
audiobook
by Sir R. Lambert (Robert Lambert) Playfair
Following the path first blazed by the 18th‑century explorer James Bruce, this volume invites listeners to wander the ancient ruins of Algeria and Tunis through the eyes of a seasoned British consul. Drawing on a remarkable cache of Bruce’s own sketches—long hidden in a family vault—the author weaves together vivid description and scholarly curiosity, offering a fresh portrait of the early days of African travel.
The book is richly illustrated with facsimiles of Bruce’s drawings, from the towering arches of Caracalla at Tebessa to the marble tombs of the Numidian kings. Alongside these images, the narrator shares his own observations of the sites, their weathered stone, and the lingering mysteries they hold. Listeners will gain a sense of both the historic landscape and the painstaking effort required to revive these long‑forgotten records, making the work a compelling blend of travel memoir and archaeological insight.
Language
en
Duration
~12 hours (724K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
London: C. Kegan Paul, 1877.
Credits
Galo Flordelis (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2023-12-07
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
1828–1899
A British diplomat, soldier, and travel writer, he spent much of his career around Arabia, Zanzibar, and North Africa, turning firsthand experience into books on places many Victorian readers knew little about. His work blends official service with a real curiosity about history, geography, and local life.
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