Eric Newby, one of the sharpest, funniest and most boisterously entertaining of all travel writers, had an inspired idea to travel by land around the Mediterranean littoral. His riotous odyssey is a juxtaposition of history, geography, opinion, experience and sheer fun. From instructing on the post-operative treatment of castration and the salinity of the Dardanelles to sharing the best route up Mount Olympus in a mist, his insatiable curiousity, eye for the incongruous and unflagging narrative gift turn this book into one of the most stimulating and rewarding travel books to be seen for a long time.
