Through the eyes of a creative genius, Journey into Barbary is both an inimitable portrait of Morocco and one of the first truly modern accounts of a country that had for so long remained an enigma to generations of travellers. In the spring and summer of 1931, Wyndham Lewis travelled to the westernmost part of the Berber heartland in Morocco, known traditionally as 'Barbary'. Wanting to avoid what he called 'the Baedekered blight' of Anglo-American tourism, he set out for the majestic High Atlas mountains with pens and watercolours to record, in words and images, the rich traditional culture and changing face of the wild, isolated Berber tribes who carved a harsh life out of Morocco's remotest regions. The result is a blend of two arts, the literary skill of a detached and humorous observer, mixed with the drawings of one of the 20th century's most exciting and original artists.

Text and art by Wyndham Lewis.

A seventeenth-century minister tells his story of abduction by pirates, and a solo journey from Algiers to Copenhagen, in this remarkable historical text. In summer 1627, Barbary corsairs raided Iceland, killing dozens and abducting almost four hundred people to sell into slavery in Algiers. Among those taken was Lutheran minister Olafur Egilsson. Reverend Olafur—born in the same year as William Shakespeare and Galileo Galilei—wrote The Travels to chronicle his experiences both as a captive and as a traveler across Europe as he journeyed alone from Algiers to Copenhagen in an attempt to raise funds to ransom the Icelandic captives that remained behind. He was a keen observer, and the narrative is filled with a wealth of detail―social, political, economic, religious―about both the Maghreb and Europe. It is also a moving story on the human level: We witness a man enduring great personal tragedy and struggling to reconcile such calamity with his understanding of God. The Travels is the first-ever English translation of the Icelandic text. Until now, the corsair raid on Iceland has remained largely unknown in the English-speaking world. To give a clearer sense of the extraordinary events connected with that raid, this edition of The Travels includes not only Reverend Olafur’s first-person narrative but also a collection of contemporary letters describing both the events of the raid itself and the conditions under which the enslaved Icelanders lived. Also included are appendices containing background information on the cities of Algiers and Salé in the seventeenth century, on Iceland in the seventeenth century, on the manuscripts accessed for the translation, and on the book’s early modern European context.

"Remarkable. . . delectable, addictive." —New York Times Book Review The second novel in the beloved Tales of the City series, Armistead Maupin’s bestselling San Francisco saga. The tenants of 28 Barbary Lane have fled their cozy nest for adventures far afield. Mary Ann Singleton finds love at sea with a forgetful stranger, Mona Ramsey discovers her doppelgänger in a desert whorehouse, and Michael Tolliver bumps into his favorite gynecologist in a Mexican bar. Meanwhile, their venerable landlady takes the biggest journey of all—without ever leaving home.

A brilliant picture of a rich, exotic, complex and fascinating continent in the style of Bruce Chatwin. Verbal snapshots, images, anecdotes, legends, tales, gossip, illustrations, photographs, art and maps lend insight and depth to this multi-layered portrait of a continent. Into Africa uses the ancient empires and trading patterns of prehistory as the primary framework, to explain how Africa was and is today. The book does not ignore the calamities, the collapse of civil authority, the wars, the famines, the human misery, the environmental degradation. But it does record the triumphs, small and large. More important, Into Africa goes beyond politics and tourism, into history and legend, art and culture, both popular and profound.

When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America was deeply in debt, with its economy and dignity under attack. Pirates from North Africa’s Barbary Coast routinely captured American merchant ships and held the sailors as slaves, demanding ransom and tribute payments far beyond what the new country could afford. For fifteen years, America had tried to work with the four Muslim powers (Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco) driving the piracy, but negotiation proved impossible. Realizing it was time to stand up to the intimidation, Jefferson decided to move beyond diplomacy. He sent the U.S. Navy and Marines to blockade Tripoli—launching the Barbary Wars and beginning America’s journey toward future superpower status. Few today remember these men and other heroes who inspired the Marine Corps hymn: “From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli, we fight our country’s battles in the air, on land and sea.” Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates recaptures this forgotten war that changed American history with a real-life drama of intrigue, bravery, and battle on the high seas.

An account of Justin Marozzi's 1500-mile journey by camel along the slave-trade routes of the Libyan Sahara. Marozzi and his travelling companion Ned had never travelled in the desert, nor had they ridden camels before embarking on this expedition. Encouraged by a series of idiosyncratic Touareg and Tubbu guides, they learnt the full range of desert survival skills, including how to master their five faithful camels.