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Notes on a Journey from Cornhill to Grand Cairo
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1846 edition. Excerpt: ...atmosphere in which they lived. We went down to an old mosque by the seashore, with a cluster of ancient domes hard by it, blazing in the sunshine, and carved all over with names of Allah, and titles of old pirates and generals who reposed there. The guardian of the mosque sat in the garden-court, upon a high wooden pulpit, lazily wagging his body to and fro, and singing the praises of the prophet gently A FINE DAY. 147 through his nose, as the breeze stirred through the trees over head, and cast chequered and changing shadows over the paved court, and the little fountains, and the nasal psalmist on his perch. On one side was the mosque, into which you could see, with its white walls and cool matted floor, and quaint carved pulpit and ornaments, and nobody at prayers. In the middle distance rose up the noble towers and battlements of the knightly town, with the deep sea-line behind them. It really seemed as if everybody was to have a sort of sober cheerfulness, and must yield to indolence under this charming atmosphere. I went into the court-yard by the sea-shore (where a few lazy ships were lying, with no one on board), and found it was the prison of the place. The door was as wide open as Westminster Hall. Some prisoners, one or two soldiers and functionaries, and some prisoners' wives, were lolling under an arcade by a fountain; other criminals were strolling about here and there, their chains clinking quite cheerfully: and they and the guards and officials came up chatting quite friendly together, and gazed languidly over the portfolio, as I was endeavouring to get the likeness of one or two of these comfortable malefactors. One old and wrinkled shecriminal, whom I had selected on account of the peculiar hideousness of her countenance, ...
164 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1846
About the author
William Makepeace Thackeray
4,624 books1,444 followersWilliam Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist, satirist, and journalist, best known for his keen social commentary and his novel Vanity Fair (1847–1848). His works often explored themes of ambition, hypocrisy, and the moral failings of British society, making him one of the most significant literary figures of the Victorian era.
Born in Calcutta, British India, he was sent to England for his education after his father’s death. He attended Charterhouse School, where he developed a distaste for the rigid school system, and later enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge. However, he left without earning a degree, instead traveling in Europe and pursuing artistic ambitions.
After losing much of his inheritance due to bad investments, Thackeray turned to writing for a living. He contributed satirical sketches, essays, and stories to periodicals such as Fraser’s Magazine and Punch, gradually building a reputation for his sharp wit and keen observational skills. His breakthrough came with Vanity Fair, a panoramic satire of English society that introduced the enduring character of Becky Sharp, a resourceful and amoral social climber.
Thackeray’s later novels, including Pendennis (1848–1850), The History of Henry Esmond (1852), and The Newcomes (1853–1855), continued to explore the lives of the English upper and middle classes, often focusing on the contrast between personal virtue and social ambition. His historical novel Henry Esmond was particularly praised for its detailed 18th-century setting and complex characterization.
In addition to his fiction, Thackeray was a noted public speaker and essayist, delivering lectures on the English humorists of the 18th century and on The Four Georges, a critical look at the British monarchy.
Despite his literary success, he lived with personal struggles, including the mental illness of his wife, Isabella, which deeply affected him. He remained devoted to his two daughters and was known for his kindness and generosity among his friends and colleagues.
His works remain widely read, appreciated for their incisive humor, rich characterizations, and unflinching critique of social pretensions.
Born in Calcutta, British India, he was sent to England for his education after his father’s death. He attended Charterhouse School, where he developed a distaste for the rigid school system, and later enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge. However, he left without earning a degree, instead traveling in Europe and pursuing artistic ambitions.
After losing much of his inheritance due to bad investments, Thackeray turned to writing for a living. He contributed satirical sketches, essays, and stories to periodicals such as Fraser’s Magazine and Punch, gradually building a reputation for his sharp wit and keen observational skills. His breakthrough came with Vanity Fair, a panoramic satire of English society that introduced the enduring character of Becky Sharp, a resourceful and amoral social climber.
Thackeray’s later novels, including Pendennis (1848–1850), The History of Henry Esmond (1852), and The Newcomes (1853–1855), continued to explore the lives of the English upper and middle classes, often focusing on the contrast between personal virtue and social ambition. His historical novel Henry Esmond was particularly praised for its detailed 18th-century setting and complex characterization.
In addition to his fiction, Thackeray was a noted public speaker and essayist, delivering lectures on the English humorists of the 18th century and on The Four Georges, a critical look at the British monarchy.
Despite his literary success, he lived with personal struggles, including the mental illness of his wife, Isabella, which deeply affected him. He remained devoted to his two daughters and was known for his kindness and generosity among his friends and colleagues.
His works remain widely read, appreciated for their incisive humor, rich characterizations, and unflinching critique of social pretensions.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 24, 2020
This account of a steamer journey around the Mediterranean, made in 1844 at the invitation of the Peninsular and Oriental Company, describes Thackrey's honest and often irreverent response to such landmarks of the ancient world as Athens, Constantinople, Jerusalem and Cario.
