Eothen : Traces of Travel Brought Home From the East

"My favorite travel book. Sparkling, ironic, and terrific fun." — Jan Morris Eothen ("From the East") recaptures a bold young Englishman's exploits in the Middle East during the 1830s. Alexander William Kinglake recounts his rambles through the Balkans, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt in a style radically different from other travel books of his era. Rather than dwelling on art or monuments, Kinglake's captivating narrative focuses on the natives and their cities. His adventures ― populated by Bedouins, pashas, slave-traders, monks, pilgrims, and other colorfully drawn personalities ― include crossing the desolate Sinai with a four-camel caravan and a sojourn in plague-ridden Cairo. A contemporary of Gladstone at Eton and of Tennyson and Thackeray at Cambridge, Kinglake offers a frankly imperialistic worldview. "As I felt so have I written," he declares in his preface, and his forthright expressions of his thoughts and impressions range in mood from confessional, to comic, to serious, to romantic. Victorian readers were captivated by Kinglake's chatty tone and his uncompromising honesty, and two centuries later this remarkable travelogue remains funny, fresh, and original. "My favorite travel book. Sparkling, ironic, and terrific fun." –Jan Morris__Eothen__ ("From the East") recaptures a bold young Englishman's exploits in the Middle East during the 1830s. Alexander William Kinglake recounts his rambles through the Balkans, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt in a style radically different from other travel books of his era. Rather than dwelling on art or monuments, Kinglake's captivating narrative focuses on the natives and their cities. His adventures—populated by Bedouins, pashas, slave-traders, monks, pilgrims, and other colorfully drawn personalities—include crossing the desolate Sinai with a four-camel caravan and a sojourn in plague-ridden Cairo.A contemporary of Gladstone at Eton and of Tennyson and Thackeray at Cambridge, Kinglake offers a frankly imperialistic worldview. "As I felt so have I written," he declares in his preface, and his forthright expressions of his thoughts and impressions range in mood from confessional, to comic, to serious, to romantic. Victorian readers were captivated by Kinglake's chatty tone and his uncompromising honesty, and two centuries later this remarkable travelogue remains funny, fresh, and original. "This fascinating memoir by an English travel writer recaptures scenes from the Middle East of nearly two centuries ago. A.W. Kinglake recounts his 1834-35 trip through the Balkans, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, and Palestine. Rather than dwelling on art or monuments, the captivating narrative focuses on the natives and their cities"-- Provided by publisher