An Inland Voyage

An Inland Voyage is Robert Louis Stevenson doing what literary men of the nineteenth century did best: setting off in a canoe, having opinions about everything, and turning mild inconvenience into elegant prose.

This early travel book follows Stevenson and his companion as they paddle through rivers and canals in Belgium and France, encountering inns, villagers, weather, discomfort, charm, and the quiet revelation that travel is often just being slightly wet in interesting places. It is not adventure on the grand imperial scale. No one conquers a continent. Instead, Stevenson notices, reflects, grumbles, enjoys himself, and somehow makes a small journey feel like a civilised rebellion against staying put.

There is a lovely irony in the whole thing: two young men seeking freedom, only to discover that freedom involves luggage, awkward boats, uncertain lodging, and the persistent problem of other people. Stevenson, naturally, makes it all readable. His eye for character, landscape, and absurdity is already fully alive here, giving the book that easy charm which makes even discomfort seem well phrased.

This 1919 Chatto & Windus edition is in Good condition. It has a scratched-out library stamp inside and one page with a slight tear, but is otherwise a sound and pleasing volume. In other words, it has travelled a little itself, which feels entirely appropriate.

A fine choice for lovers of Stevenson, classic travel writing, riverside wandering, and books that prove one need not go very far to have an adventure, provided one is prepared to write about it beautifully.

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