Priceless views of Egyptian and biblical antiquities as they looked in the mid-19th century, before war, neglect, and exploitation took their toll. 77 spectacular photographs of the Pyramids, Sphinx, Karnak, Luxor, Thebes, Mt. Horeb, Old Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, Damascus, and more. Introduction. Captions.

The story of Francis Frith's pioneering Nile journeys made between 1857 and 1860. Includes Frith's original text and photo captions. Illustrated with 130 period photographs plus 30 modern colour photographs to show comparisons.

Book Excerpt: ice. It appeared he owed the gentleman 1300 florins, and had wished to abscond, but was luckily overtaken before the departure of the boat. This affair was hardly concluded when the bell rang, the wheels began to revolve, and too soon, alas, my dear ones were out of sight!I had but few fellow-passengers. The weather was indeed fine and mild; but the season was not far enough advanced to lure travellers into the wide world, excepting men of business, and those who had cosmopolitan ideas, like myself. Most of those on board were going only to Presburg, or at farthest to Pesth. The captain having mentioned that a woman was on board who intended travelling to Constantinople, I was immediately surrounded by curious gazers. A gentleman who was bound to the same port stepped forward, and offered his services in case I should ever stand in need of them; he afterwards frequently took me under his protection.The fine mild weather changed to cold and wind as we got fairly out into the great Danube. I wraRead More

In 1838, Scottish painter David Roberts (1796-1864) embarked on a three-year journey that would shape Europe's perception of the Middle East. Nurtured on Bible stories and tales of the exotic Orient, Roberts had always dreamed of exploring the Holy Land, though travel there was an arduous, dangerous undertaking. While he set himself the goal of bringing home an accurate visual record, he returned with a portfolio of hand-tinted lithographs that lost nothing of romanticism. His use of light, color, and atmosphere lent an aura of exoticism to his realistic view.