Rosemary F. (canadianeh) reviewed Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al Madinah and Meccah (Volume 2) on + 242 more book reviews
Richard Burton never did anything that I would consider boring. What's more, he wrote it all down in all its color, exoticism and adventure. If you haven't read any of his self-immersive travelling explorations, this is as good a start as any - doesn't matter that it's vol. 2. Of course, these places and times are long gone, but, if you have any curiosity about history, customs, manners and religion (as well as a multitude of other topics in 19th century central Africa), Burton's personalized style, his resourcefulness and his intelligence will captivate you. The footnotes, appendices and index alone are impressive - seriously! I can't recommend this book more highly.