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 lif...

The Second World War saw many people consigned to long periods of exile, far from home. How did the exiled keep in touch with home? Why were some exiles silent when others wrote frequently and at length? Posted in Wartime explores the nature of such exile and considers what could be written in diaries and letters, given that letters were censored and diaries were, at best, frowned upon. At the books heart are the stories of three very different exiles: a Liberty Ship captain; a doctor in t...

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

INTRODUCED BY MONISHA RAJESH, award-winning author of Around the World in 80 Trains'If I were asked to enumerate the pleasures of travel, this would be one of the greatest among them - that so often and so unexpectedly you meet the best in human nature.'Growing up in near-poverty and denied a formal education, Freya Stark had nurtured a fascination for the Middle East since reading Arabian Nights as a child. But it wasn't ...

Born in Paris 1893, a precocious and tough Freya Stark spent her childhood wondering across Europe, speaking three languages by the time she was five. She became one of the twentieth-century's most remarkable and inspirational women. Renowned for her flamboyant and unorthodox behaviour, Freya was also self-disciplined, courageous and remained fearlessly independent throughout her life.As an explorer she was unconventional, always travelling alone, without money or support. Her expe...

In 1933 Robert Byron began a journey through the Middle East via Beirut, Jerusalem, Baghdad, and Teheran to Oxiana--the country of the Oxus, the ancient name for the river Amu Darya which forms part of the border between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. The Road to Oxiana offers not only a wonderful record of his adventures, but also a rare account of the architectural treasures of a region now inaccessible to most Western travelers.

On a bitter November evening, young Mary Yellan journeys across the rainswept moors to Jamaica Inn in honour of her mother's dying request. When she arrives, the warning of the coachman begins to echo in her memory, for her aunt Patience cowers before hulking Uncle Joss Merlyn. Terrified of the inn's brooding power, Mary gradually finds herself ensnared in the dark schemes being enacted behind its crumbling walls -- and tempted to love a man she dares not trust.

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again..." Ancient, beautiful Manderley, between the rose garden and the sea, is the county's showpiece. Rebecca made it so - even a year after her death, Rebecca's influence still rules there. How can Maxim de Winter's shy new bride ever fill her place or escape her vital shadow? A shadow that grows longer and darker as the brief summer fades, until, in a moment of climatic revelations, it threatens to eclipse Manderley and its inhabitants completel...

The phenomenal number one bestseller and a major BBC TV series.A Richard and Judy Book Club Pick.Winner of the Specsavers National Book Award and Waterstones Book of the Year.**Beautiful, intoxicating and filled with heart-pounding suspense, Jessie Burton's historical novel set in Amsterdam, The Miniaturist, is a story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution.'Completely immerses the reader in ...

Until 1912 Morocco had never suffered foreign domination, and its mountainous interior was as closed to foreigners as Tibet. Walter Harris was the exception. He lived in the country for more than thirty-five years, and as The Times correspondant he observed every aspect of its life. He describes the unfettered Sultanate in all its dark, melodramatic splendour. Harris was an intimate of at least three of the ruling Sultans and a man capable of befriending even his kidnapper. Included in thi...

There is no country about which so many books have been written as Egypt; it might be supposed, therefore, that nothing more is left to say on the isubject. This however is far from being the case: much still remains to be discovered there; much of what has been already discovered still remains to be described. Not many travellers who have published books on Egypt have had a knowledge of hieroglyphics, and this fact alone has closed against them most interesting fields of knowledge. Finall...

In "Peeps at Many Lands: Egypt," R. Talbot Kelly invites readers on an enlightening journey through the rich tapestry of Egyptian culture, history, and geography. The book employs a vibrant and accessible literary style, characterized by vivid descriptions and engaging narratives that illuminate the diverse aspects of Egypt, from its ancient monuments to its contemporary society. Kelly's mastery of observation is evident as he seamlessly weaves personal anecdotes with historical context, p...