About the book:
A very important travel account of Arabia, originally published in 2 volumes in 1888. The book was popularized by T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). It includes large plates, illustrations and a large, detailed map of the region. These days it’s easy to find abridged versions, but difficult to find the complete one. Contents include:
- The Mountain of Edom; Arabia Petraea
- The Haj
- The Nomads in the Desert
- The Fukara
- Peace in the Desert
- The Date Harvest
- The Sherif, Emir of Mecca
About the author (from Wikipedia):
Charles Montagu Doughty (19 August 1843 – 20 January 1926) was an English poet, writer, and traveller born in Theberton Hall, Saxmundham, Suffolk.
He is best known for his 1888 travel book Travels in Arabia Deserta, a work in two volumes which, though it had little immediate influence upon its publication, slowly became a kind of touchstone of ambitious travel writing, one valued as much for its language as for its content. T. E. Lawrence rediscovered the book and caused it to be republished in the 1920s, contributing an admiring introduction of his own. Since then the book has gone in and out of print.
The book is a vast recounting of Doughty’s treks through the Arabian deserts, and his discoveries there. It is written in an extravagant and mannered style, largely based on the King James Bible, but constantly surprising with verbal turns and odd inventiveness.