Travellers' Greece: Memories of an Enchanted Land Over one hundred writers spanning more than three centuries! Travel can be both refreshing and fascinating, but it is often arduous, occasionally dangerous, and usually expensive. For this reason, many of us prefer to supplement our real-life journeys with heavy doses of armchair travel. The armchair traveller can journey in an age when there was more to travel than comparing the airport shops or the Macdonalds in different countries -in an age when to travel really was to encounter strange and exotic ways of life. For centuries Greece has drawn foreigners in quest of its history and culture. Many wrote of a world which has since passed away. Yet their accounts of what they saw and can still be enjoyed today. Travellers' Greece brings to the reader the pick of the best of the writings of some of these visitors to each distinctive region of this diverse and fascinating country, spanning over three centuries. Valuable historical records in their own right, these narratives are also marvellously entertaining. They depict ways of life which have passed away for ever. The also frequently betray, in the traveller himself, depths of egocentricity and prejudice which are no longer possible to educated people. Whether we admire the beauties of a vanished landscape, deplore the hard realities of lost ways of life, or smile at the smug self-absorption unwittingly revealed by the narrator, we are always engaged and entertained. Reviews of Travellers' Greece: In the selections in Travellers' Greece, [the compiler] has trawled the treasure trove of writings by visitors who travelled in Greece in earlier days, mainly from the 17th to the 19th century. The texts have been pruned of any excessive archaism or print conventions that hinder accessibility, but their essence remains intact, and extremely revealing. Tomkinson has not confined himself to Philhellenes, though their writings outnumber the negative accounts. But whatever their source, these excerpts say as much about their authors and their backgrounds as they do about Greece. 'Whether it is the American poet N. Parker Willis perturbed by the sight of British soldiers on Corfu in 1850, or Sir Kenelm Digby filching marbles while on a naval campaign to harass the Turks in 1727, there's plenty to delight and enrage here.... it is certain that many will be inspired to consult the original works.' Kathimerini (English Edition) 'Over the years, travellers that have set foot in this part of the Mediterranean have both been charmed and overwhelmed by the country’s unique culture. The recent publication Travellers’ Greece: Memories of an Enchanted Land … is a comprehensive and extensive anthology of travel writing, comprising the views and impressions of over one hundred visitors to Greece, spanning a period of more than three centuries (from the late 16th to the early 20th). Illustrated with beautiful artworks depicting the most characteristic Greek landscapes and monuments (old prints, lithographs, sketches and paintings by foreign artists which have been reproduced in black-and- white here), this is certainly a well researched book which displays how this land has enchanted and angered many with its (for them) peculiar and exotic ways of life… The anthology comprises some rare and now difficult to access works. The names you will come across might not be the most familiar (from the Rev Rufus Anderson, a clergyman visiting in 1828, to Chateaubriand, a Breton army officer and Dr. Corrigan, physician of the Queen in Ireland), but this is exactly what makes this book interesting research. ' Athens News 'From waterspouts in the Ionian sea to vampires on Mykonos, this book is of interest to anyone visiting Greece and especially those who love the history and culture of Greece. The book has 608 pages and 81 illustrations and is great companion reading during a trip to Greece. 'Matt's Pick' in Matt Barrett's Greece Travel Guides Read extracts from Travellers' Greece Read a list of the authors included in Travellers' Greece in html Read the Contents of Travellers' Greece in pdf Read about some of the early travellers to Greece Price:   19.99 €