E. Alexander Powell's North African travel narrative is driven by wander-thirst and by a determination to replace postcard fantasy with firsthand reality. Drawn back to the road by a conversation with France's colonial minister, he sets off through Tunisia, Algeria, the Sahara, and Morocco, following routes made possible by steamship lines and modern roads yet still shadowed by the risks of the Spanish zone and the Riff. Along the way, he argues that Barbary is not a land of corsairs and Hollywood sheikhs, but a region of Berber heritage, Roman ruins, mountain ranges, forests, desert oases, and complex colonial politics. Powell mixes practical travel guidance, history, and sharp observation, tracing the region's Punic, Roman, Vandal, Byzantine, and Arab past while describing Biskra, Sidi Okba, the legend of Okba ibn Nefi, the Ouled-Naïl dancers, and the eerie rites of the Aïssaoua. His richly illustrated journey captures both the romance and the unease of North Africa, from elegant gardens to smoky cafes, from desert legends to modern imperial infrastructure, all filtered through a candid, skeptical eye. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
