Alexandria: The Quest for the Lost City
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- Create Date：2021-05-21 18:16:12
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- Author：Edmund Richardson
- ISBN：1526603810
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Summary
For centuries the city of Alexandria Beneath the Mountains was a meeting point of East and West。 Then it vanished。 In 1833 it was discovered in Afghanistan by the unlikeliest person imaginable: Charles Masson， deserter， traveller， pilgrim， doctor， archaeologist， spy， and eventually one of the most respected scholars in Asia， and the greatest of nineteenth-century travellers。
On the way into one of history's most extraordinary stories， he would take tea with kings， travel with holy men and become the master of a hundred disguises; he would see things no westerner had glimpsed before and few have glimpsed since。 He would spy for the East India Company and be suspected of spying for Russia at the same time， for this was the era of the Great Game， when imperial powers confronted each other in these staggeringly beautiful lands。 Masson discovered tens of thousands of pieces of Afghan history， including the 2，000 year old Bimaran golden casket， which has upon it the earliest known face of the Buddha。 He would be offered his own kingdom; he would change the world， and the world would destroy him。
This is a wild journey through nineteenth-century India and Afghanistan， with impeccably researched storytelling that shows us a world of espionage and dreamers， ne'er-do-wells and opportunists， extreme violence both personal and military， and boundless hope。 At the edge of empire， amid the deserts and the mountains， it is the story of an obsession passed down the centuries。
On the way into one of history's most extraordinary stories， he would take tea with kings， travel with holy men and become the master of a hundred disguises; he would see things no westerner had glimpsed before and few have glimpsed since。 He would spy for the East India Company and be suspected of spying for Russia at the same time， for this was the era of the Great Game， when imperial powers confronted each other in these staggeringly beautiful lands。 Masson discovered tens of thousands of pieces of Afghan history， including the 2，000 year old Bimaran golden casket， which has upon it the earliest known face of the Buddha。 He would be offered his own kingdom; he would change the world， and the world would destroy him。
This is a wild journey through nineteenth-century India and Afghanistan， with impeccably researched storytelling that shows us a world of espionage and dreamers， ne'er-do-wells and opportunists， extreme violence both personal and military， and boundless hope。 At the edge of empire， amid the deserts and the mountains， it is the story of an obsession passed down the centuries。
Reviews
Martin Drew
，
If this book was not written by a respected academic， you could be forgiven for thinking it was a rather over the top Boys Own adventure of the type written by G A Henty in the last years of the 19th century。 But this is， almost unbelievably， a true story – and one which needed to be told because it rescues from public anonymity Charles Masson， East India Company deserter， reluctant spy and a truly important self-taught archaeologist whose work in Afghanistan added immensely to our knowledge of If this book was not written by a respected academic， you could be forgiven for thinking it was a rather over the top Boys Own adventure of the type written by G A Henty in the last years of the 19th century。 But this is， almost unbelievably， a true story – and one which needed to be told because it rescues from public anonymity Charles Masson， East India Company deserter， reluctant spy and a truly important self-taught archaeologist whose work in Afghanistan added immensely to our knowledge of the history of that country。 Edmund Richardson is a very readable writer， not a dry academic。 In places you will laugh out loud， towards the end you might weep at the tragic stupidity of it all， but you will keep turning the pages because this is a really good story。 In some ways it reminded me of Richard Hall’s “Lovers on the Nile” in the way it sheds light on an almost forgotten person and reintroduces them to a wider public。 Masson deserves to be back in the public eye – he was a good archaeologist， sensitively excavating at a time when much archaeology was done with explosives。 Although only slightly educated he was highly intelligent and managed to decipher the ancient script of the region， Kharoshthi。 His finds， that included the Bimaran casket， he painstakingly catalogued。 Tragically his superiors didn't value him or his knowledge of the country， and at crucial moments disregarded him always with disastrous results。 Much of his work was lost and it has taken the British Museum years to catalogue his finds again。 This is a fascinating book about an extraordinary man， I am pleased I read it。 。。。more
Lucy-Bookworm
，
“This is the story of how James Lewis became Charles Masson。 It’s a pretty good story。 There’s only one problem: like many other stories about Charles Masson， it may not entirely be true。”This quote from the book really sums it up！ This is an astonishing story that starts in 1827 in India when Private James Lewis， a young soldier， walks out of his barracks towards a new life。 He has no plan， no money and no idea of what lies before him， he just knows that his bid to escape his childhood poverty “This is the story of how James Lewis became Charles Masson。 It’s a pretty good story。 There’s only one problem: like many other stories about Charles Masson， it may not entirely be true。”This quote from the book really sums it up！ This is an astonishing story that starts in 1827 in India when Private James Lewis， a young soldier， walks out of his barracks towards a new life。 