Charles Doughty (1843–1926)

In the late 1870's Charles M. Doughty embraced the Victorian fascination with all things Oriental and decided he would explore Arabia. He learned Arabic while living in Damascus, then embedded himself among nomad and Bedouin tribes and traveled the north and west portions of the Arabian peninsula for nearly two years. He wrote an exhaustive account of his travels, running to 1,000 pages in the first edition. This is Edward Garnett's heavily edited version which is still a hefty 450 pages. The book is written in an archaic style, a combination of Chaucerian and Old Testament English that can be tedious to work through but serves to evoke the simplicity and traditional formality of desert Arab life.

"Every man leans upon his own hand in the open desert, and there will none for nought take upon him a public service."

The landscape changes little from day to day: sand, gravel, and rock outcrops blasted by wind and distorted in the searing heat. He travels "at an ant's pace" from one watering place to another, sometimes resting a few days in settlements near oases, drinking coffee and keeping his head intact on his shoulders . Though generally courteous to him, his Arab hosts he describes as "cheerless" and petulant. Living only on dates and camel's milk, they are perpetually hungry. Few of them have ever seen a European. They have no knowledge of Western life apart from rumors and exaggerations told to them by traveling merchants.

"The Arabs are barren-minded in the emptiness of desert life," he writes, " and retchless of all that pertains not to their living." They think him a spy and a blasphemer (Christian), and nurture "a treacherous malice which is the natural condition of Bedouins". He is threatened almost daily with violence, sometimes abandoned mid-journey by faithless guides, deceived,robbed, and beaten. He has no choice but to continue. Toward the end of his travels his already fragile constitution has broken down, and he rides to Jidda propped up in the saddle by a man riding behind.

Doughty seems a bit cheerless himself -- plodding, humorless, obstinate and argumentative. Nevertheless, if you persevere in your reading, the arcane style will gradually become familiar, and you'll be able to absorb and appreciate his descriptions of Arab culture. The conversations he has with his Arab friends (and sometimes captors) ,which he meticulously transcribes, are the real gems in the book - the at times tense and tortured negotiations to keep his head on his shoulders and make it to the next water hole.

One reviewer here admits to having read less than half the book, yet leaves a one-half star rating. This is misleading and dishonest. The book wasn't read; therefore the reviewer's opinion is worthless.… (more)

This is indeed a forgotten book, as far as I am concerned; I had never heard of it to my recollection in 50+ years of reading English literature, though its author is fairly well known for writing Travels in Arabia Deserta, which I have log owned/ Like Travels, it is written in Doughty's own odd version of pseudo-medieval English. I discovered it from reading Abercrombie's The Epic, which recommended it with reservations, saying the style was sometimes hard to follow. It concerns the wanderings of ancient tribes led by Brennus who did historically invade Greece etc., though this version includes an earth-mother goddess among other characters. I should think it might appeals to some modern neopagans, if they could get past the style.… (more)