Robert Pashley (1805–59) spent 1833–4 exploring Greece and Turkey as a Trinity College, Cambridge Travelling Fellow and contributor to a British survey of the Mediterranean, yet it was the island of Crete that most captivated his attention; his travels there became the subject of this two-volume account, published in 1837. The following year, Pashley's notes, collected artefacts and books were destroyed in a fire, so this work is all that remains from his expedition to the island. Crete at various points in its history had been ruled by Romans, Byzantines, Venetians and Ottomans. At the time of Pashley's arrival it was under Egyptian administration and there were palpable tensions between Christians and Muslims. In Volume 1, Pashley begins his journey in the western town of Chania, and his lively narrative weaves contemporary observations about Cretans with a discussion of the island's rich history.
