A book sale and author signing will follow each lecture.
Novels are Paul Theroux’s preferred medium, but it is travel writing that has gained him the most distinguished recognition. With the publication of The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train through Asia (1975), and continuing with The Old Patagonian Express (1979), Theroux established himself as America’s foremost travel writer. Other travel books by Theroux include The Kingdom by the Sea (1983), Sailing Through China (1984), Riding the Iron Rooster (1988), and most recently, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star (2008).
Thu.
Dec. 3,
2009
6:00 p.m.
Rabb Lecture HallRick Steves
Rick Steves advocates smart, independent travel. As host of the public television series, Rick Steves' Europe, and author of 22 European travel books, he encourages Americans to dive deep into Europe and become "temporary locals." His readers discover not just great cities, but cozy "back door" villages away from the tourist trampled routes. He helps American travelers connect more intimately with Europeans, often for a fraction of what mainstream tourists pay.
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be one of the nation's foremost travel authorities. He is the author of scores of travel books, including 30 consecutive editions of the book initially titled Europe on $5 a Day, and now published as Europe on $50 a Day. His most recent books include Arthur Frommer's Branson (1995) and The New World of Travel: Fifth Edition (1996). The Arthur Frommer travel series is the world's largest selling series of travel books.
Frances Mayes has always adored houses, and when she saw Bramasole, a neglected, 200-year old Tuscan farmhouse nestled in five overgrown acres, it was love at first sight. Out of that instant infatuation have come four marvelous, and hugely popular, books: the bestsellers Under the Tuscan Sun, Bella Tuscany, In Tuscany, and Bringing Tuscany Home: Sensuous Style From the Heart of Italy. All four highly personal books are about taking chances, loving and renovating an old Italian villa, and the “voluptuousness of Italian life.”
Referred to as our new P.G. Wodehouse, Alexander McCall Smith is best known for his internationally acclaimed No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, which rapidly rose to the top of the bestseller lists throughout the world. The fifth novel in the series, The Full Cupboard of Life, received the Saga Award for Wit. The ninth book in the series is The Miracle at Speedy Motors (April 2008), and the tenth book in this series is Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (April 2009). The series has now been translated into 39 languages and has sold over 15 million copies worldwide.
The Lowell Lecture series is generously sponsored by the Lowell Institute, established in 1836 with the specific mission of making great ideas accessible to all people, free of charge. During the series’ long history, speakers have included Charles Dickens, William James, Margaret Mead, William Makepeace Thackeray and, more recently, Salman Rushdie, Howard Zinn, Gore Vidal, and Dennis Lehane.
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