A Winter in Arabia: A Journey Through Yemen (1940; Overlook Press 2002)

A Winter in Arabia recounts her 1937-8 expedition in what is now Yemen, a journey which helped secure her reputation not only as a great travel writer, but also as a first-rate geographer, historian, and archaeologist. There, in the land whose "nakedness is clothed in shreds of departed splendor," she and two companions spent a winter in search of an ancient South Arabian city. Offering rare glimpses of life behind the veil-the subtleties of business and social conduct, the elaborate beauty rituals of the women, and the bitter animosities between rival tribes, Freya Stark conveys the "perpetual charm of Arabia ... that the traveler finds his own level there simply as a human being." A memoir of a woman's trek through rural Turkey and its ancient history: “A sharp-eyed, thoughtful, and knowledgeable traveler.” —The New York TimesIn 1956, Freya Stark traveled through back-country Turkey by truck and horseback, often alone. She reached places little visited and never written about. The country people welcomed her with generosity despite their meager resources. She was traveling in time as well, and found significance in recalling the life of Alexander the Great as she retraced his journey in reverse. Twenty-two centuries earlier he was the first to dream of a united world—and Stark's observations reflect not just this land's physical connections to antiquity but the human longings that persist through millennia.“One of the finest travel writers of [the twentieth] century.” —The New Yorker“Stark's forte is the ability to take the reader to an ancient site and, through the scanty remains that are left today, evoke the past of which they were a part.” —The New York Times“Describing a Jeep-and-mule trek she undertook in 1956 through the back country of Anatolia, Stark retraces (in reverse) the progress of Alexander the Great more than two millennia before... Stark has a wonderfully understated sense of humor.” —Kirkus Reviews The renowned explorer recounts her expedition to find a lost Arabian city in this "treasure of rare distinction among travel books" ( The New York Times Book Review ). One of the most unconventional and courageous explorers of her time, Freya Stark chronicled her extraordinary Travels in the Near East , establishing herself as a Twentieth Century heroine. A Winter in Arabia recounts her 1937–8 expedition in what is now Yemen, a journey which helped secure her reputation not only as a great travel writer, but also as a first-rate geographer, historian, and archaeologist. There, in the land whose "nakedness is clothed in shreds of departed splendor," she and two companions spent a winter in search of an ancient South Arabian city. Offering rare glimpses of life behind the veil—the subtleties of business and social conduct, the elaborate beauty rituals of the women, and the bitter animosities between rival tribes—Freya Stark conveys the "perpetual charm of Arabia . . . that the traveler finds his own level there simply as a human being." “A perceptive and gripping biography” of the enigmatic British explorer, photographer, and author of Arabian Sands (Daily Mail, UK).Wilfred Thesiger, the last of the great gentlemen explorer-adventurers, journeyed for sixty years to some of the remotest, most dangerous places on earth, from the mountains of western Asia to the marshes of Iraq. The author of Arabian Sands, The Marsh Arabs and The Life of my Choice, he was a legend in his own lifetime. Yet his character and motivations have remained an intriguing enigma. In this authorized biography—written with Thesiger's support before he died in 2003 and with unique access to the rich Thesiger archive—Alexander Maitland investigates this fascinating figure's family influences, his wartime experiences, his philosophy as a hunter and conservationist, his writing and photography, his friendships with Arabs and Africans amongst whom he lived, and his now-acknowledged homosexuality.

Wilfred Thesiger (1910-2003), the last of the great gentlemen explorer-adventurers, journeyed for sixty years to some of the remotest, most dangerous places on earth from the mountains of western Asia to the marshes of Iraq. The author of Arabian Sands and The Marsh Arabs and The Life of my Choice, he was a legend in his own lifetime but his character and motivations have remained an intriguing enigma.

In this authorized biography--written with Thesiger’s support before he died in 2003 and with unique access to the rich Thesiger archive--Alexander Maitland investigates this fascinating figure’s family influences, his wartime experiences, his philosophy as a hunter and conservationist, his writing and photography, his friendships with Arabs and Africans amongst whom he lived, and his now-acknowledged homosexuality.

Wilfred Thesiger (1910-2003), the last of the great gentlemen explorer-adventurers, journeyed for sixty years to some of the remotest, most dangerous places on earth from the mountains of western Asia to the marshes of Iraq. The author of Arabian Sands, The Marsh Arabs and The Life of my Choice, he was a legend in his own lifetime but his character and motivations have remained an intriguing enigma. In this authorized biography--written with Thesiger's support before he died in 2003 and with unique access to the rich Thesiger archive--Alexander Maitland investigates this fascinating figure's family influences, his wartime experiences, his philosophy as a hunter and conservationist, his writing and photography, his friendships with Arabs and Africans amongst whom he lived, and his now-acknowledged homosexuality.--From publisher description. This is the story of back-country Turkey, an area that even in the 20th century remains stubbornly tied to antiquity. The author traveled through it by truck and horseback, often alone. She reached places little visited and never written about. The country people welcomed her with generosity unrelated to their meager resources.

She was traveling in time as well, and found significance in recalling the life of Alexander the Great. Twenty-two centuries ago he was the first to dream of a united world.

"Magnificent...a brilliant and inspiring account of her journey along the coastline of Turkey and back into time." (The Observer)

"Her books have as their obvious destiny inclusion in the aristocracy of letters." (The Evening Standard)

The Emperor Menelik's 'new flower' Hope and fortune Gorgeous barbarity 'One handsome rajah' Passages to India and England The cold, bleak English Downs Eton: lasting respect and veneration Shrine of my youth The mountains of Arussi Across the Sultanate of Aussa Savage Sudan The Nuer Rape of my homeland Among the Druze The flowering desert Palestine: shifting lights and shades Prelude to Arabia Arabian sands Marsh and mountain Among the mountains A winter in Copenhagen Camel journeys to the Jade Sea With nomadic tribes in other lands Kenya days. Intrigued by the extraordinary journey of Alexander the Great 2200 years before, and drawing from the ancient accounts of Arrian, Plutarch, and Pliny, Freya Stark sets out like an historical detective to reconstruct Alexander's legendary route. This remarkable book represents a vivid portrait of Turkey, and of Alexander, the brilliant explorer, ruler, and thinker, as well as a timeless record of a journey in the great tradition of traveling, redolent of an earlier era More information to be announced soon on this forthcoming title from Penguin USA There is currently no description available for this title at this time.