Those for whom travel narrows the mind will relish leftwing philosopher (and one-time comrade of Che Guevara) Regis Debray's anti-travel book, Against Venice.

This is the first book in a new Anti-Voyages series which aims to subvert the cliche s of travel and travel writing. In a world glutted with books extolling foreign lands and intrepid travelers, "Against Venice" stands alone. Noted intellectual Regis Debray evokes a vivid picture for us in hyperbolic, toungue-in-cheek prose, of a cultural amusement park, a kind of Euro-Disney for snobs. In this ostentatious sanctuary of the Beautiful, the Artificial, and the Picturesque, the tired senior exec or stockbroker feels rejuvenated, transfigured by the glow of Art; the Tourist, caught up in the festive unreality of the city's " ongoing fancy dress ball, " feels free on the very spot where the native inhabitant feels imprisoned. Venice only plays the city and we play at discovering it. And, as the introduction points out, it is not finally Venice itself, but rather this repertoire of poses, temptations, daydreams, and alibis it so easily encourages that is Debray's real target. Kill this " inner Venice, " he urges, or it will surely kill you.