Seeing Europe with Famous Authors: Spain and Portugal

The most witching element in the enchantment of this river is its stillness, its unfathomable, unbroken quietude. In the sixteenth century it was navigable as far as Toledo, but the mills upon its banks are now for ever silent; no traffic has deflowered its legendary charms; neither boat nor barge cuts a way along its inactive waters. -from "The Tagus, River of Romance," by Hannah Lynch From the era from a trip to the Continent was rarer but more deeply appreciated comes an enchanting literary travelogue assembled from the hearts and minds of some of the greatest wordsmiths in the English language. A Grand Tour in 10 volumes, these delightful volumes, first published in 1914, gather little-seen essays from famous erudite explorers in compact collections that will inspire those who've never been abroad to make the journey, and move those who have to pack their bags again. Volume IX explores Spain and Portugal, viewed through the eyes and prose of a panoply of extraordinary writers: Havelock Ellis journeys to the Dead City of Segovia, Washington Irving describes the Alhambra, Kate Field takes in a bullfight, and much more by such notable voices as Augustus J. C. Hare, Martin Hume, Edward Everett Hale, and others. Beautifully illustrated with charming photographs, it is a work to treasure... and to take along on your next trip. OF INTEREST TO: armchair travelers, readers of classic literature American journalist and historian FRANCIS WHITING HALSEY (1851-1919) was literary editor of The New York Times from 1892 through 1896. He wrote and lectured extensively on history, and also edited the two-volume Great Epochs in American History Described by Famous Writers, From Columbus to Roosevelt (1912).