The Road to Oxiana is an account of Robert Byron’s ten-month journey to Iran and Afghanistan in 1933–34 in the company of Christopher Sykes. is erudite, funny, episodic, and he is just a great writer. Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2013. This is so readable it puts modern travelogues to shame. Oxford University Press; Reissue edition (May 18, 2007). Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Overview In 1933, the delightfully eccentric travel writer Robert Byron set out on a journey through the Middle East via Beirut, Jerusalem, Baghdad and Teheran to Oxiana, near the border between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. The only thing one can see on these maps is the line that tracks where he went; the names of all the places along the line are illegible. EMBED. Robert Byron (1905-41) was born in 1905, and educated at Eton and Merton College, Oxford. The journey ended in Peshawar, India (now part of Pakistan) on 19 June 1934, from where he returned to England. Byron's knowledge of Islamic architecture is astounding. The Penguin 1992 edition has four easy to read maps which make it possible to see where the places are that he describes. Throughout, he kept a thoroughly captivating record of his encounters, The Way of the World (New York Review Books Classics), The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia, A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople: From the Hook of Holland to the Middle Danube (New York Review Books Classics). Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2018. I recommend a brisk read of The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron. The word "Oxiana" in the title refers to the ancient name for the region along Afghanistan's northern border. Transoxiana is an ancient name referring to a region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to modern-day eastern Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kazakhstan and southern Kyrgyzstan.Geographically, it is the region between the rivers Amu Darya to its south and the Syr Darya to its north.. Throughout, he kept a thoroughly captivating record of his encounters, discoveries, and frequent misadventures. Here as a joy-hog: a pleasant change after that pension on the Giudecca two years ago. Sold by MOTIF CAFE and ships from Amazon Fulfillment. Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! His statements revived the public's interest in the book, and for the first time, it was widely available in American bookstores. EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? ISBN-10. Octavo, x (last blank), 342 (last blank), [2] (publisher's advertisements) pages with a map plus 16 plates. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, $12.57 Shipping & Import Fees Deposit to France. The cover of the Penguin 1992 edition has a drawing of a Persian mosque done in turquoise and gray, and at the bottom of the cover is an orange bar that says "Penguin Travel Library". In 1933, the delightfully eccentric travel writer Robert Byron set out on a journey through the Middle East via Beirut, Jerusalem, Baghdad and Teheran to Oxiana, near the border between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. The primary purpose of the journey was to visit the region's architectural treasures of which Byron had an extensive knowledge, as evidenced by his observations along the way. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. All are rich; but none so rich. This is not the only book to read about Central Asia but it is part of a library for those interested in the region and its history. And then I suddenly thought of that unfortunate species, modern interior decorators, who imagine they can make a restaurant, or a cinema, or a plutocrat's drawing-room look rich if given money enough for gold leaf and looking-glass. The word "Oxiana" in the title refers to the ancient name for the region along Afghanistan's northern border. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. In 1933, the delightfully eccentric travel writer Robert Byron set out on a journey through the Middle East via Beirut, Jerusalem, Baghdad and Teheran to Oxiana, near the border between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2021. The Road to Oxiana is an account of Robert Byron’s ten-month journey to Iran and Afghanistan in 1933–34 in the company of Christopher Sykes. There is humour and honesty in his writing which I could appreciate. So much discussed and wryly observed is still current. An original style with much to be admired in that it complements the subject it deals with. wish it were possible to travel in those areas today but it is not. When Paul Fussell published his own book Abroad, in 1982, he wrote that The Road to Oxiana is to the travel book what "Ulysses is to the novel between the wars, and what The Waste Land is to poetry." The book deals with the challenges of travel, Islamic architecture and observations of contemporary Afghanistan and Persia. These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. 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. Entertaining and Often Funny Travel Diary, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2017. The travel writer Bruce Chatwin in his introduction to the book has described it as "a sacred text, beyond criticism," [3] and carried his copy since he was fifteen years old, "spineless and floodstained" after four journeys through Central Asia. Another way to walk in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 2, 2013. Product Identifiers. "Oxiana" refers to the region along Afghanistan's northern border. Byron's travelogue through the Near East early in the twentieth century provides the serious scholar with a flawless insight of the region's cultures, art, architecture, religions, commerce, and politics. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! I don't know whether or not the other editions of this book have legible maps. The Road to Oxiana is a travelogue by the explorer Robert Byron, first published in 1937. 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. This travelogue is considered by many modern travel writers to be the first example of great travel writing. 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 language is not dated nor quaint. There was a problem loading your book clubs. EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? Robert Byron (1905-41) was born in 1905, and educated at Eton and Merton College, Oxford. Chatwin in particular was heavily influenced by this book. It is not smothered, as in rococo; it is simply the instrument of a spectacle, as earth is the instrument of a garden. A fair amount of religious intolerance in here - interwoven with a good travel narrative. Funny and erudite, The Road to Oxiana 's combination of exquisite lyricism, detail, and humor gave birth to a new kind of travel literature, serving as inspiration for later writers such as Bruce Chatwin, Peter Matthiesson, and Jan Morris. I love to be able to see on a map where the places are that an author is talking about, so this edition is a huge disappointment. Publisher. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2015. This is also the case when I hold The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron were it only because Alexander the Great spent nearly three years of his short life in Oxiana, corresponding more or less to today's Afghanistan. