Henrietta Liston's Travels: The Turkish Journals, 1812-1820

Henrietta Liston's Constantinople journal is a significant work of women's travel writing, providing a human-centred version of the picturesque and reflecting on the political situation of Europe. It includes depictions of a plague-ridden Constantinople, a visit to the harem of the Kaimakam, excursions to Belgrade Village, the presentation of ambassadors in the Seraglio, and the departure of pilgrims on the hajj.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 31 October 2020
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Henrietta Liston's Constantinople journal is a significant and hitherto virtually unknown work of women's travel writing. As the wife of the British Ambassador to the Porte, Liston had privileged access to parts of the Sultan's entourage and the Ottoman elite. Her journal details her journey by sea from England to Istanbul and the diplomatic mission's Mediterranean stops at the time of the Napoleonic wars and reflects on the political situation of Europe, focusing in particular on the British and the Ottoman Empires. Yet it also offers a human-centred version of the picturesque, and includes depictions of a plague-ridden Constantinople, a visit to the harem of the Kaimakam, excursions to Belgrade Village, the presentation of ambassadors in the Seraglio, and the departure of pilgrims on the hajj. This edition features Liston's journal alongside a selection of her other, shorter writings from Turkey, including accounts of key diplomatic incidents and personal experiences.

Weight: 552g
Dimension: 163 x 240 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474467353