Below are snippets from reviews of some of my academic books
The Cambridge History of Travel Writing (ed. with Nandini Das) (Cambridge University Press, 2019)
“The scope, breadth, and thought-provoking perspectives of this volume make it a necessary resource for anyone interested in the genre of travel writing.” (Choice, Dec 1, 2019)
“an admirable volume … immensely rewarding … Generous in space and time, its deeply historical and convincingly global coverage presses right up to our present moment, our most urgent planetary challenges. … a joy and education to read” (David Wallace, Journal of British Studies, 60.1 (2021), 183-85.)
The Routledge Research Companion to Travel Writing (ed. with Alasdair Pettinger) (Routledge, 2019) 'Alasdair Pettinger and Tim Youngs are leading experts in the field of travel writing. Their newest volume brings together contributions that examine key themes in travel writing, scrutinize novel and established approaches to the genre, and map new paths in the field of travel writing studies. Each individual contribution is persuasively argued and demonstrates its arguments and findings with examples of representative primary texts. The diversity of the travel narratives analyzed in the volume exemplifies the heterogeneity and richness of the genre. This makes for a compelling read for those who are new to the field as well as for those who are acquainted with the study of travel writing.' (Isabel Kalous, journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1021/1183. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).)
Beastly Journeys: Travel and Transformation at the fin de siècle (Liverpool University Press 2013)
‘[a] lively and witty book’; ‘a breathtaking survey of works that share themes of travel, transformation, and animality’; 'engaging and provocative’. Maggie Berg, Victorian Review, 41.1 (2015), 191-92.
The Cambridge Companion to Travel Writing(ed. with Peter Hulme) (Cambridge University Press, 2002)
'A great success and maintains a consistently high standard throughout' (Nigel Leask);
'Among the contributors are those who, in their pioneering publications, have made some of the most important contributions to studies in travel writing over the past two decades: the editors themselves, for example … This comprehensive volume is an important contribution to the study of … a complex and shifting form' (Charles Forsdick, Journeys).
The Cambridge Introduction to Travel Writing (CUP, 2013) 'Intriguing for anyone interested in the mechanics, history and future of the genre' (Wanderlust Magazine); 'Magisterial' (Condé Nast Traveller); 'an informative, readable introduction to the massive body of travel writing … Highly recommended' (Choice); 'an extremely useful, insightful book, offered in anticipation of the important critical work that no doubt will follow in Youngs’s footsteps' (Prose Studies 36.2 (2014), 162-64; 'The Cambridge Introduction to Travel Writing impresses through its historical and thematic scope and the wide range of texts it covers as well as its discussion of the issues that preoccupy the field in the twenty-first century. ... [A] clear and wide-ranging introduction to the field of travel writing, which combined with a few in-depth case studies gives readers a good overview of the history of travel writing and its challenges and opportunities in the twenty-first century' (Isabelle Hesse, H-Travel, H-Net Reviews. February, 2018, www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=50158)
Travel writingin the Nineteenth Century: Filling in theBlank Spaces (Anthem, 2006)
'offers some rich critical readings of a wide variety of travel accounts [...] in the nineteenth century.’ Daniel Bivona, Nineteenth-Century Contexts, 31.4 (2009), pp. 389-91.
Perspectives on Travel Writing (ed. with Glenn Hooper) (Ashgate, 2004)
The 'close attention to the interplay between the formal properties of particular texts and the ideological work they do is impressive. But it is in its invitation to take risks and extend the scope of the subject and the terms of its scholarship that the innovation of this volume lies.' (New Formations)
'[Tim Youngs’s] essay makes an excellent coda to a lively and varied collection' (David Seed, Modern Language Review).
Writing and Race(ed.) (Longman, 1997)
'A useful teaching companion at undergraduate or postgraduate level, as well as a thoughtful contribution to its subject' (New Formations);
A reminder of how racial studies break down traditional subject disciplines, and stimulate new dialogues' (Interventions); 'a useful companion to a cultural studies course on postcolonial literatures' (Symbiosis);
'An excellent format for introducing to postgraduate and advanced students both the topic and the construction of an interdisciplinary discourse community deploying diverse approaches to its issues'(European Journal of American Culture).
Travellers in Africa: British Travelogues 1850-1900 (Manchester University Press, 1994)
'A brilliant contribution to the analysis of imperial discourse' (African Affairs);
'offer[s] a new model for work on travel writing which combines both a sensitivity to historical context and a creative appropriation of cultural theory' (Journal of Victorian Culture),
a 'sensitive ... lucid study' (TLS);
a 'considerable achievement' (Prose Studies);
'an original, important and timely contribution to colonial and postcolonial studies' (Wasafiri).