The Old Patagonian Express

This travel narrative follows Paul Theroux as he leaves Boston by suburban train and keeps to the rails as far as he can through Mexico, Central America, and down the west of South America to a desolate stop in Patagonia. He records compartments, stations, delays, and the talk of fellow passengers, with longer stays in cities where the line breaks. Landscapes shift from industrial New England to Andean plateaus and empty southern plains. The book is a linear account of one long railway journey, not a history of the countries along the route and not a novel.

Bound in black cloth with monochrome photo printed paper sides. Yellow endpapers. Plain slipcase.