He has no plan， no money and no idea of what lies before him， he just knows that his bid to escape his childhood poverty by enlisting in the Army had not worked。 Despite being acknowledged as bright & “promising”， he finds that he is just as poor as before （whilst the officers were ostentatiously showing off their wealth） and he wants more from life。 He gives himself a new name: Charles Masson， and with an interest in history gleaned from various books he read over the years， he embarks on a quest to discover one of the lost cities of Alexandria， originally built by Alexander the Great。 Masson travels through India， Persia， Afghanistan and the surrounding areas getting involved in all sorts of situations from spying to helping exiled kings reclaim their thrones。 Along the way， he finds evidence of a number of settlements along the “Silk Road” trading route， was probably the first European to see the ruins of the Bronze Age settlement at Harappa and also discovered the Buddhas at Bamiyan （sadly destroyed by the Taliban in 2001）。Eventually being funded & sort of employed by the British East India Company， Masson surveyed over 100 sites and uncovered thousands of coins， caskets， jewels and other artefacts of which over 9000 objects ended up in the British Museum – this was long before it was understood that such items shouldn’t really be removed from their country of origin – and his work significantly contributed to the development of knowledge about the history of this area。 It is a story that would be deemed “far fetched” or “improbable” if it were written as a novel， but the book has clear evidence of intense academic research and the author separates fact from fiction as much as possible （after all very little about Charles Masson is “true”） 。The unlikely story of Charles Masson is summed up in this quote from the book: “Masson had walked into Afghanistan as a wandering storyteller， but he walked out of it one of the most respected scholars in Asia”Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via NetGalley。 Whilst thanks go to the publisher for the opportunity to read it， all opinions are my own。#Alexandria #NetGalley 。。。more
jean
，
A wonderful tale of derring do and intrepid exploring， sadly also of British determination to force "uncivilised" countries to follow our way of life。The author pieces together the story of Charles Masson and his multiple personas with a real storyteller's gift and makes a complex historical period enjoyable to read。Thank you to netgalley and Bloomsbury publishing for an advance copy of this book A wonderful tale of derring do and intrepid exploring， sadly also of British determination to force "uncivilised" countries to follow our way of life。The author pieces together the story of Charles Masson and his multiple personas with a real storyteller's gift and makes a complex historical period enjoyable to read。Thank you to netgalley and Bloomsbury publishing for an advance copy of this book 。。。more
Allison Valentine
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What a wonderfully written novel from the nineteenth century going from England to India， Afghanistan and all inbetween。 When Charles Masson a normal working class boy signs up to the East India Shipping Company little did he know what was in store for him。After he deserted he was a wanted man but all he knew was that he had to follow in the footsteps of Alexandria and nothing would stop him。What Masson discovers along the way。。。。not just his own humanity but violence， intrigue， blackmail， murde What a wonderfully written novel from the nineteenth century going from England to India， Afghanistan and all inbetween。 When Charles Masson a normal working class boy signs up to the East India Shipping Company little did he know what was in store for him。After he deserted he was a wanted man but all he knew was that he had to follow in the footsteps of Alexandria and nothing would stop him。What Masson discovers along the way。。。。not just his own humanity but violence， intrigue， blackmail， murder and more。This is such a powerful and epic journey and adventure。 。。。more
Julie Friar
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It is 1833 and Charles Masson is searching for the lost city of Alexandria。Fascinating book about this man and his search。 Lots of hardships， violence but he carries on with hope to continue his search。
Annarella
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This is a history book but it kept me hooked and turning pages as it's gripping。The author is master storyteller and I was fascinated by the story of James Lewis aka Charles Masson。There's plenty to learn from this book: ancient civilizations， archelogical discoveries， travel。A lof of information， quotes from original documents but it never was dry or pedantic。i loved what I read and I think that the author did an excellent job。It's highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley f This is a history book but it kept me hooked and turning pages as it's gripping。The author is master storyteller and I was fascinated by the story of James Lewis aka Charles Masson。There's plenty to learn from this book: ancient civilizations， archelogical discoveries， travel。A lof of information， quotes from original documents but it never was dry or pedantic。i loved what I read and I think that the author did an excellent job。It's highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Sarah Hudson
