A real-life adventure that inspired countless travellers in fact and fiction, the Penguin Classics edition of Robert Byron's The Road to Oxiana includes an introduction by Colin Thubron. In 1933 Robert Byron began a journey through the Middle East via Beirut, Jerusalem, Baghdad, and Teheran to Oxiana - the country of the Oxus, the ancient name for the river Amu Darya which forms part of the border between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. The Road to Oxiana offers not only a wonderful record of his adventures, but also a ...
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A real-life adventure that inspired countless travellers in fact and fiction, the Penguin Classics edition of Robert Byron's The Road to Oxiana includes an introduction by Colin Thubron. In 1933 Robert Byron began a journey through the Middle East via Beirut, Jerusalem, Baghdad, and Teheran to Oxiana - the country of the Oxus, the ancient name for the river Amu Darya which forms part of the border between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. The Road to Oxiana offers not only a wonderful record of his adventures, but also a rare account of the architectural treasures of a region now inaccessible to most Western travelers. Robert Byron (1905-41) was born in 1905, and educated at Eton and Merton College, Oxford. He died during the Second World War, when the ship he was serving on was torpedoed by a U-Boat off Cape Wrath. Byron's The Road to Oxiana is considered by many modern travel writers to be the first example of great travel writing. If you enjoyed The Road to Oxiana you might like Charles Darwin's The Voyage of the Beagle, also available in Penguin Classics. 'The greatest of all pre-war travel books' William Dalrymple 'What Ulysses is to the novel between the wars, and what 'The Waste Land' is to poetry, The Road to Oxiana is to the travel book' Paul Fussell 'In any list of the great travel books of the 20th century, Robert Byron's account of his travels in Persia and Afghanistan, The Road to Oxiana, must be put somewhere near the very top' Telegraph
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Add this copy of The Road to Oxiana to cart. $2.86, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill Industries rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Eugene, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Oxford University Press, USA.
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Fair. Cocked Spine. Creases on Cover and/or Spine. Worn Corners and/or Page Edges (Possibly Bent). Discoloration, Tanning or Foxing on Cover and/or Pages. Soiled Cover and/or Pages. Reading Copy. May have damage to cover, notes, underlining, highlighting, but all text legible. Inscription and/or Previous Owners Name on/in Item. Folded Pages Inside Book. Warped and/or Crinkled Pages. Bent Book, Does Not Lay Flat. Cover Lamination Separating. Purchasing this item from Goodwill provides vocational opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment.
Add this copy of The Road to Oxiana to cart. $2.86, good condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Oxford University Press, USA.
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Add this copy of The Road to Oxiana to cart. $2.98, good condition, Sold by Jan Pumphrey's Treasures rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Severna Park, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Add this copy of The Road to Oxiana to cart. $3.74, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Add this copy of The Road to Oxiana to cart. $3.74, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Add this copy of The Road to Oxiana to cart. $3.74, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Add this copy of The Road to Oxiana to cart. $3.74, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Add this copy of The Road to Oxiana to cart. $3.74, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Add this copy of The Road to Oxiana to cart. $3.78, good condition, Sold by Gulf Coast Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Memphis, TN, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Oxford University Press.
Add this copy of The Road to Oxiana to cart. $3.90, good condition, Sold by Solr Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Skokie, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Oxford University Press, USA.
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Good. The pages show normal wear and tear. There is light highlighting or handwriting throughout the book. The pages are sun faded and slightly yellowing The cover has visible markings and wear. The book is slightly cocked Fast Shipping-Each order powers our free bookstore in Chicago and sending books to Africa!
This travel diary takes place in the 1920's and is location specific. It is also written to give to his mother who, it seems, was disappointed in her son for his less than stellar accomplishments as a student.
To understand references to place, architecture, and peoples of the middle east, the reader would need to have ready access to and continually refer to a good number of reference books including an historical atlas. Not to mention the time to look everything up.
Some pluses. The author expresses humor and clearly has an appreciation for antiquity of all types, particularly of the hidden and little discussed variety. Also, he has a wonderful way of comparing structures - or the remaining parts of them - he views with aspects of nature. And he does this in a captivating and lovely way.
So it was a mixed read.
Understanding more history about the formation of Iran and Iraq and their peoples would be very interesting and enlightening.
