The Colossus of Maroussi

Henry Miller's landmark travel book, ready to be stuffed into any backpack

In 1939 Miller left Paris and headed out with his friend Lawrence Durrell to explore the Grecian countryside, recording their travels and discoveries. A flock of sheep nearly tramples the two as they lie naked on a beach, the Greek poet Katsmbalis stirs every rooster within earshot of the Acropolis, cold hard-boiled eggs are warmed in a village's single stove, and they stay in hotels that "have seen better days, but which have an aroma of the past". A classic in travel literature, The Colossus of Maroussi is the book Miller would later cite as his favourite.