A Traveller in Rome

by H. V. Morton

Release Date: 24 December, 2002

Edition: Paperback

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Way, Way Beyond a Mere Travel Guide

I am thrilled to see that "A Traveller in Rome" is back in print! (I have spent the past decade combing used book stores for books in H.V. Morton's several wonderful series -"A Traveller in...", "In Search of ...", "In the Steps of..." and others - and never pass up an opportunity to buy one when I find it.) Although published in 1957, "A Traveller to Rome" is as fresh as the day it was written (H.V.Morton was at his best when writing about Italy). The book is not a travel guide per se, but rather a sort of memoir of walks all around Rome into which Morton seamlessly weaves charming tales of his own experiences, his personal observations, and fascinating historical background. And what makes it all so delicious is Morton's elegant but unpedantic use of the English language. I have read this book half a dozen times, and it never fails to delight. I wholeheartedly recommend "A Traveller in Rome" to anyone who is going to Rome, who ever went to Rome, who ever may go to Rome, who enjoys daydreaming about Rome, or who simply glories in elegantly-written non-fiction. I look forward to the day when Morton's splendid companion volume about Rome, "The Fountains of Rome," is back in print as well.

SHAMEFULLY OUT OF PRINT

There is a small, independent bookshop in New York dedicated to the Art of Travel. It is there that I've spent many happy hours looking through new and used books and maps- some treasures and some highly disposable.

One of the favorite places I've ever visited is Rome, Italy. And this book by H. V. Morton which is shamefully out of print, is positively the finest I've read on this forever changing, "eternal" city.

I'd never heard of Morton, but soon learned that in 1957, when this volume was published, he was "the most widely read living travel author." And now, according to research I've done online, every single one of his books is out of print. And he wrote quite a few: "A Stranger In Spain," "In Search Of London," "In The Steps Of St. Paul," et. al. Morton's method is simple and works perfectly: first a short history of Rome, then a diary-like collection of his thoughts and impressions. There are also several, wonderful photographs including a charming, color one of The Vatican's Swiss Guard---one man "at attention;" the other looking as if he had better things to do. Everything in the book is well-researched and very interestingly written, yet his description of the politics and history of The Vatican is especially fascinating, as is his description of Julius Caesar's final days. But the book is not all history. Not at all. We also read about the author's trip to an open market, Hadrian's Villa, and I particularly liked the passage about Rome in the rain, since when I was there, it rained every single day for twenty days. This is a book of fact that reads like a fine novel.

It is an absolute crime that Morton's books cannot be more easily purchased both for travellers and for people whose hobby is reading about travel. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.