Media

Awards

Outstanding Book Award, Memoir/Autobiography, American Society of Journalists and Authors
Special Jury Mention, Banff Mountain Festival Book Competition
Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award, Travel Book, Society of American Travel Writers

Reviews

Julian Smith, a talented travel writer…evokes Grogan, his adventures and his world with both insight and panache…and matchless skill.

— Washington Post

The story is not only a modern-day travelogue, but also a great historical account of a charming trailblazer, and the story of a modern-day relationship. 

— Miami Herald

An insightful and often uproarious romp.

— Boston Globe

Smith weaves a fine tale…if you love the Great Age of Adventure, you’ll love this book.

— Lonely Planet

Smoothly written chronicle that’s part travelogue, part contemporary relationship commentary, and all heart.

— Kirkus Reviews

A perilous saga of commitment and cannibals.

— Publishers Weekly

Both a mission impossible and a mission of love.

CNN.com

Colorful and insightful.

Life.com (photo gallery)

Like David Grann’s best-selling The Lost City of Z, this is two stories, of an explorer and of the author’s search for him, and both are compelling. Recommended for travel readers and anyone who has ever been or wants to go on a quest. 

— Library Journal

A few paragraphs into the prologue, the pages seemed to turn themselves . . . Compelling, thought-provoking and a sheer pleasure.

— Christine Delsol, former Deputy Travel Editor, San Francisco Chronicle

In this rapturous adventure narrative, Julian Smith follows in the footsteps of Ewart Grogan, one of history’s hard-core romantics, and shows that love really does conquer all . . . a cracking good yarn about the jittery joys of going solo before saying “I do.”

— Hampton Sides, bestselling author of “Hellhound on His Trail” and “Blood and Thunder”

A charming, wise, and captivating tale.

— Dean King, bestselling author of “Skeletons on the Zahara” and “Unbound”

Media Kit (ZIP file, 614 KB)

Includes:

  • Headshots (72 and 150 dpi)
  • Brief biography
  • Contact information
  • Crossing the Heart of Africa cover image
  • Crossing the Heart of Africa fact sheet with reviews