Eastward bound Travel and travellers, 1050-1550 [Paperback]

Eastward bound looks at travel and travellers in the medieval period. An international range of distinguished contributors offer discussions on a wide range of themes, from the experiences of Crusaders on campaign, to the lives of pilgrims, missionaries and traders in the Middle East. It examines their modes of travel, equipment and methods of navigation, and considers their expectations and experiences en route. The contributions also look at the variety of motives - public and private - behind the decision to travel eastwards. Other essays discuss the attitudes of Middle-Eastern rulers to their visitors. In so doing they provide a valuable perspective and insight into the behaviour of the Europeans and non-Europeans alike.

There have been few such accessible volumes, covering such a broad range of material. The book will be of use to students and scholars involved in the history, literature and historical geography of the medieval period.

List of figures

Note on Arabic transliterations

The contributors

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

Introduction

1. The impact of the crusades on western geographical knowledge - Bernard Hamilton

2. Sharing the sites: 'Medieval Jewish Travellers to the Land of Israel - Elka Weber

3. Travel in the medieval Islamic world: The importance of patronage, as illustrated by 'Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi (and other litt?rateurs) - Shawkat Toorawa

4. Just a bunch of dirty stories? Women in the 'Memoirs' of Usamah Ibn Munqidh - iall Christie

5. The mendicants as missionaries and travellers in the Near East in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries - Andrew Jotischky

6. The intelligent pilgrim: Maps and medieval pilgrimage to the Holy Land - Catherine Delano-Smith

7. Reviving the crusade: Sanudo's schemes and Vesconte's maps - Evelyn Edson

8. The diversity of mankind in the Book of John Mandeville - Suzanne Conklin Akbari

9. Travels with lƒ+