Danger--Heavy Goods: Driving the Toughest, Most Dangerous Roads in the World

Most readers will be surprised to learn that there is a flourishing intercontinental truck traffic between Europe and Asia. Hutchison (Vesco) here describes a trip he took with truckers from England to Saudi Arabia, through Belgium, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey and Iraq. He portrays them as a special breedhardworking, outwardly tough but inwardly soft and surprised by little that they encounter. And they encounter a great deal, from fatal accidents to avaricious customs officials whom it is essential to bribe. Hutchison does a superb job of recreating the milieu and, as a sidelight, provides background history of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Lovers of adventure will find the book difficult to put down. Photos not seen by PW. (July)