Flying Concorde

Before Google maps and selfies...
there was Paper Girl on the loose.

Judy Williamson

Travel back to the days when curiosity,
a camera, and a fold-out map were
all you needed.

With over 1,000 photos, 400 gold-tipped
pages and stories from five continents,

Paper Girl’s World is part memoir,
part time machine, and entirely unforgettable.

This lavish 10” x 12” coffee table book with a
printed cloth cover and dust jacket was designed
to inspire wanderlust and spark conversation.

“Equal parts travel guide and colorful memoir, Judy Williamson’s
Paper Girl’s World is a literary passport that takes us on a trip back to a more
exciting time. We get to travel with Judy around the world, soaking up her wisdom
and inspiring stories that make travel so amazing. Through her colorful storytelling
and vivid photos, she captures the essence of a place, its people, its culture—
and its cuisine because, let’s be honest, food is the best storyteller! Paper Girl’s World
is an incredible guide that will treat your senses to a real adventure.”

~ Emeril Lagasse, Celebrity Chef, Author and Television Personality

Paper Girl’s World will make
you want to pack a bag and go!

What is
Paper Girl’s World?

Buy Book Now

Judy Williamson’s Paper Girl’s World offers a captivating journey back in time, chronicling the author’s globe-trotting adventures while on assignment for Texas’ two largest newspapers, The Dallas Morning News and the Houston Chronicle. Through evocative stories and stunning photography, the book provides a nostalgic glimpse into the golden age of travel journalism, once prominently featured in Sunday travel sections.

In this collection, Williamson’s lively prose and vivid imagery transport readers to some of the world’s most iconic destinations. From barging through France and playing the slots in Monte Carlo to navigating Kathmandu’s chaotic traffic and enjoying a solitary moment at the Taj Mahal, the book brims with unforgettable experiences. Her adventures range from sipping gin and tonics in the African bush while tracking a leopard’s kill to exploring the Pacific, where she uncovers Gauguin’s roots and mingles with Marlon Brando’s son in Tahiti.

In an era where the internet and one-paragraph “travel influencers” have transformed travel journalism, Williamson’s tales stand out. They offer armchair travelers a chance to immerse themselves in far-flung locales and experience the thrill of travel from the unique perspective of a young, single woman in the go-go ‘80s and early ‘90s.

The book features many never-before-seen photographs, bringing together a visual feast of the world’s most remarkable travel experiences. Cultural and geopolitical updates throughout the narrative seamlessly connect the past with the present, making Paper Girls’ World not just a trip down memory lane but a vibrant exploration of how travel has evolved over the decades.

Who is
the Paper Girl?

Judy Williamson

Author | Photographer

Judy Williamson, a New Orleans native and Ole Miss graduate, began her career at a small South Louisiana weekly, ultimately leading to top spots in the fiercely competitive world of big-city daily newspaper journalism. Traveling the globe on assignment, her stories and photos filled the Sunday travel sections of newspapers nationwide and earned numerous writing, photography and Best Section awards from the Society of American Travel Writers. Happy to stay home, she lives in Dallas with her husband.

Stephanie Smiley

Book Designer | Project Director

Hailed as one of the most distinguished art directors in the South, New Orleans native Stephanie Smiley graduated from Ole Miss with a BFA in graphic design. Stephanie has won awards locally, regionally, nationally and internationally for her creative advertising and design work. Stephanie resides in Covington, Louisiana.

What are
people saying?

“Judy Williamson belongs among the greats of travel writing. Paper Girl’s World captures the glamour and grace of a bygone era with the eye of a novelist and the soul of an artist. Her prose is wise, vivid, and profoundly human, illuminating the world’s people, cultures, and curiosities with wit and warmth. This is a book to cherish, share, and dream with—a magnificent journey across continents and time. A true collector’s gem, and our top pick for Book of the Year 2025."

~ William Tomicki

Publisher and Editor of ENTREE

“Paper Girl’s World is a beautifully written and illustrated time machine rewind to the days when travel was a real map reading adventure instead of a smartphone blind lady named Siri letting you know “you have arrived at your destination.” Judy Williamson’s amazing personal photographs and dialogue will take you on the trip of a lifetime without baggage or pickpockets. Book now."

~ Ron Hall

Co-Author of the #1 New York Times bestseller
and movie, Same Kind of Different as Me

“Judy and I spent the go-go ‘80s as professional globetrotters for successful metropolitan dailies. Yes, those were the days — and my former colleague’s collection of ink-stained adventures brought them back into glorious focus."

~ Laura Bly

Former travel writer for USA Today

“Judy Williamson had perfect timing, starting a travel writing career just as world tourism was expanding, but before the Internet made the globe feel small and familiar. In this ambitious and beautifully illustrated book, we revisit her journeys, sharing her excitement and wonder. Not only is she a graceful guide, but her writing is smart and insightful, leaving readers entertained and smarter about the world."

~ Larry Bleiberg

Past President
Society of American Travel Writers

"Judy’s curiosity transports you to the far-flung corners of the world. Her elegant writing puts your feet on the ground and brings places to life. In her photographs, you see the beating heart of a place. You do not read her work; you feel it."

~ Joe Drape

New York Times bestselling author of
Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains With the Smith Center Redmen

"Paper Girl Judy Williamson brings us the world with an artist’s eye and a journalist’s acuity. She makes any place you’ve visited richer than you remembered, any place you hope to see more alluring. And then she adds the extra delight of letting you know her. She slips in a bit of sly whimsy, an observation of such adroit and unexpected humor that you’ll find yourself startled into laughing aloud."

~ Christine Wicker

Author of bestseller
Lily Dale: The Town That Talks to the Dead

"Equal parts travel guide and colorful memoir, Judy Williamson’s Paper Girl’s World is a literary passport that takes us on a trip back to a more exciting time. We get to travel with Judy around the world, soaking up her wisdom and inspiring stories that make travel so amazing. Through her colorful storytelling and vivid photos, she captures the essence of a place, its people, its culture— and its cuisine because, let’s be honest, food is the best storyteller! Paper Girl’s World is an incredible guide that will treat your senses to a real adventure."

~ Emeril Lagasse

Celebrity Chef, Author and
Television Personality

Begin your adventure.

Available now in our shop.

Judy Williamson

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