The Empirical Observations of Algernon by Iain Cameron Williams is a journey into the everyday unknown and the everyday ordinary. Kooky, quirky, passionate, cool, and on occasions, provocative. The strength of the narrative comes, in essence, as much from the reader's soul as that of Algernon's. The writer, as a traveller, is as much a tourist as a documenter; the two go hand in hand. The Empirical Observations of Algernon [vol. I] - the first volume in an intended series of four - is six months into that journey and contains poetry, prose, observation, and photography. The writer visits America (New York, Long Island), Canada (Montreal), and various cities in England. 'take a leaf ... any leaf, hold it close to your heart. tell a story to a stranger, only then will you reveal exactly who you are.'