No one, since the days of the great Arab travelers, has described so much of the known world as Jan Morris. Considered by many the preeminent travel writer of our age, she now offers this retrospective selection of her best writings. Including 37 pieces, several of which have never appeared in book form before, these essays cover Morris' entire career from the 1950s to the present, spanning the globe from China to Peru, from Beirut to Houston, and from Leningrad to Manhattan. Writing with elegance, passion, and wit, she captures the complex personality of each city, whether familiar or exotic. In the Preface, she clarifies her purpose: "First to last, the world never ceased to astonish me, and I hope at least a little of that power to amaze, if nothing more profound, may be found between the covers of this book."