Home › Asia Travel › The Great Railway Bazaar

The Great Railway Bazaar

by Paul Theroux

A 1973 rail journey across Europe and Asia

Regular price $18.94 USD
Regular price $31.57 USD Sale price $18.94 USD
Save 40%

Paperback New English

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

AlbakiReads Editorial

A 1973 rail journey across Europe and Asia

Paul Theroux structures this travel chronicle around a four-month, eastbound-and-back rail circuit begun in London in 1973. The route moves through Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Japan before returning via the Trans-Siberian, with named services such as the Orient Express, Khyber Pass Local, Frontier Mail, and Mandalay Express marking its progress. Trains provide the organizing frame for a wide-ranging account of incidents, adventures, and encounters across an intercontinental itinerary. The book’s subject is travel by rail as both a means of crossing borders and a vantage point on the places and people encountered along the way.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Travel-literature readers interested in long-distance rail journeys
  • Armchair travelers drawn to Europe and Asia
  • Readers interested in a 1973 travel chronicle spanning multiple regions

Themes

Rail travelIntercontinental journeyEurope and AsiaCross-cultural encountersTravel in 1973

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

From legendary writer Paul Theroux, an epic journey across Europe and Asia in this international best-selling classic of travel literature: "Funny, sardonic, wonderfully sensuous and evocative...consistently entertaining."--New York Times Book Review

In 1973, Paul Theroux embarked on a four-month journey by train from the United Kingdom through Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. In The Great Railway Bazaar, he records in vivid detail and penetrating insight the many fascinating incidents, adventures, and encounters of his grand, intercontinental tour.

Asia's fabled trains--the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Frontier Mail, the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur, the Mandalay Express, the Trans-Siberian Express--are the stars of a journey that takes Theroux on a loop eastbound from London's Victoria Station to Tokyo Central, then back from Japan on the Trans-Siberian. Brimming with Theroux's signature humor and wry observations, this engrossing chronicle is essential reading for both the ardent adventurer and the armchair traveler.
Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews