ferrante’s Naples to Hammett’s San Francisco, Literary Pilgrimages Around the World.” It walks readers in the footsteps of famous writers. Ernest Hemingway’s Madrid, Jamaica Kincaid’s Antigua and Mark Twain’s Hawaii are among the places featured in “Footsteps” (Three Rivers Press, $16).
• “Lonely Planet’s Global Beer Tour.” This hardcover ($20) from travel guidebook publisher Lonely Planet features breweries in 32 countries on five continents. Two other books out from Lonely Planet this season include one on “Street Art”($20) with recommendations for seeing 140 examples of street art in 42 cities around the world, and “Film and TV Locations” ($12), listing places featured in “Game of Thrones,” “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter” and more.
