'Randy Malamud, a distinguished American professor of English . . . likes to get on planes. He is not a naive tourist but a travelling humanist. He might carry a lot of literary baggage, but he travels light. His knowledge informs his tourism. It doesnt squash it... He recognises the dangers of travel. Planes can carry nasty bacteria to anywhere with an international airport. But Malamud wants to be a carrier of ease rather than disease, transmitting to his readers the way travel can provoke joy, widen our aesthetics and offer a buffet of experiences.' -- Jeremy MacClancy * Times Higher Education *