{"product_id":"the-valleys-of-the-assassins","title":"The Valleys Of The Assassins By Freya Stark","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eINTRODUCED BY MONISHA RAJESH, award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eAround the World in 80 Trains\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\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\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  Growing up in near-poverty and denied a formal education, Freya Stark had nurtured a fascination for the Middle East since reading \u003ci\u003eArabian Nights\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003ci\u003eThe Valleys of the Assassins \u003c\/i\u003echronicles 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.\u003cbr\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, \u003ci\u003eThe Valleys of the Assassins\u003c\/i\u003e 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":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57561035407742,"sku":"NW9781529379778","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9781529379778.jpg?v=1783171936","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/the-valleys-of-the-assassins","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}