- Hardcover: 280 pages
- Publisher: John Murray; 1st edition (10 April 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0719556228
- ISBN-13: 978-0719556227
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
875,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11 in Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Middle East > Yemen
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Product Description
Review
'scholarly and entertaining... Mackintosh Smith succeeds admirably in shining a light on an obscure corner of the world' -- Financial Times
Product Description
In this work, the author describes his journey through Yemen, portraying hyrax hunters and dhow skippers, a noseless regicide, a sword-wielding tyrant with a passion for Heinz Russian salad, as well as examining the extraordinary history of the ordinary Yemenis.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is a must for all addicts to travel literature. It is written with an eye for historical detail (as f.e. the books by Geoffrey Moorhouse) and interest in the language(s) spoken in this extraordinary country. Although this may seem a bit tough to read, the opposite is true in this case: the impressing knowledge of the author is wrapped up in a fascinating travel-story around Yemen.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Yemen is a country both fascinating, remote and mysterious. The author opens Yemen to the casual observer and displays it's beauty, idiosyncrasies, people, language, history, culture and humour for all to marvel at. This book is wonderfully entertaining, very easy to read, very well researched and beautifully written. I bought it on a whim and really enjoyed it, it's a great book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
The book wriggles, it's better if you've been there already
30 July 1999
Format:Hardcover
Tim writes well, describing himself in gently self-deprecating tones whilst always managing to support the Yemeni perspective. Yemen is inexplicable as it is ungovernable in any other terms than Yemeni, so Tim makes a great job of explaining how Arabic works and how oral traditions keep a living history alive in place where history is now, and possibly will forever be. It's fun to read, there are the weird bits, funny bits, and if you want a lighter introduction to the sometimes enigmatic Tim as a person you can read the bit in Eric Hansen's book where Eric goes walking with Tim and looses his footing on a cliff and falls in love with a bedouin girl. Not so Tim, who is impervious to flirty bedouin ladies (wise man) and skips over mountains powered by a cheekful of qat. My problem is that I love the place, so anything readable is great. This is more than readable, it's a gentle glide through Yemeni history which is complex as anything (and still is) since there is no single entity - it's basically a mass of sub-plots... Lovely. As Tim says in the beginning of his book, a load of digressions. To be dipped into. Holiday stuff. Read it after Yemen and realise what you missed!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
The best travel book ever
24 May 2002
Format:Hardcover
This is a wonderful book. Well produced, real artwork (not just photos), beautifully written, and truly inspired. It is rare that a travel writer has such a wealth of experience and knowledge to draw on. This book is set apart though, by the author's deep and enduring love for the country and its people. This is no dry historical chronology, and marks a revival of the storytellers art. Where are his other books???
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
More than a guide
12 Jan 2000
Format:Hardcover
Mr. MacIntosh-Smith has written, not just a guide book, but a real introduction to this beautiful country. His deep knowledge, understanding and love for the country, its history, topography, culture and language are clear. Moreover, he has the gift of conveying this understanding in prose which is succinct and uncloying - an unusual quality in travel writers. This is a beautifully written book which can be enjoyed even by those who have never visited the country, and perhaps have no intention of doing so.
The illustrations are excellent.
I recommend 'Travels in Dictionary Land' both to actual and armchair travellers
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