'A treasure of rare distinction among travel books.'- The New York Times Book Review; 'Here, for once in a very long while, is a book upon which the miser of superlatives may pour out his hoard of praise ... To read such a book ... is to be proud and thankful. For here is a lovely charity and calm courage, vivid gaiety, the strong peace of truth and understanding; and quietness.' - The Times Literary Supplement;

'Her writing has wit and vivacity and no little beauty; I found the whole book enthralling.' - Christian Science Monitor;

'It was rare to leave her company without feeling that the world was somehow larger and more promising. Her life was something of a work of art; The books in which she recorded her journeys were seductively individual - Nomad and social lioness, public servant and private essayist, emotional victim and mythmaker' - Colin Thubron, The New York Times;

'Her books make Stark a remarkable figure under any circumstances. Having been a woman whose roamings through Middle Eastern deserts and mountains put her in the top ranks of the fabled Royal Geographical Society makes her more so.' - Richard Bernstein, The New York Times; 'Few writers have the capacity to do with words what Faberge could do with gems-to fashion them, without violating their quality. It is this extraordinary talent which sets Freya Stark apart from her fellow craftsman in the construction of books on travel.' - The Daily Telegraph;

'Freya Stark remains unexcelled as an interpreter of brief encounters in wild regions against the backdrop of history.' - The Observer;

'One of the finest travel writers of our century.' - The New Yorker; 'A Middle East traveler, an explorer and, above all, a writer, Freya Stark has, with an incomparably clear eye, looked toward the horizon of the past without ever losing sight of the present. Her books are route plans of a perceptive intelligence, traversing time and space with ease.' - Saudi Aramco World