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 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.

The Road to Oxiana is the brilliant account of Robert Byron’s ten-month journey to Iran and Afghanistan in 1933–34. This classic travelogue is considered by many modern travel writers to be the first example of great travel writing.

The Road to Oxiana is a travelogue by Robert Byron, first published in 1937. It is considered by many modern travel writers to be the first example of great travel writing. The word "Oxiana" in the title refers to the region along Afghanistan's northern border.Writer Paul Fussell 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."Robert Byron (1905 – 1941) was a British travel writer, best...

First published in 1933, this text is a fascinating account of Robert Byron's travels in the Russia, India and Tibet of the time. The narrative of travels and descriptions of environment are first-rate and beautifully written. One of the great early examples of the travel-writing genre!

Over the course of several months during 1931 and 1932, Robert Byron journeyed to three countries teetering on the brink of change. In Russia, which was stricken by famine, Lenin had just died, Stalin's dictatorship was in its infancy and the Great Terror had yet to begin. Having taken the first commercial flight to India, which took an astounding seven days, Byron was thrown into the tumultuous last years of the British Raj. Gandhi was imprisoned, while rioting and clashes between Hindus ...

The Station by Robert Byron is Byron's in-depth record of his travels to Mount Athos, the spiritual heart of Eastern Orthodox Monasticism. Excerpt: "Letters from foreign countries arrive in the afternoon. Each envelope advertises a break in the monotony of days; each reveals on penetration only one more facet of a standard world. But latterly another kind has come, strangely addressed, stranger still within. "We learn," runs one, "that you are safely returned to your own glorious country a...

This work presents a comprehensive history of the Byzantine Empire, from the establishment of Constantinople by Emperor Constantine around 330 AD to the decline of Constantinople at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Byron evaluates the highs and lows of the empire over thousands of years. Moreover, he provides insights into trade, culture, religion, the imperial rulers, and the battle with the Ottoman Empire that ultimately ended in the downfall of the Byzantine Empire and the en...

First published in 1931, Robert Byron’s Essay on India evaluates the state of colonial rule in India and analyses the contemporary problems facing the country.Based upon Byron’s travelling experiences within India in 1929 as a correspondent for the Daily Express, the work explores political factors more fully than in Byron's earlier writings, evaluating the successes and failures of British colonialism in the region.

Over the course of several months during 1931 and 1932, Robert Byron journeyed to three countries teetering on the brink of change.In Russia, which was stricken by famine, Lenin had just died, Stalin's dictatorship was in its infancy and the Great Terror had yet to begin. Having taken the first commercial flight to India, which took an astounding seven days, Byron was thrown into the tumultuous last years of the British Raj. Gandhi was imprisoned, while rioting and clashes between H...

Discover the rich tapestry of Byzantium in Robert Byron's The Byzantine Achievement, a masterpiece that invites readers into the heart of one of history’s most enduring and misunderstood civilizations. Byron masterfully portrays Byzantium not as a mere relic of the past, but as a vibrant cultural nexus that shaped the foundations of modern Europe and the Near East.This engaging narrative explores the art, architecture, and intellectual vitality of the Byzantine Empire, tra...

First published in 1929, this highly influential study offers a historical perspective on the Byzantine Empire, from the establishment of Constantinople by Emperor Constantine around 330 AD, through to the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD.Byron’s work considers the empire in its entirety, assessing the highs and lows across a thousand year period. He provides insights into trade, culture, the organs of state, religion, the imperial rulers, and th...

Southern California is many things to many people. A continuous influx of new people, new ideas, new interests, and different life styles creates a mind-boggling diversity. This story covers the life of an individual who is part of that diverse mosaic - an East Coast transplant who comes to Southern California by way of the US Marine Corps and San Diego.This book is a chronology of indelible memories that begin with family life in the depression thirties and the early-on impact of ...