Offering a study of travellers in Egypt, the contributions to this book encompass early travellers, those with a serious scientific or archaeological interest, those whose primary interest was artistic and literary, and those - including Flaubert - who wrote classic works of European literature based on their experiences. A whole section is devoted to E.W. Lane, not only for the importance of his writings, but also because of the criticism which he has received in the "orientalism" debate and which has not until now been seriously questioned. The book is aimed at readers interested in Western perceptions of the Orient; in the contribution made by early travellers to Egyptology; in the study of Egyptian society and its artistic, architectural and literary heritage; or in the history and culture of European travel in the Middle East. (view table of contents)

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Product Description: From the time of the earliest Greek historians, the deserts of Egypt and the Near East have exerted a fascination on travellers. For Herodotus it was the zoological marvels that fascinated him while later explorers found the desert a place to consider their own identities, seeing their reflections in the shifting sands...read more