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Product Description
Review
‘Brilliant’
Spectator
‘Glorious’
Patrick Leigh Fermor
‘Dalrymple is probably the best travel writer of his generation’
Daily Mail
‘The future of travel writing lies in the hands of gifted authors like Dalrymple’
Sara Wheeler, Independent
Product Description
One of the most successful, influential and acclaimed travel books of recent years.
At the age of twenty-two, William Dalrymple left his college in Cambridge to travel to the ruins of Kublai Khan’s stately pleasure dome in Xanadu. This is an account of a quest which took him and his companions across the width of Asia, along dusty, forgotten roads, through villages and cities full of unexpected hospitality and wildly improbable escapades, to Coleridge’s Xanadu itself.
At once funny and knowledgeable, In Xanadu is in the finest tradition of British travel writing. Told with an exhilarating blend of eloquence, wit, poetry and delight, it is already established as a classic of its kind.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is without doubt an enormously enjoyable, witty and informative book. It is also curiously dated - William Dalrymple reads here more like a young Evelyn Waugh, or possibly Graham Greene in Travels With My Aunt, than a 19 year old at the end of the 20th century. However, each to his own: personally I still enjoyed the account, despite occasionally feeling a slight desire to shake some of the pompous Empire-builder out of him (his later books have lost some of this tendency, apart from the 'amusing native' sketches which I found rather overdone in City of Djinns). One of the features of In Xanadu that I found most endearing was the fact that Dalrymple seemed, for much of the trip, to be having a thoroughly nasty time, and wasn't afraid to lose face by telling us so ('Latakia is a hole.') - as my experience is that much travel consists of being smelly, tired and miserable it was reassuring to find that someone else shared this viewpoint too. However, Dalrymple's overwhelming talent is definitely to convey a vivid sense of the places he's been, and In Xanadu displays that in spades. Really astonishly good for a first book.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
'In Xanadu' is both highly entertaining and impeccably researched. The success of a travelogue often hinges on the likeableness of the author, and William Dalrymple is affable, down to earth and funny. The tale of his remarkable journey through Asia is enriched by his ability to bring to life historical accounts and scholarly details. He also makes some fascinating discoveries on route, and the whole book is bursting with enthusiasm. The only thing I feel lets him down is a tendency to resort to racial stereotyping and generalising, which results in some rather dubious comments - otherwise an excellent book.
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first discovered William Dalrymple when my aunt gave me a copy of "From The Holy Mountain" when I went to Israel, which I greatly enjoyed. So, when I spotted "In Xanadu" in a bookstore, I decided I had to read it.
In Xanadu is WD's first book, and, I think, also his best. The style is slightly fresher than in his later works. The jokes seem to be more natural, and there are more of them too...a good thing, as Dalrymple has a wonderuful sense of humor, especially in the little ridiculous details of life. The book is also amazingly well researched, and I learnt an enormous amount from it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An admiring reader
I have read several of William Dalrymple's books before but no longer possessed this one. It is brilliant, erudite, amusing and at times moving.
Published 5 months ago by MichaelK-S
To-gether in Xanadu
Yes, William Dalrymple took me on the journey to Xanadu, I was there every step of the way. An excellent travel book, an excellent writer. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Hughwho?
A shame
I had really high expectations of this book, but it wasn't really to my taste - Dalrymple writes reams of stuff on the architecture of places that he visits, but seems to skimp out... Read more
Published 12 months ago by aee
the quest by william dalrymple
Years ago (1998),i read one of w. d. "from the holly mountain" and was captivated by it . Alawys wanted to read more."in Xanadu" is a good Joice ! Read more
Published 22 months ago by oliver miller
Enjoyable
Whilst I did enjoy this book, I prefer Dalrymple's later works. I felt that the end of the book was rushed. Read more
Published 23 months ago by sharonzinha
Learn and Laugh
I bought this for my husband but when the volcano with a long name erupted and caused an eight day delay, I read it too while stranded. Read more
Published on 26 April 2010 by S. Lamb
Interesting, but could have been better
In the mid 1980s, William Dalrymple (then in his early 20s) made a journey retracing the steps of Marco Polo's famous journey during the 1200s, from the church of the Holy... Read more
Published on 10 Aug 2008 by Andres C. Salama
Informative and fun
In this book William Dalrymple sets out to follow in the steps of Marco Polo to the Palace of Kubla Khan with a vial of "holy oil" from Jerusalem. Read more
Published on 21 Aug 2007 by Wendy Jones
A Pleasure Dome
A joy to read. There are few writers who can invoke an atmosphere, a setting, a genius locii with such taut writing and so little persiflage. Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2006 by Hans Norton
In Xanadu by William Dalrymple
I was encouraged to read this book by a friend - Travel is not really my bag BUT I LOVED IT!!! Once started I couldn't put it down. The dry humour greatly amused me. Read more
Published on 23 Oct 2006 by Jm Norton
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