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Edward Lear in the Levant. Travels in Albania, Greece and Turkey in Europe, 1848–1849. Compiled and edited by Susan Hyman. pp. 168, front., map, illus. in col. and bl. & wh. London, John Murray, 1988. £15.95.

With this fact established, however, the publishers/translator felt that the work would be better presented if the portions originally suppressed in the book [edited by Rustum & Abu Chacra in 1955] for fear of causing offence to some Lebanese communities, were published. And published they were as they were deemed "most interesting" and of "the greatest historical value" (XVII Preface). Disagreeing with "the greatest historical value" claim, one has to admit that the work sometimes makes good reading, for Mishaqa is intelligent, knowledgeable and quite lucid in his narrative. He has a keen eye for details, and an ability to project trustworthiness and credibility. Devout Christian though he was, he would not hesitate to praise a merciful Muslim (p. 30) and express detestation and contempt towards an evil Christian (pp. 34-35). Nevertheless, the intrigues, treachery and greed of Bashlr II seem to be accepted by Mishaqa without any reference to his ethical yardstick; the yardstick he often uses to describe and assess the conduct of many other people. By far a more obvious flaw in Mishaqa's narration is his uncritical reliance on stories most probably told to him by people with special interests, including Emir Bashlr II. His two astounding accounts [suppressed in the edited work] regarding the Druze taqiyya (dissimulation) on Shaykh Najm Al-'Uqayll (pp. 43-5) and Shaykh Bashlr Jumblat (pp. 124-5), were most probably relayed to him by Emir Bashlr as he was the only witness in the first case, and one of two in the second. In addition, the status Mishaqa accords to Shaykh Najm does not seem to be universally recognized even by Druze chroniclers. Mishaqa's work is especially informative as regards the actions of regional and local governors and the notables they dealt with. On the other hand, it does not provide us with satisfying information on the social fabric of Mt. Lebanon, and of the growth of villages and towns; and what he does tell about clan factionalism and social classes is usually shallow and limited. His account of the events of 1840 and 1860 is typical of a Christian chronicler; like many of his contemporaries, he saw the whole tragic situation from their side of the fence. As said before, Mishaqa's book makes good reading if one does not mind vivid descriptions of atrocities and macabre punishments. But it is not for those who are interested in studying the history of Mt. Lebanon in a serious and critical manner.