Quiet day today, a good friend called in for coffee this morning, gossip and catch up, showing off my new kitchen, then this afternoon after reading the paper and having a snooze, decided to do a bit of 'proper' cooking for a change now that I have a decent oven, so an asparagus and cream cheese quiche, casseroled pork chops with peppers and red onions, and rhubarb fool. So good to have room to actually roll out the pastry without having to pile up pots and pans in a corner and the new cooker is, so far, coming up trumps. So feel very pleased with myself and as I am also feeling a bit lazy all the post you are going to get today is a blurb about a new book being published in the autumn and in case you are wondering why I am doing so, the author James Mather is my son in law. He has been working on this for the last three years as well as training to be a barrister and I am very much looking forward to seeing the finished product. As a mother in law with a blog, he has promised me a copy.
Pashas: Traders and Travellers in the Islamic World - James Mather (author)
Long before they came as occupiers, the British were drawn to the Middle East by the fabled riches of its trade and the enlightened tolerance of its people. The Pashas, merchants and travelers from Europe, discovered an Islamic world that was alluring, dynamic, and diverse. Ranging across two and a half centuries and through the great cities of Istanbul, Aleppo, and Alexandria, James Mather tells the forgotten story of the men of the Levant Company who sought their fortunes in the Ottoman Empire. Their trade brought to the region not only merchants but also ambassadors and envoys, pilgrims and chaplains, families and servants, aristocratic tourists and roving antiquarians. Unlike the nabobs who gathered their fortunes in Bengal, they both respected and learned from the culture they encountered, and their lives provide a fascinating insight into the meeting of East and West before the age of European imperialism. Intriguing, intimate, and original, "Pashas" brings to life an extraordinary tale of faraway visitors beguiled by a mysterious world of Islam.
About the Author
James Mather was educated at Cambridge University and at Harvard, where he was a Kennedy scholar. He is now a commercial barrister in London.
I feel very proud to see his name on the Amazon website and the request to pre-order. No jacket illustration yet as that is still being thrashed out at Yale University Press and I eagerly await the final decision.
Have read some smashing books over the last few days and more of them in the coming week. At the moment I am enjoying watching Martin Clunes and his programme on the islands around Britain, a charming programme and St Michael's Mount coming up soon which I have always found an enchanting place.
So a relaxing day and I hope everyone else has had a good Sunday too.
