{"product_id":"the-valleys-of-the-assassins-freya-stark-9781529379778","title":"The Valleys of the Assassins","description":"\u003cp\u003eINTRODUCED BY MONISHA RAJESH, award-winning author of Around the World in 80 Trains\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'If I were asked to enumerate the pleasures of travel, this would be one of the greatest among them - that so often and so unexpectedly you meet the best in human nature.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e  Growing up in near-poverty and denied a formal education, Freya Stark had nurtured a fascination for the Middle East since reading Arabian Nights as a child. But it wasn't until she was in her thirties that she was able to leave Europe. Boarding a cargo ship to Beirut in 1927, she went on to became one of her generation's most intrepid explorers - her adventures would take her to remote areas in Turkey, the Middle East and Asia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e  The Valleys of the Assassins chronicles Stark's treks into the wilderness of western Iran on the hunt for treasure and in an attempt to locate the long-fabled Assassins in Alumut, an ancient Persian sect. Entering Luristan on a mule, draped in native clothing, Freya bluffs her way past border guards and sets off into uncharted territory; places where few Europeans, and no European women, had ventured.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e  Stark was a woman of indefatigable energy, who often travelled with only a single guide and on a shoestring budget, and who was undeterred by discomfort and danger. Hailed as a classic upon its first publication in 1934, The Valleys of the Assassins is an absorbing account of people and place. Full of wit and rich in detail - and also in humanity - her writing brings to vivid life the stories of the ancient kingdoms of the Middle East.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Freya Stark","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":43176652898547,"sku":"9781529379778","price":24.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0634\/4284\/5939\/products\/9781529379778.jpg?v=1662087396","url":"https:\/\/www.harryhartog.com.au\/products\/the-valleys-of-the-assassins-freya-stark-9781529379778","provider":"Harry Hartog Bookseller","version":"1.0","type":"link"}