Travel Through Maps & Narratives: An Exhibit on Travel & Tourism

Curated by Exhibit Assistants Sarah Helm & Erin Platte

Introduction

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page." - St. Augustine of Hippo

Humans have always traveled, but our reasons for travel have changed and multipled over time. Travel has evolved into an industry with social, economic, and environmental impacts. People all over the world make journeys, whether beginning a religiously motivated trek, seeking an adventure in a remote place, or enjoying a family vaction.

Over time, these travels have been catalogued in a variety of ways. This exhibit features items of interesting related to travel and tourism found in the collections of the Clark Library and the University of Michigan Library. Travel records can shed light on the motivations and experiences of those who set out from their homes to make journeys all across the globe. Maps, travel narratives, brochures, and guidebooks are useful both to travelers and outside observers wishing to learn about past trips.  This exhibition examines various types of travel through objects used to record or advertise tourism, pilgrimages, expeditions, and adventures.  This online version of "Travel Through Maps & Narratives: An Exhibition on Travel & Tourism" is the byproduct of a physical exhibit that was featured in the University of Michigan Library Stephen S. Clark Library exhibit space in Fall 2012.