“I've always wanted to get as far as possible from the place where
I was born. Far both geographically and spiritually. To leave it
behind ... I feel that life is very short and the world is there to see
and one should know as much about it as possible. One belongs to the
whole world, not just one part of it.” ~ Paul Bowles (1910-1999)
This blog (
currently on semi-hiatus) is intended to be a journal of thoughts and impressions
gleaned from my travels, from my reading, and from my writing and
research projects - it's an exploration in the most personal sense of
the word, and of the world at large.
My name is
Tim Chamberlain. I am interested in historical research and travel writing. If I'm not lost in a library or buried in a bookshop somewhere, you'll
most likely find me in a queue waiting to board an aeroplane.
I'm from London, but now based in Tokyo. For many years I travelled the world for the British Museum,
working in museums in a variety of different countries and continents. I hold a BSc in Anthropology from the University of East London (1997), an MA in World History (2014), and a PhD (2024) on western travellers in East Tibet, 1900-1949, from Birkbeck College, University of London.
I'm also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
