- Paperback: 200 pages
- Publisher: Picador; 3 edition (7 Jun 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0330491148
- ISBN-13: 978-0330491143
- Product Dimensions: 13 x 2.8 x 19.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
66,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #25 in Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Asia > Turkey
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Thomas Cook/Daily Telegraph Travel Book Award is not handed out lightly, and is almost invariably given to travel writing of a rare order. Tim Mackintosh-Smith is a very worthy recipient, and Travels with a Tangerine will no doubt inspire (as did his earlier Yemen) comparisons to the giants of writing about the Arabic world, from Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom to Wilfred Thesiger.
Travels with a Tangerine is subtitled A Journey in the Footnotes of Ibn Battutah, and finds Mackintosh-Smith utilising his impressive knowledge of Arabic studies in a fascinating journey to find the real Arabia. For the past 17 years (when not travelling), he has lived in the Yemeni capital San'a, and this invaluable background has made him the perfect guide to the exotic landscapes of Arabia. Here, the author travels in the footsteps of a ghost. Ibn Battutah was the greatest traveller of the pre-mechanical age, setting out in 1325 from his native Tangier on a pilgrimage to Mecca. His journey took 29 years, and he visited most of the known world, travelling three times the distance that Marco Polo covered. Mackintosh-Smith set out to write a "trailer" or continuation of the original writings, and this utterly fascinating book covers the first stage in the Moroccan's bizarre and dangerous journey (brigands were only one of the dangers he faced). The destinations include a quaint Islamic Butlin's in the Egyptian desert, the shores of the Cimmerian Bosphoros and some of the most impressive cities of medieval Islam. All the details of his journey are conjured up with maximum vividness, from buffalo milk puddings and fishbone houses to the legendary dancing dervishes. The writing, always spare and elegant, makes this a highly compelling read for either the adventurer or the armchair traveller. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
'In an age where writers feel the need to travel with fridges and pigs, this journey with a Tangerine stands out for its integrity and intelligence' Spectator
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended. Delightful and enlightening.,
By Milady (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Travels with a Tangerine: A Journey in the Footnotes of Ibn Battutah (Paperback)
A fantastic read, although I have to admit I didn't understand all the vocabulary. It brings the colourful, wide and pluralistic world of medieval Islam to life, replete with amazing characters. I enjoyed it so much that when I finished I went straight back to the beginning. Absolutely wonderful as an introduction to many historical characters (like al-Ma'arri), so I am using it as a starting point to learn more. It beautifully belies the traditional view we have of the medival Islamic arts and culture having been so straight-laced and peopled with paragons.I only wish he would carry on and go all the way to China!Beautiful travel writing from a master of wry and sympathetic observation. I also heartily recommend 'Travels in Dictionary Land'.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Travels with a Tangerine: A Journey in the Footnotes of the Battutah,
By william callan (ireland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Travels with a Tangerine: A Journey in the Footnotes of Ibn Battutah (Hardcover)
good book. A bit too heavy on a lot of trivial detail which slows the narrative. But well written and enjoyable
16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book, but ...,
By A Customer
This review is from: Travels with a Tangerine: A Journey in the Footnotes of Ibn Battutah (Paperback)
This is indeed a wonderful book, as others have written. However, I think it weakens towards the end, when the author leaves the Arabic-speaking world and travels to Turkey and the Crimea. Here Tim Mackintosh-Smith, as he himself admits, is on less familiar cultural and linguistic grounds. As a result there are fewer of the conversations, arguments and jokes with local people that give the 'Arabic' section of his travels such a feeling of immediacy and intimacy. I look forward to future travels with a Tangerine, but I also hope that Mackintosh-Smith will give us more about Arabs and their world.
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