Scottish explorer and author James Baillie Fraser (1783 1856) was already known for his narratives of travel in the East (his 1820 journal of a journey through the Himalayas being also reissued in this series) when in 1826 he published this account of his journey into the lesser known provinces of Persia. Though it includes an appendix containing information on geology and commerce, it dwells less on statistical and historical details than it does on the author's personal experiences and impressions. In his preface, Fraser summarily rejects factual material as 'insignificant', preferring to describe the manners of a people seldom encountered by Europeans. The work captures both the sights and sounds of bazaars and cities, and the characters of the people, from princes to peasant boys; and Fraser provides facts on topics ranging from rice cultivation to the architecture of ancient tombs and methods of cooling water.

Born to a Scottish father and an Indian mother, the military adventurer James Skinner (1778 1841) acquired wealth and fame in India for raising and leading regiments of irregular cavalry, aiding the British in their wars against the Marathas and Pindaris. Distinguished in battle and generous as a host and patron, Skinner was also fluent in Persian and highly regarded by his men and his superiors. Based on first-hand acquaintance and Skinner's own journal, this two-volume work, published in 1851 by the Scottish traveller and artist James Baillie Fraser (1783 1856), who aimed to represent Skinner 'such as he was in truth, a gallant soldier, a zealous officer, a steady friend, a worthy noble-minded man; and spite of his dark complexion, a true and loyal Briton'. Volume 1 sketches the historical background to Skinner's exploits, and includes his account of his activities up to 1804 and the Second Anglo-Maratha War.