Rare Books
Traveller's prelude
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The valleys of the Assassins and other Persian travels
Rare Books
"Inspired by the tales of adventure in Arabian Nights, worldwide explorer Freya Stark set off for the Northwest coast of Syria in 1927. She was a woman alone in a country where few men dared to venture, in a culture governed by seldom-kept laws. By camel, horse, foot, and caravan, she crossed Iraq's desert, impassable mountain ranges, and the colorful cities of Baghdad, Larti, and Teheran to her final destination: the Throne of Solomon. Accompanied by the opium-entranced Keram Khan, one-eyed Alidad, quiltmaker Shah Riza, and the sullen Hajji, she sought out ancient castles, a buried treasure, and prehistoric graves in the Valleys of the Assassins, the hidden home of a Persian sect of murderers. Along the way, she befriended the philosophers, shahs, robbers, child-brides, and holy men who populate the countryside. Originally published in 1936, The Valley of the Assassins is a remarkable travel odyssey. This is its first American publication"--back cover.
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East is West
Rare Books
Journalist, traveler, and writer Freya Stark wrote this book "as an armchair journey for the average reader" after discovering that contemporary knowledge of the Arab world in Europe and the United States was out of date. She gives an introductory history and political analysis of the region in the introduction, especially with respect to World War II, foreign presence in the region, and the region's future place in the world. This book, based on the author's travels, focuses particularly upon the Arabian Peninsula (specifically Aden in Yemen, where she was stationed by the British government as a diplomat), Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. Stark does not attempt to keep the narrative falsely impersonal; her status as a foreign woman traveling by herself was wildly uncommon, and the way her informants responded to her reflects that fact.
626169