Perseus in the Wind.

STARK, Freya.

Item Number: 110643

London: John Murray, 1948.

First edition of this classic work. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To dear Hugh with true friendship from Freya June 1949.” Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Wood engravings by Reynolds Stone.

Perseus in the Wind is probably the most personal of all Freya Stark's writings. In it she muses on the seasons, the effect light has on a landscape at a particular time of day, the smell of the earth after rain, Muslim saints, Indian temples, war and old age. Each chapter is devoted to a particular theme including Happiness, Beauty, Death; Memory, The Artist, Style, Words, Women's Education, Sorrow and of course, Travel. For those who have loved her travel writing, this work illuminates the motivations behind her journeys and the woman behind the traveler.