Landfalls: On the Edge of Islam from Zanzibar to the Alhambra - Softcover

Tim Mackintosh-Smith's first book Yemen: Travels in Dictionary Land won the 1998 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award and is now regarded as a classic of Arabian description. His two books on Ibn Battutah's adventures in the old Islamic world and in India, Travels with a Tangerine and The Hall of a Thousand Columns, were also received to huge critical acclaim. For the past 25 years his home has been the Yemeni capital San'a.

'Landfalls marks the dazzling conclusion to a trilogy' * Middle East * 'Mackintosh-Smith's zesty travelogue is packed with eccentric characters and anecdote' * FT * 'An entertaining and learned travelling companion. And, if he persuades more people to read Ibn Battutah, so much the better' * TLS * 'Mackintosh-Smith's third and final volume in the series . . . is as delightful as the first two. What draws readers in is his enthusiasm and wonder . . . Another fantastic voyage of two distinctive travel writers. Recommended for those interested in travel, history and Middle East study areas' * Library Journal * 'The long-awaited and dazzling conclusion to the Tim Mackintosh-Smith trilogy' * Country Life * 'In this exquisitiely written volume, Mackintosh-Smith establishes himself as a pre-eminent travel writer of his generation, comparable to an earlier D. H. Lawrence of Eric Newby' * Toronto Globe and Mail * 'Captivating' * Scotsman * 'Well paced, erudite, amusing . . . almost always fascinating . . . Landfalls proves that reports of the death of the travel book are premature. Far from it. With its mix of literary adventure, biography and autobiography, this book suggests that, in the right hands, the genre can be as flexible, energetic and rewarding as ever' * Literary Review * 'Landfalls is a beautifully written account of Islamic life and culture in the 21st century. Whether he is looking for proof of demons off the coast of an island in the Maldives or indulging in a delirious dance to the sound of an ancient Guinean musical instrument, his book is a joyous celebration of cultural diversity' * Sunday Times *