Book excerpt: When Richard Halliburton graduated from college, he chose adventure over a career, traveling the world with almost no money. The Royal Road to Romance chronicles what happened as a result, from a breakthrough Matterhorn ascent to being jailed for taking forbidden pictures on Gibraltar. Halliburton's literary career developed out of his meticulous logging of events that occurred on his own adventures. This book, his first, an account of his travels in 1921-23, was a best-seller for three years and was translated into 15 languages.