The Valleys of the Assassins: and Other Persian Travels by Freya Stark (English)

Description: The Valleys of the Assassins by Freya Stark In a critically acclaimed travelogue first published in 1934, the author recounts her adventures traveling alone through the Middle East in 1927 and her odyssey through remote areas of Persia, including a visit to the hidden castle of local outlaws. Reprint. 15,000 first printing. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Hailed as a classic upon its first publication in 1934, The Valleys of the Assassins firmly established Freya Stark as one of her generations most intrepid explorers. The book chronicles her travels into Luristan, the mountainous terrain nestled between Iraq and present-day Iran, often with only a single guide and on a shoestring budget.Stark writes engagingly of the nomadic peoples who inhabit the regions valleys and brings to life the stories of the ancient kingdoms of the Middle East, including that of the Lords of Alamut, a band of hashish-eating terrorists whose stronghold in the Elburz Mountains Stark was the first to document for the Royal Geographical Society. Her account is at once a highly readable travel narrative and a richly drawn, sympathetic portrait of a people told from their own compelling point of view.This edition includes a new Introduction by Jane Fletcher Geniesse, Starks biographer. Author Biography Freya Stark, described by The Times of London as "the last of the Romantic Travellers" upon her death in 1993, published during her lifetime more than thirty books about her travels in the Middle East, including The Southern Gates of Arabia.Jane Fletcher Geniesse is a former reporter for The New York Times and the author of the biography Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark, a finalist for the 1999 PEN/Martha Albrand Award for First Nonfiction. Her writing has been featured in The Washington Post, New York magazine, and Town & Country. She lives in Washington, D.C. Review [Freya Stark] writes angelically in the great tradition of Charles Doughty and T. E. Lawrence. The pulse quickens as you read, because she can bring the sights and sounds of incredible countries before you in the twinkling of an eye."--The New York Times Book Review"[The Valleys of the Assassins] remains a wonderful description of a people and a place, altered today by Progress, perhaps, but through [Freya Starks] eyes still alive with bandits, dervishes, idol worshippers, armed tribesmen, and mountain scenery of great beauty."--From the Introduction by Jane Fletcher Geniesse"Stark is constantly alive to her immediate surroundings: indeed, what gives her work its extraordinary depth and power is just this ability to focus past and present... stereoscopically, in a single image."--Times Literary Supplement [London] Review Quote [Freya Stark] writes angelically in the great tradition of Charles Doughty and T. E. Lawrence. The pulse quickens as you read, because she can bring the sights and sounds of incredible countries before you in the twinkling of an eye." --The New York Times Book Review "[The Valleys of the Assassins] remains a wonderful description of a people and a place, altered today by Progress, perhaps, but through [Freya Starks] eyes still alive with bandits, dervishes, idol worshippers, armed tribesmen, and mountain scenery of great beauty." --From the Introduction by Jane Fletcher Geniesse "Stark is constantly alive to her immediate surroundings: indeed, what gives her work its extraordinary depth and power is just this ability to focus past and present... stereoscopically, in a single image." --Times Literary Supplement[London] Excerpt from Book CHAPTER I A Fortnight in N.W. Luristan In the wastes of civilization, Luristan is still an enchanted name. Its streams are dotted blue lines on the map and the position of its hills a matter of taste. It is still a country for the explorer. He finds out what he cannot do And then he goes and does it. I did not do it, for I penetrated only a very little way. But I spent a fortnight in that part of the country where one is less frequently murdered, and I saw the Lurs in their own medieval garb--the white tight-waisted coat with sleeves hanging in points from the elbow and white felt caps over the curls that hide their ears. As the aim of the Persian government is to have them all dressed Details ISBN0375757538 Author Freya Stark Short Title VALLEYS OF THE ASSASSINS -ML Pages 320 Series Modern Library (Paperback) Language English ISBN-10 0375757538 ISBN-13 9780375757532 Media Book Format Paperback Year 2001 Imprint Modern Library Inc Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States Alternative 9785557101202 Birth 1893 Death 1993 Edition New edition DOI 10.1604/9780375757532 UK Release Date 2001-07-24 AU Release Date 2001-07-24 NZ Release Date 2001-07-24 US Release Date 2001-07-24 Publisher Random House USA Inc Publication Date 2001-07-24 Subtitle and Other Persian Travels DEWEY 915.50452 Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:7193975;

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