Reference Points

By Chicago Tribune

October 5, 2008

Novel Destinations

Literary Landmarks from

Jane Austen's Bath to

Ernest Hemingway's Key West

National Geographic [$25]

To many, heaven means combining travel with reading. The authors of this book, Shannon McKenna Schmidt and Joni Rendon, are two such people. In this rather hefty volume, they describe literary pilgrimages and sites around the world, beginning with the Bard himself, from the Globe Theatre in London to Shakespeare in the Park in New York. They also include literary birthplaces, houses, museums, cemeteries, walks, tours, hotels and festivals, from Bloomsday in Dublin to the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England, to an annual production of To Kill a Mockingbird in Monroeville, Ala. They cover Bronte country (Yorkshire) and Hardy country (Dorset) but also Steinbeck country (Monterey and Salinas, Calif.) as well as literary Parisian cafes and New York bars for bibliophiles. A fun read whether for armchair travelers or actual literary pilgrims.