Acknowledgements
Introduction
Mirza Abu Talib and Charles Stewart: A Brief Chronology
A Note on the Text
Travels of Mirza Abu Taleb Khan in Asia, Africa, and Europe, during the years 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, and 1803
Appendix A: The Social Context
Appendix B: Contemporary Reviews
Appendix C: Persia: Orientalist Translations and Essays
Appendix D: Comparative Ethnographies
Select Bibliography
Daniel O’Quinn is Professor of English at the University of Guelph.
“Eighteenth-century readers were so familiar with the fiction of
‘reverse ethnography’ (the record of travels to Europe by a
traveller from a different culture) that reviewers were at first
suspicious about the authenticity of these learned, witty, and
often satirical writings. As they did for contemporary readers,
they have much to tell us now―about political cultures, social
interactions, the colonial context, and the attractions as well as
fears of the European metropolis. Translated with sympathy by the
distinguished early nineteenth-century orientalist Charles Stewart,
the first-person account of Abu Talib’s travels and residency in
London offers a subtle ironic commentary on the expectations and
prejudices of the period―to which Daniel O’Quinn’s expert
introduction and selection of contextual material draw the modern
reader’s attention.” ― Ros Ballaster, Mansfield College, Oxford
University
“The Travels of Mirza Abu Taleb Khan is perhaps the most
significant ‘reverse travelogue’ published in Europe during the
Romantic era, and one of the first published accounts of Britain by
an Asian author. Abu Talib casts a fresh eye on the sites and
personalities of Georgian London, combining a sense of wonder at
the technical and aesthetic achievements of Britain at the dawn of
the nineteenth century with a sharp social and moral critique of
the new masters of Bengal. Daniel O’Quinn’s edition brings this
sparkling narrative to life, complete with a new introductory
essay, footnotes, and appendices that make this long-forgotten book
accessible to both students and the general reader.” ― Nigel Leask,
University of Glasgow
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