Charles Masson is the quixotic and
wildly colourful subject of this
exceptional biography ...
This is a jewel of a book. It rescues Masson from history's cutting-room floor and
brings him richly, ripely to life ...
Brave, dedicated, endlessly curious, Masson deserves his rediscovery -- James McConnachie -
Sunday TimesOnly now, with this
superb biography, is Masson's tale told in full for the first time. The result,
evocatively written, impeccably researched and minutely footnoted, but with
the pace and deftly woven plot complexity of a John le Carré novel, is a small masterpiece. It solves most of the mysteries of Masson's story and deserves all the acclaim it will undoubtedly win ...
utterly brilliant -- William Dalrymple -
GuardianMasson was one of the
most extraordinary of many extraordinary Europeans roaming between Persia and India in the 19th century ...
A brilliant and evocative biography, written with consummate scholarship, great style and wit. Through the study of one man, Richardson
illuminates an entire world -- Harry Sidebottom -
Daily TelegraphMasson's story is
brilliantly retold by Edmund Richardson . A
lucid, thrilling and poetic narrative that does justice to the subject. -- Bijan Omrani -
Literary ReviewRarely has a work of non-fiction so
brilliantly wrong-footed its readers as Edmund Richardson's
Alexandria: The Quest for the Lost City, which
expertly subverts expectations, interweaving narrative, history and biography throughout ... A
remarkable achievement, and that rare thing,
a book guaranteed to change your perspective on the world -- Sebastian Milbank -
TabletImmensely enjoyable . a
highly entertaining representation of the world of 19th-century India and Afghanistan, and of the
daredevil antics of an adventurer hooked on the past, looking to survive, prosper and make his mark in a world of shifting sands and shadows -
BBC History MagazineOne of the great stories of archaeology, exploration and espionage told in full for the first time - and
brought to life with passion, style, scholarship, empathy and anger ...
full, extraordinary, heart-breaking ... Edmund Richardson is a new star whose painstaking research and evocative prose has resulted in an
utterly brilliant biography. It deserves all the prizes and acclaim it will undoubtedly win. -- William Dalrymple
Richardson is a
natural teller of such
exuberant stories and the book is full of
colourful characters -- A. S. H. Smyth -
SpectatorImpressive. In a string of spirited encounters classicist Edmund Richardson tails the vagabond antiquarian who called himself Charles Masson to 1830s Afghanistan ...
Masson has at last found the intrepid biographer he has so long deserved. -- John Keay --This text refers to the
paperback edition.
About the Author
Edmund Richardson is Associate Professor of Classics at Durham University, UK. He has published
Classical Victorians: Scholars, Scoundrels and Generals in Pursuit of Antiquity (2013), and was named one of the BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinkers in 2016. --This text refers to the
paperback edition.