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This was a fascinating biographical account of James Lewis， aka Charles Masson， whom we meet as he is deserting his post in the East India Trading Company in 1827。 What follows is a bizarre journey across Afghanistan， India， and Egypt as Masson becomes increasingly driven to discover one of Alexander the Great’s lost cities。 His transformation from wastrel to archaeologist is gripping， and reads like an adventure novel。This book is clearly meticulously researched and I found the dates， names， an This was a fascinating biographical account of James Lewis， aka Charles Masson， whom we meet as he is deserting his post in the East India Trading Company in 1827。 What follows is a bizarre journey across Afghanistan， India， and Egypt as Masson becomes increasingly driven to discover one of Alexander the Great’s lost cities。 His transformation from wastrel to archaeologist is gripping， and reads like an adventure novel。This book is clearly meticulously researched and I found the dates， names， and places， which come thick and fast at the start， a little overwhelming at first。 However， the storytelling is excellent and I found myself increasingly drawn to the story。 I would certainly recommend this book！My thanks to the author， NetGalley， and the publisher for the arc to review。 。。。more
Dawn
，
"Alexandria" is the absolutely astonishing story of Charles Masson。 A deserter from the British East India Company， Charles Masson had an incredible life and this book has been researched so well that I enjoyed every word。 The writing makes this book very easy to read， and I couldn't help but feel that the author was as astonished as me at some of the highlights of Masson's life。My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiase "Alexandria" is the absolutely astonishing story of Charles Masson。 A deserter from the British East India Company， Charles Masson had an incredible life and this book has been researched so well that I enjoyed every word。 The writing makes this book very easy to read， and I couldn't help but feel that the author was as astonished as me at some of the highlights of Masson's life。My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 。。。more
Sharyn
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Like several other reviewers I was surprised by the focus of this book as I was expecting Alexandria， Egypt。 But I enjoy nonfiction and was looking forward to reading about Mr Masson。。 Unfortunately the writing style didn't suit me and I didn't like what I read of Mr Masson and his adventures and deceits。 I skimmed quickly from about 20%。 The book is undoubtedly well researched so three stars for that。 With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review an e-ARC of Like several other reviewers I was surprised by the focus of this book as I was expecting Alexandria， Egypt。 But I enjoy nonfiction and was looking forward to reading about Mr Masson。。 Unfortunately the writing style didn't suit me and I didn't like what I read of Mr Masson and his adventures and deceits。 I skimmed quickly from about 20%。 The book is undoubtedly well researched so three stars for that。 With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review an e-ARC of this title。 。。。more
Harri
，
Alexandria: The Quest for the Lost City takes the reader on a journey through 19th century India and Afghanistan， following Charles Masson， a man with an obsession with Alexander the Great。 Masson spent much of his life searching for one of Alexander's lost cities， and in 1833 actually discovered some evidence of it。This book is engaging and interesting right from the very beginning。 The first chapter is told more like a story and is really descriptive。 It gets the feeling of time and place acro Alexandria: The Quest for the Lost City takes the reader on a journey through 19th century India and Afghanistan， following Charles Masson， a man with an obsession with Alexander the Great。 Masson spent much of his life searching for one of Alexander's lost cities， and in 1833 actually discovered some evidence of it。This book is engaging and interesting right from the very beginning。 The first chapter is told more like a story and is really descriptive。 It gets the feeling of time and place across really well， and I was instantly curious about Masson， and Afghanistan， and the adventurous life he lived。This book has clearly been extensively researched， with Richardson separating fact from fiction， an epic task when dealing with a man who was not entirely honest about his own life and background。 The book has plenty of diary and letter quotes， with perspectives from many of the people around Masson。 It really is a fascinating story。I had been expecting more about archeology and the city itself。 This book is more about Masson's own life story and the politics of 19th century Afghanistan。 It was not a topic I had read about before， but this book has made me want to learn more。 。。。more
Susan
，
This is a really amazing tale， which almost reads like something by Rudyard Kipling。 It begins like a novel – it is early morning in Agra， 1827， when a Private goes AWOL from the British East India Company’s regiment of the Bengal Artillery。 He had no plan， no money， not even a change of clothes。 However， having enlisted in the army to escape his poverty-stricken life in London， only to find that he was just as poor in India， he decided to reinvent himself。 How much of this initial story is trut This is a really amazing tale， which almost reads like something by Rudyard Kipling。 It begins like a novel – it is early morning in Agra， 1827， when a Private goes AWOL from the British East India Company’s regiment of the Bengal Artillery。 He had no plan， no money， not even a change of clothes。 However， having enlisted in the army to escape his poverty-stricken life in London， only to find that he was just as poor in India， he decided to reinvent himself。 How much of this initial story is truth and how much invention， is unclear。 However， the possibly named Private James Lewis， becomes Charles Masson and， along the way， transforms himself from a lowly soldier to an eminent archaeologist。 When he left the army， he was destitute and a deserter， who could have been killed， had he been found。 Instead， he embarks on a quest to discover the city of Alexandria。 Or， rather， one of the cities of Alexandria， as Alexander the Great was known to have built a dozen， or more， cities， with the same name throughout his Empire。 This book takes you through India， Afghanistan and even to Egypt。 We see Masson become involved with attempting to help exiled kings reclaim their thrones， reading his own obituary， suffer imprisonment and have endless adventures。 The author helps tie in Masson’s story with the history， and politics， of the time as well， so， overall， this is a very interesting read。 I did feel， at first， like I was reading a novel and the beginning of this book was very gripping， but really the pace does not drop。 A very interesting read about reinvention and obsession。 I received a copy of this book from the publisher， via NetGalley， for review。 。。。more
