Chosen by a literary all-star jury that included: Monica Ali; Vikram Chandra; Jared Diamond; Peter Mayle; John McPhee; Francine Prose; Paul Theroux; Gore Vidal; and more.

Along the Ganges
Ilija Trojanow (2006)
An emigrant from Cold War Bulgaria now living in Cape Town, Trojanow brings a pan-religious enthusiasm to his writings on Asia, and in his journey from the Ganges's source to the chaotic cities along its course, he treats the river and its Hindu devotees with fascination, respect, and an eye for detail. Nominated by Nuruddin Farah (Haus Publishers, $20).

Arabian Sands
Wilfred Thesiger (1959)
Born in Ethiopia to a British diplomat, the writer-explorer was disenchanted with the West and spent five years traveling among the bedouins of southern Arabia, detailing their disappearing way of life. For his dedication and his eloquence, Paul Theroux puts him "on my classics list" (Penguin, $15).

An Area of Darkness
V. S. Naipaul (1965)
This is old-school Naipaul—the Subcontinental chronicle that made his name and expertly defined the India of the early sixties (even the writer's former protégé turned nemesis Paul Theroux confesses admiration). Linh Dinh calls it "penetrating, taut, and funny," with the caveat that "the only flaw with Naipaul is the fact that he does not drink alcohol, which curtails his access to many social situations" (Vintage, $14).

As They Were
M.F.K. Fisher (1982)
Peter Mayle, who has credited the brilliant food writer's Provence books with inspiring him to first visit the region, nonetheless recommends the book that comes closest to being Fisher's complete memoir. "She has the rare gift of letting the reader know exactly what it was like to see what she saw, hear what she heard, taste what she tasted, and feel what she felt," says Mayle. "A book not to be missed" (Vintage, $14).

A Barbarian in Asia
Henri Michaux (1933)
For those who would have liked to imagine Rimbaud as a reporter, the louche French poet Michaux might make the perfect guide to the East in the thirties. John Wray calls the book "hilarious, bizarre, and wildly self-indulgent"—not always a bad thing. "He was apparently hell-bent on alienating half the planet, or at least those parts he traveled through. Not to be read by anyone looking to get a feel for what life is like in India, China, or Japan" (New Directions, $15).

The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer
Eric Hansen (2004)
From Manhattan to the Maldives, the Riviera to Vanuatu, Hansen has been everywhere and swallowed it all whole—as this dizzying collection proves. His stint as a volunteer in Mother Teresa's Calcutta poorhouse is a highlight. "The stories he spins are full of humor and savvy," says Julia Alvarez. "These are perfect-pitch stories, mischievous, daring—perfect for the armchair traveler who wouldn't dare" (Vintage, $14).

Bitter Lemons of Cyprus
Lawrence Durrell (1957)
What begins as a romantic Peter Mayle–style romp quickly becomes something much deeper, says Robert D. Kaplan: "a study of, among other things, how frustrated young men turn to violence on 'an agricultural island being urbanized too quickly.' The perfect blend of travel and informed reportage. While The Alexandria Quartet made Durrell famous, this is the better work" (out-of-print).