In the days before air travel, journeys to foreign lands were rather difficult undertakings that were usually reserved for the most stalwart of travelers. This is a major reason why the popularity of the travel writing genre skyrocketed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Stephen Graham was one of the most revered British travel writers during this period, and the essays and short works collected in A Tramp's Sketches represent an edifying introduction to his uniquely charming style.