Lords of the Atlas by Gavin Maxwell
Set against the superb background of the medieval city of Marrakesh and the pinnacled castles of the Atlas Mountains, this book tells the story of the meteoric rise to power of an orginally obscure warrior tribe, the Glaoua, and their equally sudden and spectacular downfall.
Maxwell is best known for Ring of Bright Water, the still selling account of his West Highland seaboard cottage and pet ottersHe was also a distinguished travel writer on Iraq and Sicily. This posthumously published book (he died in 1968) is sub-titled The Rise and Fall of the House of Glaoua, 1893-1956, and is a history of Morocco's tribal dynasty which is informed by his own travels in North Africa. It's a fascinating slice of Moroccan history that is also a substantial chapter in the story of French colonialism. And, considering how far the writing of history has moved on since Maxwell's time, his own style seems remarkably fresh, readable and well-informed. The vividness of that writing is enhanced by lavish pictorial illustration, with 50 colour and 100 hundred black and white relevant photos, both contemporary and archival.
Gavin Maxwell was born in 1914, educated at Stowe and Oxford and served in the Scots Guard during the Second World War. Invalided out in 1944 he bought the Island of Soay and set up his Basking Shark fishery there - the subject of his first book, Harpoon at a Venture, (1952). Other books include A Reed Shaken by the Wind (1958), an account of the Marsh Arabs of Iraq, The House of Elrig (1956), an autobiography of his childhood, and his world famous West Highland books about otters: Ring of Bright Water (1960), The Rocks Remain (1963) and Raven Seek Thy Brother (1969). He died in 1969.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780304354191 |
| ISBN 10 | 0304354198 |
| Title | Lords of the Atlas |
| Author | Gavin Maxwell |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Orion Publishing Co |
| Year published | 2000-11-23 |
| Number of pages | 272 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |