Every weekend A.A. Gill entertains readers of the Sunday Times with his biting observations on television and his unsparing, deeply knowledgeable restaurant reviews. He is one of a tiny band of must-read journalists and it is always a disappointment when the words A.A. Gill is away appear at the foot of his column. This book is the fruit of those absences: 22 long travel pieces that belie his reputation as a mere style journalist and master of vitriol.