Travel Literature

In the Los Angeles area these stores specialize in travel literature and accessories: California Map & Travel Center, 3312 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 396-6277, fax (310) 392-8785, www.mapper.com. Distant Lands -- A Traveler's Bookstore and Outfitter, 56 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena; (800) 310-3220 or (626) 449-3220, fax (626) 792-9706, www.distantlands.com. Geographia Map & Travel Bookstore, 4000 Riverside Drive, Burbank; (818) 848-1414, fax (818) 848-2714.

States and many U.S. territories have tourism offices to help visitors. When requesting travel literature, be as specific as possible. Alabama: Alabama Tourism Department, 401 Adams Ave., Suite 126, P.O. Box 4927, Montgomery, AL 36103; (800) 252-2262 or (334) 242-4169, http://www.alabama.travel. Alaska: Alaska Travel Industry Assn., Visitor Information Center, 2600 Cordova St., Suite 201, Anchorage, AK 99503; (800) 862-5275 or (907) 929-2200, http://www.travelalaska.com. American Samoa: American Samoa Visitors Bureau, P.O. Box 4240, Pago Pago, AS 96799; (684)

Here's an idea for a feel-good Christmas present -- a "benevolit" book. That's what I'm calling this relatively new and increasingly popular genre of travel literature. They are typically narratives of journeys that were so life-changing as to inspire the author to start a philanthropy dedicated to helping those who helped them on their adventures. Three Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin Viking (2006): 349 pp., $16 The meteoric success in the category is "Three Cups of Tea," by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, which, despite being of average literary merit, has spent more than 145 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

Here's an idea for a feel-good Christmas present -- a "benevolit" book. That's what I'm calling this relatively new and increasingly popular genre of travel literature. They are typically narratives of journeys that were so life-changing as to inspire the author to start a philanthropy dedicated to helping those who helped them on their adventures. Three Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin Viking (2006): 349 pp., $16 The meteoric success in the category is "Three Cups of Tea," by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, which, despite being of average literary merit, has spent more than 145 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

The following organizations publish catalogues of travel guides and other travel literature. Most catalogues are free, but a couple of firms charge a small fee.

States and many U.S. territories have tourism offices to help visitors. When requesting travel literature, be as specific as possible. Alabama: Alabama Tourism Department, 401 Adams Ave., Suite 126, P.O. Box 4927, Montgomery, AL 36103; (800) 252-2262 or (334) 242-4169, http://www.alabama.travel. Alaska: Alaska Travel Industry Assn., Visitor Information Center, 2600 Cordova St., Suite 201, Anchorage, AK 99503; (800) 862-5275 or (907) 929-2200, http://www.travelalaska.com. American Samoa: American Samoa Visitors Bureau, P.O. Box 4240, Pago Pago, AS 96799; (684)

Bermuda recently established a new office to handle inquiries. If your readers wish to write for information on Bermuda, they should write to: The Bermuda Department of Tourism, 210 Madison Ave., Suite 201, New York 10017. Or call (800) BERMUDA to request vacation and travel literature. RICHARD ARROYO Carl Byoir & Associates Los Angeles

THESE DAYS, Adrian Kalvinskas isn't traveling much, but he's learning a lot about the world. As owner of Distant Lands--A Traveler's Bookstore, Kalvinskas gets a lot of off-the-wall questions about a lot of off-the-wall places. "It's a real education," he says. The small, comfortable shop invites intense browsing. In addition to maps, 4,500 travel titles and a wide selection of travel videos, Kalvinskas stocks an extensive armchair-travel section.

After 22 years of roaming the world, Santa Monica investor Maurice Bretzfield can claim a fair share of experiences, from watching sunsets at an ancient castle in Jaipur, India, to camping high in the Himalayas with a group of Sherpas to crossing by foot into China under the stony gaze of armed border guards.

Last year, The Times published an article by Lois Langley on renting an apartment in Paris ("Two Ways to Find a Paris Vacation Apartment," March 10, 1991). My wife and I recently decided to take Langley's advice. This past August, we reserved an apartment on the Left Bank for two weeks, from the agency Langley chose, Paris Connection in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The experience was everything the article described. Jim Buongiorne, who owns Paris Connection and operates out of Paris, greeted our taxi when we arrived at the apartment.

In the Los Angeles area these stores specialize in travel literature and accessories: California Map & Travel Center, 3312 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 396-6277, fax (310) 392-8785, www.mapper.com. Distant Lands -- A Traveler's Bookstore and Outfitter, 56 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena; (800) 310-3220 or (626) 449-3220, fax (626) 792-9706, www.distantlands.com. Geographia Map & Travel Bookstore, 4000 Riverside Drive, Burbank; (818) 848-1414, fax (818) 848-2714.

A while back, I resolved to give books, and only books, as holiday gifts. I have been content since. For one thing, bookstores are agreeable places in which to shop; and now, thanks to espresso bars and lounge chairs, even more so. Also, I believe that old conceit: Books say something about the giver while enriching the recipient. The question is not how much to spend to please someone, but what book to spend it on. This year has seen many good travel tales and a few fine ones.

In one way, writing travel literature resembles its associated activity, learning a language. Achieving some fluency is encouragingly easy, but mastery is almost impossible. Transcribing the notes from a trip frees you from the necessity of invention, and your itinerary provides your structure. But the latter "advantage" is really the problem: Your book is shackled to the unholy mess of real life: its formlessness, tedium and false starts.

The following organizations publish catalogues of travel guides and other travel literature. Most catalogues are free, but a couple of firms charge a small fee.

After 22 years of roaming the world, Santa Monica investor Maurice Bretzfield can claim a fair share of experiences, from watching sunsets at an ancient castle in Jaipur, India, to camping high in the Himalayas with a group of Sherpas to crossing by foot into China under the stony gaze of armed border guards.

For as long as human beings have been traveling, they've been sharing information and opinions about their routes and destinations with each other. The urge to do so is apparently as strong as the yen to visit somewhere different in the first place. That's why folks subject their friends to narrated slide shows of their trips to Tahiti and Toronto.

For as long as human beings have been traveling, they've been sharing information and opinions about their routes and destinations with each other. The urge to do so is apparently as strong as the yen to visit somewhere different in the first place. That's why folks subject their friends to narrated slide shows of their trips to Tahiti and Toronto.

Last year, The Times published an article by Lois Langley on renting an apartment in Paris ("Two Ways to Find a Paris Vacation Apartment," March 10, 1991). My wife and I recently decided to take Langley's advice. This past August, we reserved an apartment on the Left Bank for two weeks, from the agency Langley chose, Paris Connection in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The experience was everything the article described. Jim Buongiorne, who owns Paris Connection and operates out of Paris, greeted our taxi when we arrived at the apartment.