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Middle East Travel Anthologies
A Cairo Anthology: Two Hundred Years of Travel Writing
Cairo has for centuries been recognized as one of the great cities of the world, and this anthology brings together travelers' descriptions of it over the centuries-from the comments of Herodotus to those of Julian Huxley. Perhaps more than anything else in the city, the wonderful mosques with their tall minarets have been admired and written about over the centuries by such travelers as the Frenchman Pierre Loti, the economist Harriet Martineau, and the travel writer Michael Haag.
This anthology gathers together the excitement of arriving in the great city either up the Nile or across the desert, the experience of the crowded-but courteous-streets and colorful bazaars with their passing processions. With the travelers we enter the hotels, climb to the historic Citadel, and look out towards-and then visit-the Pyramids and Sphinx on the other side the Nile.
Cairo, like all cities, has changed. One is now more likely to be pushed aside by a motorbike or taxi than by a donkey or camel, but the beauty of history is still there. One can visit a hammam, buy crafts in the bazaars, and, with this book in hand, more fully appreciate the experience.
The travelers went beyond the city too, to Heliopolis, and the Pyramids and Sphinx-those vast monuments that are in reality always larger and more extraordinary than one can believe. We can no longer clamber up the Pyramids, so the descriptions of Edward Lane and other travelers doing just that in a bygone age are even more precious.
About the series: The elegant, pocket-sized volumes in the AUC Press Anthology series feature the writings and observations of travel writers and diarists through the centuries. Vivid and evocative travelers' accounts of some of the world's great cities and regions are enhanced by the exquisite vintage design in small hardback format that make the books ideal gift books as well as perfect travel companions. Designed on cream paper stock and beautifully illustrated with line drawings and archival photographs.
This anthology gathers together the excitement of arriving in the great city either up the Nile or across the desert, the experience of the crowded-but courteous-streets and colorful bazaars with their passing processions. With the travelers we enter the hotels, climb to the historic Citadel, and look out towards-and then visit-the Pyramids and Sphinx on the other side the Nile.
Cairo, like all cities, has changed. One is now more likely to be pushed aside by a motorbike or taxi than by a donkey or camel, but the beauty of history is still there. One can visit a hammam, buy crafts in the bazaars, and, with this book in hand, more fully appreciate the experience.
The travelers went beyond the city too, to Heliopolis, and the Pyramids and Sphinx-those vast monuments that are in reality always larger and more extraordinary than one can believe. We can no longer clamber up the Pyramids, so the descriptions of Edward Lane and other travelers doing just that in a bygone age are even more precious.
About the series: The elegant, pocket-sized volumes in the AUC Press Anthology series feature the writings and observations of travel writers and diarists through the centuries. Vivid and evocative travelers' accounts of some of the world's great cities and regions are enhanced by the exquisite vintage design in small hardback format that make the books ideal gift books as well as perfect travel companions. Designed on cream paper stock and beautifully illustrated with line drawings and archival photographs.
- GenresHistory
160 pages, Hardcover
First published November 15, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 31, 2015
I don't normally buy books from tourist book shops. But there I was, in Luxor, Egypt. And they had books about every cool Egyptian thing you could imagine. I knew I'd be spending at least five hours in a car the next day on the way to and from the Abydos and Dendera Temples. And this book called to me.
Travel writing is an art. Now it's normally taken up by the souls (such as my mother-in-law) who spend a lot of time on Trip Advisor. But it has a long tradition, a literary tradition. Travel writing has been published for centuries, and in a pre-television and pre-documentary film age, it was perhaps the best way to get a sense of another country without going there.
Even if you have visited a place, travel writing can enlighten. The best travel authors notice distinct details, make compelling connections, and describe things in such a way that it allows you to see them anew.