April 27, 2019
I have not read many travelogues, and certainly none from 1844, yet the recommendation of a friend led me to Thackeray’s “Notes on a Journey from Cornhill to Grand Cairo," a chronicle of several months of travel by steamship from England to Cairo, via Lisbon, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Malta, Athens, Rhodes, Smyrna, Constantinople, and Jerusalem. Not having yet read his Vanity Fair, I also had no idea what to expect, but I found myself delighted. Millennials should beware that Thackeray, as a Victorian and not a romantic, has strong opinions and was writing when Britain was the acme of the “civilized” world (however large the asterisk that might appear after that word today), and the idea of political correctness would have never occurred to him. And although he could be scathing in his satires of Victorian smugness, arrogance, and ignorance, he seems to have been convinced of the superiority of English culture and English ways as he does not hesitate to lambaste whatever strikes him as crude, cruel, or hypocritical. Yet he is no English jingoist as he is equally unsparing of stupidity and boorish behavior among his fellow countrymen.
I enjoyed two aspects of his travelogue the most – the first was his unvarnished descriptions of what he saw – the ugliness alongside whatever beauty was there. Thus we see the beggars, the hawkers of touristic trinkets (yes, cultural tourism is far older than the 21st century), and the various local hustlers of the European tourists. I remember the crestfallen tone in my father’s voice when he told me how when he finally made it San Antonio, Texas, to see the Alamo, he found it across the street from a McDonald’s. Thus even in the mid-19th century, such wonders of the ancient world as the Greek Parthenon and Egyptian pyramids were already well on their way to what they are today – Disneyland for adults.
The other aspect I enjoyed was the detachment Thackeray had, the distance that enabled his critical eye as well as his appreciation for the genuine beauty to be found in sea, in sky, and in landscape. Though there are passages where he veers toward what Edward Said might have deemed Orientalism, Thackeray redeems himself with the unstinting honesty he shows toward all that his eye takes in, including his own thoughts and reactions. And as that world is long gone, and survives only in such texts, it is enlightening to visit.
I enjoyed two aspects of his travelogue the most – the first was his unvarnished descriptions of what he saw – the ugliness alongside whatever beauty was there. Thus we see the beggars, the hawkers of touristic trinkets (yes, cultural tourism is far older than the 21st century), and the various local hustlers of the European tourists. I remember the crestfallen tone in my father’s voice when he told me how when he finally made it San Antonio, Texas, to see the Alamo, he found it across the street from a McDonald’s. Thus even in the mid-19th century, such wonders of the ancient world as the Greek Parthenon and Egyptian pyramids were already well on their way to what they are today – Disneyland for adults.
The other aspect I enjoyed was the detachment Thackeray had, the distance that enabled his critical eye as well as his appreciation for the genuine beauty to be found in sea, in sky, and in landscape. Though there are passages where he veers toward what Edward Said might have deemed Orientalism, Thackeray redeems himself with the unstinting honesty he shows toward all that his eye takes in, including his own thoughts and reactions. And as that world is long gone, and survives only in such texts, it is enlightening to visit.
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May 12, 2026"ملاحظات على رحلة من كورنهيل إلى القاهرة الكبرى" بقلم ويليام ميكبيس ثاكيراي، هي رواية رحلات كُتبت في منتصف القرن التاسع عشر. يسرد هذا العمل الشيق رحلة المؤلف عبر مدن البحر الأبيض المتوسط المختلفة، بما في ذلك مالقة وأثينا والقاهرة، مستكشفًا معالمها وتجاربها. بأسلوب فكاهي ساخر، يقدم ثاكيراي رؤى ثاقبة حول الثقافات والمجتمعات التي صادفها، مُضفيًا على ملاحظاته لمسات شخصية وحكايات طريفة. في بداية الرواية، يُعرّف الكاتب بنفسه ويُمهّد لرحلة استكشافية غير متوقعة بعد تلقيه دعوة للانضمام إلى رحلة بحرية في البحر الأبيض المتوسط. تُصوّر المشاهد الافتتاحية لقاءات حيوية بين ركاب السفينة "ليدي ماري وود"، مُبرزةً مجموعة متنوعة من الشخصيات، من قبطان طيب القلب إلى ملازم ودود مسؤول عن البريد. بينما يكافح الكاتب دوار البحر ويتأقلم مع محيطه الجديد، يشاركنا تأملات شعرية حول جمال الطبيعة ورتابة الحياة المدنية المتناقضة، كل ذلك مع الحفاظ على روح دعابة ذكية وملاحظة تدعو القراء لمرافقته في هذه الرحلة.
https://www.mediafire.com/file/l6ai5q...
https://www.mediafire.com/file/l6ai5q...
August 1, 2016
Well, little heavy on the anti-semitism and racism... but always fun to learn about traveling in a different time! Also got to read it in a 1907 edition where I had to cut the pages... so that was neat!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews