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Tessa Chan

The Time Travel Handbook
Wyllie, Acton and Goldblatt
Profile Books

History writer and screenwriter James Wyllie, author Johnny “Lord” Acton, and author and sports writer for The Guardian and BBC radio David Goldblatt have teamed up to produce a travel guide with a difference.
Reading The Time Travel Handbook is like being handed the keys to a DeLorean time machine; you’re invited to skip back and forth, visiting defining moments in history. There are 18 trips on the menu, organised under themes from “Cultural & Sporting Spectaculars” and “Extreme Events” to “Epic Journeys & Voyages”.
Before you set off, you’re asked to read the fine print on terms and conditions, such as respecting local dress codes, and more importantly, not messing with the space-time continuum (anyone who’s seen Back to the Future will know how that can complicate things). There’s a strict no mobiles policy, so selfies are out of the question.
You’re assigned a suitable cover for each trip: in 1275 Xanadu (Shangdu) you’ll pose as one of Marco Polo’s domestic staff, for example. On the 1942 Birth of Bebop trip in New York on the other hand, you’re a jazz loving French aristocrat (you’ll be welcomed with open arms as Paris has long been a refuge for jazzmen) and you get a VIP pass into the city’s elite nightlife.
Essential tips include what to eat and drink – or not. At The Field of the Cloth of Gold – a ceremonious meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I, kings of England and France, near Calais when it was part of England in 1520 – you’ll want to go easy on the roast swan. Wash it down with ale; water here is strictly for washing in.
Before you set off, you’re asked to read the fine print on terms and conditions, such as respecting local dress codes, and more importantly, not messing with the space-time continuum
Leaf through the handbook like a travel brochure and select the adventure that most piques your curiosity: wonder what it’s like, for example, to hang with The Beatles in Hamburg at the beginning of the 1960s, just before they became famous? You arrive to find the band washing their faces in the toilets of an adult cinema where they’re renting a back room, in the city’s dodgiest red light district (now a tourist attraction), St Pauli.
They have been contracted to play at the Indra cabaret, and deliver a clumsy set of covers. But what they lack in coherence they make up for with their energy and punk attitude; spitting, swearing and hurling abuse at the rough and ready crowd of strippers, sailors and “rock kids”. John taunts them about Hitler (many of the waiters are former Nazi thugs), while George, just 17, shouldn’t even be there.
While this book would probably fascinate young readers, not all the itineraries are family friendly. More sensitive children may be put off watching Charles I’s head roll at his 1649 execution, while at the Hamburg gig The Beatles are buzzing on over-the-counter speed and you’re encouraged take some to keep up with them. This is nothing compared to what’s on offer at the 1969 visit to Woodstock, where services are available to “talk down” bad-trip casualties.
Meticulous research gives the itineraries a cinematographic quality that successfully immerses you in the moment. Photos, maps and old postcards liven up the stories, as do humorous glimpses into the personalities of the times.
As a result, this book will entertain, delight and educate even those who don’t consider themselves history buffs. And at the same time, it’s a friendly reminder of how understanding our past can give us insight into humanity today.


Book review: The Time Travel Handbook brings history to life

Musician Joe Cocker performs for the thousands of people attending the Woodstock Festival of Arts and Musik at Bethel, New York August 1969 (AP-Photo)

This handout image shows the cover of the book, ' The Time Travel Handbook: From the Eruption of Vesuvius to the Woodstock Festival ', by James Wyllie, Johnny Acton, David Goldblatt. [29NOVEMBER2015 THE REVIEW BOOK REVIEW2]

Joe Cocker performs at Woodstock in 1969, one of the trips described in The Time Travel Handbook. Photo: AP

Book review: Napoleon’s Last Island by Tom Keneally is an intriguing tale of a world turned upside down 

This undated handout photo by State Library of New South Wales received on April 6, 2009 shows Australian author Thomas Keneally at the State Library with Schindler List papers containing the names of 801 Jews saved from the Holocaust. State Library of NSW researcher Olwen Pryke discovered the list while sifting through six boxes of Thomas Keneally's manuscript material relating to the novel "Schindler's Ark" and which was acquired by the State Library of NSW in 1996. The 13-page list, a yellowed and fragile carbon typescript copy of the original, was found between research notes and German newspaper clippings in one of the boxes, library researcher Olwen Pryke said. RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE GETTY OUT AFP PHOTO / HO / STATE LIBRARY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) in his study at the Tuileries Palace. Painting by Jacques Louis David (1748-1825), oil on canvas (204x125 cm), 1812. National Gallery Of Art, Washington, USA --- Image by © Leemage/Corbis 22NOVEMBEr2015 THE REVIEW BOOK]

This handout image shows the cover of the book, ' Napoleon's Last Island ' by Tom Keneally . [22NOVEMBER2015 THE REVIEW BOOK Tom Keneally]

Australian author Tom Keneally, whose latest book is Napoleon’s Last Island. Photo: SCMP

Book review: The Charlie Chaplin Archives presents a detailed look at the work of a revolutionary

Classic Charlie Chaplin, as "The Tramp" is arrested. 

File Photo of Charlie Chaplin as, "The Tramp," with his derby and his stick (no date). NO CREDIT

The Charlie Chaplin Archives by Paul Duncan.

Book review: The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan is a dazzling piece of historical writing

Marco Polo sailing from Venice in 1271, (15th century). Together with his father and uncle, Venetian traveller and merchant Marco Polo (1254-1324) set off from Venice, travelled the Silk Road and arrived at the court of Kublai Khan (1214-1294), Great Khan of the Moguls and Emperor of China, some three years later. He spent 17 years in China before returning home, arriving back in Italy in 1295. He was imprisoned by the Genoese, writing an account of his travels, "Il Milione" whilst in captivity. From a late 15th century illuminated manuscript in the collection of the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Oxford Science Archive. --- Image by © Heritage Images/Corbis [22NOVEMBER2015 THE REVIEW BOOK LEAD]

This handout image shows the cover of the book, ' The Silk Roads: A New History of the World ', by Peter Frankopan. [22NOVEMBER2015 THE REVIEW BOOK LEAD_SILK ROAD]

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Marco Polo sailing from Venice in 1271. Photo: Corbis

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Voyagers can enjoy 18 trips to crucial events, to savour the sights and sounds of moments when the world pivoted on its axis


Book review: The Time Travel Handbook brings history to life

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Voyagers can enjoy 18 trips to crucial events, to savour the sights and sounds of moments when the world pivoted on its axis

Voyagers can enjoy 18 trips to crucial events, to savour the sights and sounds of moments when the world pivoted on its axis