In the 1870s, American painter Frederick Bridgman traveled from his home in Paris to Algiers. Although he traveled to paint, his journeys so impressed him that he produced a written account that appeared in "Harpers Monthly." That account became the basis of this book. His travelogue describes the people and customs, the layout of the towns, the celebration of the Muslim religion, the black community in an Islamic context, and the legends of the people of historic Algeria.