Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?

Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? is a memoir and gonzo travelogue written by Thomas Kohnstamm and published by Three Rivers Press.

Kohnstamm claimed in an interview (not related to the book) to have written the front section material of a Lonely Planet guide to Colombia without having made a specific research trip for that project. This led to the publisher carrying out an urgent review of the content which did not reveal any inaccuracies.[1][2] In his book, Kohnstamm said he was given only 60 days to cover a 1000 mile stretch of northern Brazil for the 2005 Lonely Planet guide to the country. Insufficient time and money to do the job led him to compile information from secondary sources which he described as a "mozaic job." He insinuated that this was common practice in the industry.[3]

The book was met with a global media coverage prior to its release and positive reviews when it hit the shelves in April 2008.[4][5][6][7]

A book review in The New York Times calls "this rollicking exposé of the travel book industry...the most depraved travel book of the year".[8] The book was also criticised by Robert Hauptman who said that the author "did many distasteful things", described one incident related in the text as "nauseating" and considered his attitude to be cynical.[9] There was some controversy when the book was released.

References
  1. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/04/13/lonely.planet/index.html
  2. http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/my-perfect-adventure/My-Perfect-Adventure-Thomas-Kohnstamm.html
  3. "Can You Trust Your Travel Guidebook?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2016-12-30.
  4. Kohnstamm, Thomas B (2008), Do travel writers go to hell? : a swashbuckling tale of high adventure, questionable ethics and professional hedonism, Pier 9, ISBN 978-1-74196-111-9
  5. Graff, Keir (2008-04-01), "Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?(Brief article)(Book review)", Booklist, American Library Association, 104 (15): 19(1), ISSN 0006-7385
  6. "Can guidebooks be trusted?(Thomas Kohnstamm discuss guidebooks in his book, Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?: A Swashbuckling Tale of High Adventure, Questionable Ethics and Professional Hedonism)", International Travel News, Martin Publications, Inc, 33 (9): 24(3), 2008-11-01, ISSN 0191-8761
  7. "Kohnstamm, Thomas B.: DO TRAVEL WRITERS GO TO HELL?(Book review)", Kirkus Reviews, Kirkus Media LLC, 2008-02-01, ISSN 1948-7428
  8. RICHARD B. WOODWARD (May 4, 2008). "Armchair Traveler". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  9. Hauptman, R. (2011). Authorial Ethics: How Writers Abuse Their Calling. Lexington Books. p. 170. ISBN 9780739134443. Retrieved 2015-08-04.


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