This is an extraordinary work of travel writing that is more about the author's personal exploration than it is about monuments and museums. Inspired by a journey with an Eton colleague ten years prior, this memoir exemplifies how travel can become a personal experience and change who we are. Though over a century and half old, Eothen, Traces of Travel Brought Home from the East feels as strikingly modern as any contemporary literary memoir.
Kinglake's intimate, conversational style and his sense of humor and irony made Eothen-meaning "from the early dawn" or "from the East"-an instant success when it was first published in 1844. Even today, in the 21st century, it maintains its fresh and original feel. For lovers of travel, the Middle East, or self discovery this book will become an instant favorite.
British writer and historian ALEXANDER WILLIAM KINGLAKE (1809-1891) was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge. Before devoting himself to literature and writing, he built up a prestigious law practice, which he later abandoned. In addition to writing Eothen, or Traces of Travel Brought Home from the East, he also wrote the eight-volume Invasion of the Crimea (1863-1887).