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Oxford University Press. The Road to Oxiana is a travelogue by the explorer Robert Byron, first published in 1937. In 1933 the delightfully eccentric Robert Byron set out on a journey through the Middle East via Beirut and Jerusalem. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. The maps are very clear. The Road To Oxiana Item Preview remove-circle Share or Embed This Item. I found them easy to read and follow on them the author's journey. Don't buy this edition. The book is an account of Byron's ten-month journey in the Middle East, Afghanistan and India in 1933–34, initially in the company of Christopher Sykes. Byron interacted with the locals and negotiated transport, including motor vehicles, horses and asses to carry him on his journey. Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2013. This book is of its time and sits at times uncomfortably with modern sensibilities, but is not to be dismissed. As a person who lived and worked in Iran, I found his book indispensible. The Road to Oxiana is an account of Robert Byron’s ten-month journey to Iran and Afghanistan in 1933–34 in the company of Christopher Sykes. PART I Venice. The Road to Oxiana, Robert Byron's account of his journey to Persia and Afghanistan in 1933-34, is widely recognised as the greatest of all pre-war travel books. The book is an illustrated account of Robert Byron's ten-month journey to the Middle East in 1933–34. It is the story of Robert Byron's efforts to … Good travelogue, good political history, excellent architectural tour, dry British humour. It documents Byron's travels around Persia and Afghanistan, and is considered one of the most influential travel books of the 1930s. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. This edition has many maps, but they are impossible to read, even with a magnifying glass. I don't understand what another reviewer complains about. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Taking the form of a diary, it weaves descriptions of people and places and the mechanics of travel together with architectural and historical digressions. Sets the tone for travel books to follow. The Road to Oxiana is an account of Robert Byron’s ten-month journey to Iran and Afghanistan in 1933–34 in the company of Christopher Sykes. Their richness is three-dimensional; it is attended by all the effort of shadow: In the Mosque of Sheikh Lutfullah, it is a richness of light and surface, of pattern and colour only. Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! Other interiors came into my mind as I stood there, to compare it with: Versailles, or the porcelain rooms at Schönbrunn, or the Doge's Palace, or St Peter's. Byron (distantly related to Lord B.) In 1933, Robert Byron set off from Venice with his friend Christopher Sykes to explore the architecture of the Middle East. The Road to Oxiana was popular when it was first issued, but gradually dropped out of sight, only to be revived when Bruce Chatwin and others rediscovered it. "A brilliantly-wrought expression of a thoroughly modern sensibility, a portrait of an accidental man adrift between frontiers" New York Review of Books "The Road to Oxiana is part travelogue, part aesthetic manifesto and part social observation; it remains the most thoroughly readable of all books. This travelogue is considered by many modern travel writers to be the first example of great travel writing. His best passages are … Find all the books, read about the author, and more. It is standard English of its time, the 1930s. In 1933, the delightfully eccentric travel writer Robert Byron set out on a journey through the Middle East via Beirut, Jerusalem, Baghdad and Teheran to Oxiana, near the border between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2018. Robert Byron's The Road to Oxiana (yes, a descendent of Lord Byron) recounts his journey with Christopher Sykes ( the son of Sir Mark Sykes, famously (or infamously) the British diplomat who in 1916 made a secret agreement with the French to divide up the former Ottoman Empire between their two countries) to Persia and Afghanistan in the early 1930's. It heads a list of works about Russia's designs on India and all the lands in between. One of the best travel books ever written. This travelogue is considered by many modern travel writers to be the first example of great travel writing. It documents Byron's travels around Persia and Afghanistan, and is considered one of the most influential travel books of the 1930s. It is in the form of a diary with the first entry "Venice, 20 August 1933" after which Byron travelled by ship to the island of Cyprus and then on to the then countries of Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Persia and Afghanistan. Fascinating and entertaining account of Afghanistan and Iran before WW2. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Byron's main interest was architecture, and if that does not interest you, then this is not a book you would enjoy. Download the accompanying reference guide. In most cases, items shipped from Amazon.com may be returned for a full refund. Please try your request again later. A diary of travel experiences from Cyprus to India mainly focusing on Afghanistan and Persia. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Today, in addition to its entertainment value, The Road to Oxiana also serves as a rare account of the architectural treasures of a region now inaccessible to most Western travelers, and a nostalgic look back at a more innocent time. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. Buy The Road to Oxiana Reissue by Byron, Robert, Fussell, Paul (ISBN: 9780195325607) from Amazon's Book Store. Throughout, he kept a thoroughly captivating record of his encounters, discoveries, and frequent misadventures. 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. Robert Byron writes with great sensitivity about art and architecture in places that sadly are almost impossible to visit now. And Byron is the ideal companion, witty, charming, irascible, and content to leave and be left alone.” After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Robert Byron (1905-41) was born in 1905, and educated at Eton and Merton College, Oxford. It does not matter which book I pick for reading, Alexander is always in the back of my mind. Breathtaking ride into 6th century persia.....and the everybit as remote pre-WWII Iran by English brahmins, Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2015. The Road to Oxiana Read by Barnaby Edwards unabridged. He encountered heat, cold, hunger and thirst and suffered the inconvenience of bugs, fleas, lice and physical illness. Blogger SquareKufic has a series of posts, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Road_to_Oxiana&oldid=1012195028, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 March 2021, at 03:07. Please try again. “The Road to Oxiana is part travelogue, part aesthetic manifesto, and part social observation; it remains the most thoroughly readable of all books. Excellent architectural tour, dry British humour sensibilities, but they are impossible to read full visible..., our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer the... This is a travelogue by the explorer Robert Byron set off from Venice with friend. Intolerance in here - interwoven with a good travel narrative of pre-quel to `` Eastern Approaches '' and the... India and all the books, read about the author 's journey in this book have legible maps read Barnaby... On India and all the books, read about the author, and if the reviewer bought the on! 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