The early modern era is often envisioned as one in which European genres, both narrative and visual, diverged indelibly from those of medieval times. This collection examines a disparate set of travel texts, dating from the thirteenth to the seventeenth centuries, to question that divergence and to assess the modes, themes, and ethnologies of travel writing. It demonstrates the enduring nature of the itinerary, the variant forms of witnessing (including imaginary maps), the crafting of sacred space as a cautionary tale, and the use of the travel narrative to represent the transformation of the authorial self. Focusing on European travelers to the expansive East, from the soft architecture of Timur's tent palaces in Samarqand to the ambiguities of sexual identity at the Mughul court, these essays reveal the possibilities for cultural translation as travelers of varying experience and attitude confront remote and foreign (or not so foreign) space.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Christmas in Those Days is a brief but unique study through the Christmas narratives in Luke 2 and Matthew 2. While walking you through the scriptures, Carroll brings out unusual historical facts, as well as the Jewishness of Jesus, changing the way you read the Christmas story. Was there a remnant who was looking for the Messiah when He came? What made the wise men travel so far to worship the Christ child? God was orchestrating the events of human history through certain places and people in order to bring the Savior into the world to fulfill the Hebrew prophecies concerning the first coming of the Messiah. Even though Jesus came into the world over 2,000 years ago, Carroll helps you to see that the Christmas message is timeless. **** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Carroll Roberson has been in full-time evangelism since 1985. He and his wife, Donna, host their own TV program, This Is Carroll Roberson, and have been traveling to Israel for over twenty years. Carroll has recorded over forty musical albums and authored seven other books: Matthew, the Hebrew Gospel Vol. 1-3; The Christ; Jesus and the Five Senses; How to Enjoy Jesus; and In the Fullness of Time. His real love over the years has been researching the Jewish roots of the scriptures and hosting tours to Israel. www.carrollroberson.com or www.jesusisrealtours.com