Expert's Experts: Tahir Shah's top travel books

The Washington Post Book World section of July 9 asked Shah, author of a series of superb books chronicling his own travels, to recommend the books which best inspire wanderlust.

His picks, with the year originally published in ():

"Arabian Sands" — Wilfred Thesiger (1959)

"Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft" — Thor Heyerdahl (1950)

"The Songlines" — Bruce Chatwin (1987)

"Seven Years in Tibet" — Heinrich Harrer (1953)

"Danger My Ally" — F.A. Mitchell-Hedges (1955)

"Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye Can See" — Erik Weihenmayer (2001)

If you like, read the article in its entirety and find out why Shah

chose these particular books.