The Silent Traveller in Boston

by Chiang Yee

Distinguished author, artist, calligrapher, and poet Chiang Yee wrote and illustrated a dozen "Silent Traveller" books, from 1937-1972. The second to focus on an American city, The Silent Traveller in Boston was originally published in 1959. The book captures Mr. Chiang's quiet and observant views, a new take on an old city, from Beacon Hill to the Fenway, from Copley Square to Jamaica Pond. Mr. Chiang travels further afield to neighboring towns on Cape Cod & the Islands, as well as to Concord, Salem, Rockport, and Plymouth.

Illustrated with 16 color and 60 black-and-white illustrations by Mr. Chaing, the book presents a city that is both fresh and familiar. The reader who knows all about Boston will find new charms; the reader who knows only a little will find an urbane guide with a warm regard for the traditional and a refreshing interest in the human side of the city's past and present.

"This not-so-silent travel book is more than a pleasant guide for perceptive, leisurely tourists, more than an attractive piece of bookmaking; it is a guide to understanding."

-The New York Times Book Review

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Literature

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1959

About the author

Chiang Yee (simplified Chinese: 蒋彝; traditional Chinese: 蔣彝; pinyin: Jiǎng Yí; Wade–Giles: Chiang I; 19 May 1903 – 26 October 1977), self-styled as "The Silent Traveller" (哑行者), was a Chinese poet, author, painter and calligrapher.

The success of The Silent Traveller in London (1938) was followed by a series of books in the same vein, all of which he illustrated himself.

Reviews

[JD Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this item to be a delightful book. The author keeps his story moving as he looks at local color, to wit, what makes Boston unique. Some of the material may be dated now as he visited the city in 1953. However, many of the places he visits and describes are still there for the inquisitive visitor or local resident. He also writes a poem in Chinese, which translates into English which he includes both at the end of every chapter. There are also numerous line drawings and reproductions of his watercolors throughout the book.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quiet, contemplative look at the 'old' Boston of long established families and intellectuals. The lens through which the author examines the place is explicitly through his own Chinese, artist/intellectual perspective. I read through it slowly, and only on the weekends when I had time and space for it, and enjoyed it very much.

[Dr Susan Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of the Silent Traveller and each book of his I read brings more delight - in his prose and his artwork. Although his is gone we can still learn from his encompassing thoughts andcreations. The Boston book covers more than the city and its relationship to Harvard across the Charles River but gives insight into the significance of New England and its history to the foundation of the United States of America.

[Allyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an intelligent read and inspiring way to write about travel. It's themed journal writing. I picked this book up because 1) last name of the author is my mom's maiden name and 2) the introduction included a Chinese, italian, and Irish man - all of my heritage in one. BUT I've never been to Boston so I couldn't fully appreciate the stories of the past. It does make me wanna visit though!

[Chloe Peng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chiang Yee's preface of this book had me jumping right into the book. Nice to see Boston from the perspective of a Chinese man almost 50-60 years ago, compared to my perspective in the modern age. His illustrations and poems (especially if you can read them in Chinese, so you can appreciate the rhymes and brilliant wording) make each chapter and scene come to life.

[Alan Zhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

an odd and exceptional piece; a strange window to a Boston of the past, but also to a past of serious cultural exchange in the absence of the wealth of preexisting information which exists today. I think I will be thinking about this book for a long time

[eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

delightful. one star taken off for the unforgivable error of mixing up the Eliot and Dunster dome colors.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's curious to read a travel journal (or a series of travel meditations) from the opposite side, to see and read of familiar places and landmarks from the viewpoint of a foreigner. And it is a joy to see many of these places depicted in a Chinese art style.

His style is quiet and unassuming, and deceptively simple, and may be an acquired taste. His anecdotes are as much about moods and impressions as about events, and he lavishes description of colors and textures and the feel of the moment as he travels the city and beyond, out to Nantucket, Provincetown, Salem, and Concord.

Sadly, I suspect that much of the mood and atmosphere he describes has passed from the city.

[Anna Engel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very entertaining tourist's guide to Boston and its history, starting with Boston noses and ending with Boston spirit. The author has a wonderful sense of humor and fantastic insight into the people he meets and places he visits. He's honest and forthcoming about his own foreignness and its effect on those he meets. His self-deprecating humor and benign racism (it was written in 1953) are rather quaint. The illustrations (by the author) are gorgeous and perfectly depict Boston. It was a refreshing book and I look forward to reading it again.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is my very favorite guide to Boston; even better in the rereading.



I don't know much about Chiang Yee, but he must have been a distinguished academic -- he met everyone and went everywhere in 1950's Boston. Lovely watercolors of some of the most cherished locales in the city and environs.