The 8.55 to Baghdad

The 8.55 to Baghdad

by Andrew Eames (Author)

Synopsis

Andrew Eames is an adventurous, insightful and sympathetic observer who sets out to travel from London to Baghdad by train, following the route of the old Orient Express. Interwoven through his own experience, with the colourful cast of characters he encounters en route, is an identical journey made by Agatha Christie in 1928, a journey which was to change her life completely and led to her spending 30 seasons on archaeological digs in the deserts of Syria and Iraq. As Eames' own journey progresses he begins to reveal details of that exotic second existence of the world's most widely read author. The modern journey from London to Baghdad by train is actually far harder to do today than it was in Agatha's day. Many of the countries Eames passes through, from the Balkans and into the Middle East, have had a particularly bad press in recent years, and yet the people the author meets are invariably delightful Eventually he arrives at the Iraqi border at the same time as the UN weapons inspectors, and thus was one of the last tourists to experience the reality of Saddam Hussein's regime. As the book approaches its final destination of Ur, one of the first cities mentioned in Genesis an

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 401
Edition: Numbered First Edition
Publisher: Ted Smart, London
Published: 05 Jul 2004

ISBN 10: 0593051696
ISBN 13: 9780593051696
Book Overview: A fascinating contemporary journey which reveals the secret life of the world's most widely read author.

Media Reviews
If there was ever a lesson in how to construct a travel book, this is it. Eames has the acute eye and polished pen of an outstanding observer. - Daily Telegraph Two terrific subjects . . . the surprisingly adventurous life of Agatha Christie and the major hotspots of current world politics. - Daily Mail From the Trade Paperback edition.
Author Bio
was born in 1958. His career in journalism started in south-east Asia, where he travelled and lived for two years. From there he returned to the UK to work first on specialist magazines and then in guide book publishing. Ten years ago he went freelance, and has been writing travel and general interest features mainly for national newspapers, such as THE TELEGRAPH and THE TIMES. He is the author of CROSSING THE SHADOW LINE, FOUR SCOTTISH JOURNEYS and BENN'S LONDON. He is married with two children.