The Asiatics

A young American, who is never named, sets out to cross Asia by hitching rides, moving from Beirut toward China. He survives by relying on the generosity of strangers and on whatever the land offers. Told in the first person, the novel follows his wanderings through a series of encounters along the road. First published in 1935, the book was hard to find for many years, and it remains a striking portrait of a traveler stripped down to his own resources.