In Xanadu
-
-
4.1 • 7 Ratings
-
-
- $8.99
Publisher Description
William Dalrymple’s award-winning first book: his classic, fiercely intelligent and wonderfully entertaining account of his journey across Marco Polo’s 700-year-old route from Jerusalem to Xanadu, the summer palace of Kubla Khan.
At the age of twenty-two, Dalrymple left his college in Cambridge to travel to the ruins of Kubla Khan’s stately pleasure dome in Xanadu. As he and his companions travel across the width of Asia—crossing through Acre, Aleppo, Tabriz, Tashkurgan, and other mysterious and sometimes hellish places—they encounter dusty, forgotten roads, unexpected hospitality, and difficult challenges. Stylish, witty, and knowledgeable about everything from the dreaded order of Assassins to the hidden origins of the Three Magi, this is travel writing at its best.
Customer Reviews
Pure racism thin veiled as adventure novel
I have never read book as negative as this.
Let me sum this book up for you quickly:
Two UK elitists go to the Middle East.
Berate Jews in every chance possible.
Calling Armenians the worst race in Asia.
Turks are boring.
Syrians are dumb and violent.
European crusaders were brilliant in every way.
And then I stopped reading because this book is absolutely disgusting.
How did you travel like a backpacker through the Middle East and Asia and come out thinking like such a close minded racist instead?
Don't waste your money if you are looking for adventure.
Also this author quotes other authors and other books more than he writes himself. Amateur hour.