A Traveller in Rome [Paperback]

H.v. Morton (Author), H. V. Morton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 24, 2002 | Series: H.V. Morton

H.V. Morton's evocative account of his days in 1950s Rome—the fabled era of La Dolce Vita—remains an indispensable guide to what makes the Eternal City eternal. In his characteristic anecdotal style, Morton leads the reader on a well-informed and delightful journey around the city, from the Fontana di Trevi and the Colosseum to the Vatican Gardens loud with exquisite birdsong. He also takes time to consider such eternal topics as the idiosyncrasies of Italian drivers as well as the ominous possibilities behind an unusual absence of pigeons in the Piazza di San Pietro. As TourismWorld.com commented recently: "H.V. Morton.. . .wrote of Rome with style, involvement, and passion. His book In Search of Rome is perhaps the definitive guide book on the Eternal City."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Henry Vollam Morton was born in 1892 near Manchester, England. He became an international celebrity by scooping the world's press in the sensational discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb in the early 1920s. His newfound fame subsequently led to a series of extraordinarily popular vignettes on English city and country life, which went on to sell millions of copies worldwide. He died in South Africa in 1979 at the age of eighty-six.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (December 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306811316
• ISBN-13: 978-0306811319
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SHAMEFULLY OUT OF PRINT, May 14, 2001

By 

MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A traveller in Rome (Paperback)

There is a small, independent bookshop in New York dedicated to the Art of Travel. It is there that I've spent many happy hours looking through new and used books and maps- some treasures and some highly disposable.

One of the favorite places I've ever visited is Rome, Italy. And this book by H. V. Morton which is shamefully out of print, is positively the finest I've read on this forever changing, "eternal" city.

I'd never heard of Morton, but soon learned that in 1957, when this volume was published, he was "the most widely read living travel author." And now, according to research I've done online, every single one of his books is out of print. And he wrote quite a few: "A Stranger In Spain," "In Search Of London," "In The Steps Of St. Paul," et. al. Morton's method is simple and works perfectly: first a short history of Rome, then a diary-like collection of his thoughts and impressions. There are also several, wonderful photographs including a charming, color one of The Vatican's Swiss Guard---one man "at attention;" the other looking as if he had better things to do. Everything in the book is well-researched and very interestingly written, yet his description of the politics and history of The Vatican is especially fascinating, as is his description of Julius Caesar's final days. But the book is not all history. Not at all. We also read about the author's trip to an open market, Hadrian's Villa, and I particularly liked the passage about Rome in the rain, since when I was there, it rained every single day for twenty days. This is a book of fact that reads like a fine novel.

It is an absolute crime that Morton's books cannot be more easily purchased both for travellers and for people whose hobby is reading about travel. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Way, Way Beyond a Mere Travel Guide, March 15, 2004

By 

Born to Read - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Traveller in Rome (Paperback)

I am thrilled to see that "A Traveller in Rome" is back in print! (I have spent the past decade combing used book stores for books in H.V. Morton's several wonderful series -"A Traveller in...", "In Search of ...", "In the Steps of..." and others - and never pass up an opportunity to buy one when I find it.) Although published in 1957, "A Traveller to Rome" is as fresh as the day it was written (H.V.Morton was at his best when writing about Italy). The book is not a travel guide per se, but rather a sort of memoir of walks all around Rome into which Morton seamlessly weaves charming tales of his own experiences, his personal observations, and fascinating historical background. And what makes it all so delicious is Morton's elegant but unpedantic use of the English language. I have read this book half a dozen times, and it never fails to delight. I wholeheartedly recommend "A Traveller in Rome" to anyone who is going to Rome, who ever went to Rome, who ever may go to Rome, who enjoys daydreaming about Rome, or who simply glories in elegantly-written non-fiction. I look forward to the day when Morton's splendid companion volume about Rome, "The Fountains of Rome," is back in print as well.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superlative example of travel writing, April 17, 2005

By 

Stephen McHenry (Olney, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Traveller in Rome (Paperback)

Spending several months in Rome, living in several different locations to get a feel for the neighborhoods, the very observant Morton sets out his commentary and observations and amazement about a wonderful city over 2,000 years old. He weaves history in with the modern, and for someone who has been to Rome, the observations are spot on, even though they were written in the 1950s (his comment about Roman drivers is still very true today, absolutely on the mark, and poetic in his analysis). I read some of the book while I was in Rome; very much enjoyed reading it after I returned, and reread the parts I had read when there. This would also make a great book for an armchair traveler. This is travel writing at its very best.