"What a delight to find this unusual approach to armchair travel in Germany. Melican (a translator, journalist, and author who has lived in Germany for six years) demonstrates a broad knowledge of German literature, history, geography, and language in this anthology of descriptions of travel to the country from 1589 until the present. Excerpts from diaries, letters, memoirs, and novels by British and American writers are surprisingly immediate in their ability to capture, for example, the experience of travel down the Rhine River (Stephen Spender) or sojourns in Berlin (George Eliot) or Hamburg (Bill Bryson). Fortunately, a brief introduction to each writer precedes every entry, since some are by authors who are not well known to the English reading public. The variety in the 77 entries demonstrates the abundance of interests (food, art, cathedrals, landscapes, the Germans) writers bring to their experience in visiting the country. VERDICT Seasoned travelers to Germany as well as those taking their first trip there will find this a useful introduction to the country over the last 400 years. The diverse traveler reactions to their adventures will inspire most readers to take a trip there and formulate their own opinions."