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Summary: Rudolph has walked the walk. Not your ordinary travel book
Review: I glanced at the beginning of Pilgrimage To The End Of The World, meaning to start reading it later. Supper neglected, I didn't put it down till I finished the last page. This morning I read through it again.In 1996 Conrad Rudolph walked the one thousand mile trail from Le Puy in France to Santiago de Compostela on the western side of Spain. This small book - 131 pages - 4 chapters - has a disconcertingly accurate capture of the feelings that come with being a long distance pilgrim. The first chapter talks about the pilgrimage in the middle ages and its continuation in some form to the present time - a lively presentation of medieval history. Chapters two and three were the ones that gave me flashbacks. In two, The Pilgrimage, his stories of feelings, encounters, experiences from the 1996 trip uniquely identify that long journey. In three, Views of the Journey, there are stark black and white photos, usually accompanied by a half page or more of text. The black and white works well. This is a serious journey and they convey that impression. Chapter four is the how to part: Doing the Pilgrimage. There is a lot of good information here. I disagree on a few things like cotton and external backpacks, but this is something that worked for him. Gear constantly changes. I think if he made this trip again in 2005 he would vary his gear list, so check other references such as the online Camino forums before going. Dogs. Clearly in 1996 dogs were a frequent problem. I've traveled the Spain part in 2001, and part of the French route in 2004 and never had a problem with a loose dog, but to the point for this paragraph: to the author: I want to know the rest of the story of "the four certifiably homicidal German Shepherds" ..."crazy with blood lust". How did you escape? Please post on a camino forum or publisher website.
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Summary: Best book in every way
Review: Why do so many travelers who trudge the long, dusty road to the Spanish pilgrimage city of Santiago de Conmpostela choose to pen books on the subject? And why are so many of them published? Is it because this varied and sometimes arduous journey continues, after more than 1000 years, to inspire and fascinate those who take up its challenge? A simple subject search at this site will deliver dozens of related titles. Having read many of them, I can attest that this new one, by the art historian Conrad Rudolph, is overall the best. It is short, cheap, and in about 120 pages, packs in everything: a history of pilgrimage as well as a personal account of the author's own trek over 1000 miles, that promises to engage the mind and senses of even the most skeptical reader or seasoned traveler. Some quixotic photographs and great advice for anyone who wants to embark on this trek round out the volume. The writing is wonderful. It is, in a word, a gem. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the middle ages, in northern Spain and southern France, or in making the pilgrimage, whether on the actual road or in the imagination, coming to the experience from the cozy comfort of an armchair.
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