DESCRIPTION:
"Between 1834 and 1837, Curzon visited Egypt, Syria, Albania and mount Athos, in order to examine and collect ancient manuscripts. A dozen years later, sitting among these books, he entertained his solitary evenings in an English country house by writing 'some account of the most curious of these MSS. and the places in which they were found, as well as some of the adventures which I encountered in the pursuit of my venerable game'. The result was a charming flow of reminiscence, the expression of an engaging personality. His account of Egypt under Mehemet Ali has distinct historical value; and, in chapter XVI, he describes, as an eye-witness, the shocking scene of confusion, panic and death which took place in the church of the Holy Sepulchre on the occasion when Ibrahim pasha was present at the Easter ceremony of the holy fire. In a pleasanter and lighter vein, Curzon relates with a certain quaint simplicity his odd experiences in remote monasteries." - From The Cambridge History of English and American Literature (1907-21), Vol. XIV.

CONTENTS:
Chapters I-VI Egypt in 1833
VII-VIII Natorn Lakes
IX The Convent of the Pulley
X Ruined Monastery at Thebes
XI The White Monastery
XII The Island of Piloe, &c.
XIII-XVI Jerusalem and the Monastery of St. Sabba
XVII-XXI The Monasteries of Meteora
XXII-XXVIII The Monasteries of Mount Athos

I went to Columbia, with the most prominent 'great books' curriculum still in existence. 25 years later, I'm finding myself re-reading and discussing many of the titles. The Penn Greek Drama series is a handsome library of new translations that give fresh takes on the classics. It's useful to have Euripides on the shelf when you return home from the recent bravura performance by Fiona Shaw as Medea--it settled an argument too on how it 'originally' ended.

como mi linea de zccion es la odontologia integral , me es necesario siempre tener un idea global de los avances de nuestra carrera en cualquier area que se produzca.

This is one of the most interesting books I have read for some while - I first discovered it in the bibliography of Layard's "Travels in Persia, Susiana and Babylonia" - a scarce book now but well worth getting from a library.

Curzon is the archetypical English Antiquarian - willing to brave the dangers and discomforts in the pursuit of an intangable knowledge.

This book is full of anecdotes and observations of life before the western influence destroyed much of it's colour and variety. I found some of the narrations of life in Cairo and Alexandria especially interesting - like the flooding of the Nile and the ritual of draining the river into a canal in Cairo - not done anymore since the construction of the Aswan dam.

The narratives on the monasteries visited, some of which were in strange places, were colourful and I wonder what remains of some of these places now.

This is a great book for anyone interested in travel or history and will survive many readings I am sure.

David Thorne