I have found that the right book really puts me in the mood for a specific city, and, be it fiction or non-fiction, some literary background always makes a trip more enjoyable. I did a quick shake of my memory to get this going (so I apologize for errors and missing some authors). Obviously this is only a starting point, not a comprehensive list. I will try to keep this updated if folks care to add their city/book pairs.

I have tried to stay away from travel guides and "a history of..." type books.

*Not all books are exact matches for the cities. For example, the Girl with a Pearl Earring really takes place in Delft, and the painting hangs in The Hague. Nonetheless, I associate Vermeer with Amsterdam, which is rich his art. And, after all, Amsterdam is...a great city.

p.s., Any of youse who don't think Birmingham, England is a great city haven't done your share of pub crawling.


AMSTERDAM

Diary of Anne Frank
*The Girl with a Pear Earring, Chevalier


BEJING

The Last Emperor


BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND

Changing Places, David Lodge


CAMBRIDGE

Period Piece


CHICAGO

Chicago Loop, Theroux
The Jungle, Upton Sinclair
Sister Carrie, Theodore Dreiser


DUBLIN

Trinity, Leon Uris


FLORENCE

Brunelleschi’s Dome, Ross King
A Room with a View, Forester


HONG KONG

Tai-Pan, Clavell


JERUSALEM

Exodus, Leon Uris
The Source


LONDON

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, D. Adams
Sherlock Holmes, Doyle
Upstairs, Downstairs, Hawkensworth


LOS ANGELES

Concrete Blond; Angel’s Flight, Mike Connelly
MEXICO CITY

Aztec, Jennings


MOSCOW

Dr. Zhivago, Pasternak


NAIROBI

West with the Night, Markham


NEW YORK

Bonfire of the Vanities, Wolfe
A Winter’s Tale, Marc Helprin


PARIS

Count of Monte Cristo, Dumas
The Davinci Code, Brown
Le Mis, Victor Hugo


ROME

Agony and the Ecstasy, Irving Stone
Angels and Demons, Dan Brown
Beach Cities, Conroy
Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling, Ross King
A Soldier of the Great War, Marc Helprin


ST. PETERSBURG

Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky


SYDNEY

The Fatal Shore, Hughes,
A Sunburnt Country, Bill Bryson


TOKYO

Memoirs of a Geisha, A. Golden
Shogun, Clavell


VENICE

The Journeyer, Jennings