The Towers of Trebizond

First published in 1956, this novel is narrated by Laurie, who travels from England toward Turkey with her eccentric Aunt Dot and the High Anglican Father Chantry-Pigg, ostensibly to improve the lot of women and to scout a mission. Camels, a secret consignment, and the ruins of Trebizond on the Black Sea frame a comic travel story that turns on faith, adultery, and what cannot be said in church. The tone mixes guidebook observation and confession. The book is a mid-century travel novel of conscience, not a history of the Empire of Trebizond.

Bound in bright blue cloth, cover blocked with a black and gold picture. Pale blue endpapers. Mid-blue slipcase.