This book charts my journey as I travel the globe from my armchair, by reading contemporary literature - a trek that I started in London, England back in May 2009. At this time it occurred to me that whilst a real-life trip to every country in the world would be impossible due to lack of time, work commitments - and the cost - I could explore the globe through literature, in the company of international authors. In doing this I mapped out a travel list of well over 270 destinations to visit (every UN recognised state and a few, more contentious, ones...) and have been reading a book from each country as part of my literary expedition. For particularly large countries such as China and Russia, I am reading a book from each major region of that country. In Volume 1 of my travels you will find details of the countries that I visited in my first year, from England to Russia - as well as reviews of the books that I have read and details of the authors and publication dates.