Some years ago in a cottage-style bookstore in Havre de Grace, Maryland, I found a charmingly worn hardbound entitled "The Silent Traveller in Edinburgh." It was during my China vs. Scotland phase, when I was struggling to determine which country to visit first should I ever have the chance. Imagine my joy at finding a book that soothed both strains: a book about Scotland's ancient capital as seen through the eyes of a 1940's visitor from China. Although I have yet to see either country, by now I have read several more works of (may he rest in peace) Chiang Yee, better known as "The Silent Traveller." Thanks to Pientimento Book Store in Clinton, MS over the weekend just past, I am now an owner and happy reader of "The Silent Traveller in Paris." Having twice visited the City of Lights myself, I am delighted to recall why one Silent and one Not-So-Silent Traveller both fell in love with the place. "The Silent Traveller in New York" and "The Silent Traveller in San Francisco" are two more of his titles represented on my shelves and fondly recalled after visits to those cities over several decades. Of the 19 total Yee travel books I aspire to own someday, Boston, London and Oxford may be next. I gather they're the most readily available, as I often see references on Amazon and Ebay. But...buy online? Naaah. Infinitely more fun to "discover" such books in places like Clinton, Mississippi and Havre de Grace, Maryland.
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