What explains the fact that one of the world’s smallest, least assuming countries has consistently been among the top 15 international travel destinations for Americans? Ireland’s appeal can be attributed to many things: its blend of picturesque villages and bustling modern cities; its people known for their warmth, charm, stoicism, and individuality; its history—one of the most dramatic of any country on the planet—and its rich literary tradition.

There may be no place more blessed—or burdened—with narrative than Israel. In this country, story and place are inextricable. From stories set in the historical, holy city of Jerusalem to those that take place in the modern, secular city of Tel Aviv, from writing addressing the current “situation” to tales inspired by the timeless desert, this volume of sixteen short stories of Israel’s finest new writers, and some of its best-loved ones, captures for the reader one of the world’s most fascinating travel destinations.

Italy’s rising literary stars join some of its best-known writers—including Nobel-laureate Luigi Pirandello, Natalia Ginzburg, Alberto Moravia, and Antonio Tabucchi—to take the reader on a panoramic tour of both city and countryside, across the social spectrum, surveying the country’s rich cultural history. Explore Italy’s popular tourist destinations and out-of-the-way spots under the fresh and even startling light cast by these twenty-three diverse and exciting stories, most of which are available here in English for the first time.

This collection guides the reader through the complexity that is Japan. Although frequently misunderstood as a homogenous nation, Japan is a land of tremendous linguistic, geographical, and cultural diversity. Hino Keizo leads the reader through Tokyo’s mazes in “Jacob’s Tokyo Ladder.” Nakagami Kenji explores the ghostly, mythology-laden backwoods of Kumano. Atoda Takashi takes us to Kyoto to follow the mystery of a pair of shoes and discover the death of a stranger. The stories, like the country and the people, are beautiful and compelling.

Mexico has long been the top travel destination for Americans. But until now, there has not been such a panoramic vision of Mexico offered by some of Mexico’s finest contemporary writers of fiction and literary prose. Here are writings—many translated for the first time—that bring you to the people of the beaches, deserts, jungles, snow-capped mountains, and megacities.

Travel to one of the most beautiful cities in the world in the company of its finest writers. Walk the mysterious nighttime streets of Prague with Franz Kafka and Jaroslav Hasek, eavesdrop on intimate conversations in restaurants and lively beer halls with Karel Capek and Bohumil Hrabal, listen to jazz in stylish nightclubs with Josef Skvorecky. The stories in this volume — many of which appear in English for the first time — will take you on a personal odyssey through the city’s stormy past to its dynamic present. For the traveler who wishes to experience something of its essence, Prague illuminates the heart and soul of a great city.

Eighteen contemporary short stories by South Africa’s best writers take the reader on a journey through the country’s literary landscape. These stories examine the unique landscape of a place that has emerged from tumultuous change to become one of the most popular travel destinations in Africa. The book, divided into three areas of South Africa—Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape—also takes readers into game parks, rural areas, and the peculiar mindset of a country divided against itself.

Spain has long been, and remains today, a favorite destination for world and armchair travelers alike. From the timeless windmills of La Mancha depicted in Cervante’s Don Quixote to the Moorish splendor of the Alhambra in Granada, the bull runs of Pamplona, and the contemporary silhouette of the new Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain’s many treasures have enticed countless travelers to cross its borders. But there exists a Spain that lies, as Federico García Lorca wrote, “beyond the great caravans of rowdy tourists fond of cabarets and grand hotels.” That soul, depicted by Spain’s literary greats, lies waiting to be discovered within the pages of Spain: A Traveler’s Literary Companion.

The always-alluring city of Vienna becomes even more enticing with the release of a new book of short stories compiled specifically for prospective visitors. Vienna: A Traveler’s Literary Companion seduces readers with some of the finest writing set in the city. The fifteen stories collected in the volume include two by Nobel Prize winners, several by well-known Austrian writers, and even a contribution from one-time Vienna resident Franz Kafka.

Vietnamese have been telling stories for thousands of years, in poetry and in song, in Chinese script and then in Vietnamese nôm, and more recently, in novels and short stories. These 17 stories, from contemporary Vietnamese writers living in Vietnam and abroad, take the literary traveler to extraordinary places: from the jungle-clad mountain ranges of the North to the mysterious silence of the old capital along the Perfume River. Travel to the raucous mayhem of Saigon where youngsters still circle the downtown in motorcycle promenades and where the reopened bars, caught in a time warp, play old Creedence Clearwater and Carlos Santana songs.