With the Beduins

the long version

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the Middle East was the crossroads between India and Europe. It was a time of great activity, as diplomats, merchants, soldiers and explorers saw at first hand the lives of the great families, the forbears of the founders of the modern states. They recorded their experiences; the intrigues, the codes of honor, and the austerity of life in the desert, and made a significant contribution to the West's knowledge of the Middle East at that time. Until now, these books have remained rare despite the fame of their authors, available only as collectors' items. The Folios Archive Library series now makes these historical accounts accessible to a wide audience. The series will be of great value to historians, to students of the region or period, and to armchair adventurers. First published in 1891, With the Beduins: A Narrative of Journeys and Adventures in Unfrequented Parts of Syria is the record of three of these trips, made in 1888, 1889 and 1890. The majority of the work deals with the situation of the Bedouin tribes of the region. A fourth and final section consists of folklore and stories from the oral tradition as recorded by Hill.