I had already toured most of Cairo when I read this book. The only thing I hadn't seen yet were the Pyramids of Giza (did you know that Mark Twain was the first American tourist to climb the pyramid?). It was fascinating to read about the mosques, markets, and other sites I had already visited. Perhaps the best part of this book is that it is travel writing over time. The oldest author quoted in the book was Herodotus, who described the Pyramids in the 5th century B.C. They were already ancient by the time he saw them. Most of the authors quoted are from the 18th and 19th centuries, with some from the early 20th century. It's fascinating to see which parts of Cairo stayed the same during that period, and which changed. (You are no longer allowed to climb to the top of the Pyramid at Giza, if you're wondering.)
I like how short the snippets are--a page to a few pages from each author. You really get the best of their writings about Egypt, and it gives you a sense of the grandeur and tradition of Egypt. I'd recommend this book if you have any intentions of visiting Egypt, have already visited, or simply want to learn more. It also makes me want to do some of my own travel writing, to help people create connections to a place through my words.
One of my favorite passages from the book was by Lord Byron, who the editor points out actually never visited Egypt. In the poem "The Great Pyramid of Cheops" he wrote:
What are the hopes of Man? Old Egypt's King
Cheops erected the first Pyramid
And largest, thinking it was just the thing
To keep his Memory whole and Mummy hid;
But Somebody or Other rummaging,
Burglariously broke his Coffin's lid.
Let not a Monument give you or me hopes,
Since not a pinch of dust remains of Cheops.
Travel writing is an art. Now it's normally taken up by the souls (such as my mother-in-law) who spend a lot of time on Trip Advisor. But it has a long tradition, a literary tradition. Travel writing has been published for centuries, and in a pre-television and pre-documentary film age, it was perhaps the best way to get a sense of another country without going there.
Even if you have visited a place, travel writing can enlighten. The best travel authors notice distinct details, make compelling connections, and describe things in such a way that it allows you to see them anew.
I had already toured most of Cairo when I read this book. The only thing I hadn't seen yet were the Pyramids of Giza (did you know that Mark Twain was the first American tourist to climb the pyramid?). It was fascinating to read about the mosques, markets, and other sites I had already visited. Perhaps the best part of this book is that it is travel writing over time. The oldest author quoted in the book was Herodotus, who described the Pyramids in the 5th century B.C. They were already ancient by the time he saw them. Most of the authors quoted are from the 18th and 19th centuries, with some from the early 20th century. It's fascinating to see which parts of Cairo stayed the same during that period, and which changed. (You are no longer allowed to climb to the top of the Pyramid at Giza, if you're wondering.)
I like how short the snippets are--a page to a few pages from each author. You really get the best of their writings about Egypt, and it gives you a sense of the grandeur and tradition of Egypt. I'd recommend this book if you have any intentions of visiting Egypt, have already visited, or simply want to learn more. It also makes me want to do some of my own travel writing, to help people create connections to a place through my words.
One of my favorite passages from the book was by Lord Byron, who the editor points out actually never visited Egypt. In the poem "The Great Pyramid of Cheops" he wrote:
What are the hopes of Man? Old Egypt's King
Cheops erected the first Pyramid
And largest, thinking it was just the thing
To keep his Memory whole and Mummy hid;
But Somebody or Other rummaging,
Burglariously broke his Coffin's lid.
Let not a Monument give you or me hopes,
Since not a pinch of dust remains of Cheops.
March 3, 2024
There were some gems in here for sure, but the brief, jolted approach to limited aspects of life in the city ('pyramids,' 'bazaars', 'mosques', 'citadel', 'modes of transport') from fairly similar authors (mostly 19th century British tourists) leaves you somehow knowing less and wanting more. Readers might get a better picture of Cairo from reading the full-length reports of some of those who were quoted here in very brief excerpts (Herodotus, Mark Twain, Pierre Loti, etc).
August 29, 2024
Charming little travel anthology, brought back some nice memories of Cairo. Majority of the included writers were 19th c Brits — would’ve liked a little more variety, but all in all a nice quick read
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews