Foreword Jason Wilson p. xi
Introduction Simon Winchester p. xvii
The Generals in Their Labyrinth: from Outside Patrick Symmes p. 1
A Mind Dismembered: from Harper's Magazine Frank Bures p. 18
The Last Wild River: from The Oxford American Bronwen Dickey p. 32
Intimacy: from The American Scholar Andre Aciman p. 45
Who Is America?: from Esquire Chuck Klosterman p. 62
The Pervert's Grand Tour: from Slate.com Tony Perrottet p. 66
A Dip in the Cold: from The New Yorker Lynne Cox p. 86
Mississippi Drift: from Harper's Magazine Matthew Power p. 104
The Mecca of the Mouse: from Slate.com Seth Stevenson p. 124
The Deeds: from The Virginia Quarterly Review Tom Sleigh p. 140
Hotels Rwanda: from GQ Jay Kirk p. 161
Dragon Season: from Travel + Leisure Kiran Desai p. 187
Tigerland: from The New Yorker Caroline Alexander p. 193
Lost in the Sahel: from National Geographic Paul Salopek p. 208
My Servant: from the New York Times Magazine Eric Weiner p. 224
Bolivia's Wrestlers: from National Geographic Alma Guillermoprieto p. 227
The End of the End of the Revolution: from the New York Times Magazine Roger Cohen p. 232
By Meat Alone: from The New Yorker Calvin Trillin p. 252
Terminal Beauty: from Travel + Leisure Karrie Jacobs p. 261
A Tale of Two Crossings: from Conde Nast Traveler Mark Schatzker p. 266
Game Over, Perseverance, All I Want Is Everything: from The Virginia Quarterly Review Dimiter Kenarov p. 276
The Cabin of My Dreams: from Outside Patrick Symmes p. 293
Tracking Down James Bond: from Ski Jay Cowan p. 305
Ecotouring in Honduras: from Slate.com Elisabeth Eaves p. 312
You Do Not Represent the Government of the United States of America: from The Virginia Quarterly Review Daniel Alarcon p. 326
Contributors' Notes p. 343
Notable Travel Writing of 2008 p. 349