Carol Keogh （Goodfellow）
，
Well written and very well researched， this book offers great insight into the amazing history of Alexandria （all of them）。 I did not realise the complexity of discovering the many twists and turns in the history of this city。 Great storytelling。
Emma
，
The tale of 'Charles Masson'- deserter， traveller， spy， trickster- is one of those stories so outlandish and unlikely that it's hard to believe。 Yet， for all that this book is written with the flair of a good novel， Edmund Richardson has clearly researched his man well。 James Lewis turned Charles Masson is the focus， with the search for Alexandria forming part of his story， so it wasn't quite the book I was expecting。 Even so， the wealth of original material kept me reading， each piece adding to The tale of 'Charles Masson'- deserter， traveller， spy， trickster- is one of those stories so outlandish and unlikely that it's hard to believe。 Yet， for all that this book is written with the flair of a good novel， Edmund Richardson has clearly researched his man well。 James Lewis turned Charles Masson is the focus， with the search for Alexandria forming part of his story， so it wasn't quite the book I was expecting。 Even so， the wealth of original material kept me reading， each piece adding to a genuinely fascinating picture of life in 19th C Afghanistan。 ARC via Netgalley 。。。more
Lora Milton
，
Like a lot of history books， it starts out a little slow with a lot of fact dumping to put the reader into the picture of what it's all about。 At first I thought my expectation of a storytelling narrative might have been too high， but I'm interested in this area of history so I took the first chapter in small bites。 By halfway through that chapter， things started moving much faster and an interesting adventure was underway。Much of it follows the movements of James Lewis， who deserted from the Ea Like a lot of history books， it starts out a little slow with a lot of fact dumping to put the reader into the picture of what it's all about。 At first I thought my expectation of a storytelling narrative might have been too high， but I'm interested in this area of history so I took the first chapter in small bites。 By halfway through that chapter， things started moving much faster and an interesting adventure was underway。Much of it follows the movements of James Lewis， who deserted from the East India Company and changed his name to Charles Masson。 The book admits that many of the stories about Masson are unverifiable and probably exaggerated， but he had a talent for misrepresenting himself and discovered that the more fantastic his claims， the more people tended to believe them。 This saved his life and even got him good treatment in regions where an Englishman would normally fare badly， especially in his time。His adventures brought him to Pakistan and Afghanistan following the trail of Alexander the Great and the many 'cities' he founded and called Alexandria。 The familiar one in Egypt turns out to be one of many， though some of these 'cities' don't amount to much。His adventures and clashes with the East India Company make for interesting adventure reading， though at times it goes back to a slower narrative。 The pure audacity of Masson and his accomplishments is worth the effort。 。。。more
Yvonne
，
I am rather partial to picking up the odd history book and Alexandria appealed to me when I read the synopsis。 That first paragraph referring to a man who， I initially thought was a bit of a rogue， has quite a remarkable life。Charles Masson decided that he didn't want to be in the East India Company， years of bad pay， awful work and no chance of raising his position basically up and walks out。 Unbeknownst to him， this would be the start of a very remarkable life。 The author has got a wonderful w I am rather partial to picking up the odd history book and Alexandria appealed to me when I read the synopsis。 That first paragraph referring to a man who， I initially thought was a bit of a rogue， has quite a remarkable life。Charles Masson decided that he didn't want to be in the East India Company， years of bad pay， awful work and no chance of raising his position basically up and walks out。 Unbeknownst to him， this would be the start of a very remarkable life。 The author has got a wonderful way of approaching the story of Masson and has made it very addictive。 The story charts what is known of Masson， the people he met， the politics of the time as well as the East India Company。 There are loads of references and these have been listed at the end of the book so it makes it much easier reading。 I have to say that the author changed my opinion of Masson， originally I thought him a bit of a rogue， this then changed to him being a man obsessed with finding Alexandria beneath the mountains。 To finally feeling quite sorry for him。 His quest to find one of the cities called Alexandria becomes all-consuming。 He travels， talks to people， spends all his money and on occasion risks his life。 He is robbed beaten， imprisoned， starved and on the brink of death but still， his pursuit continued。 Yes， this is a non-fiction book， and yet it felt like a really fascinating action and adventure read。 This is very much down to the skill of the author as he has created such a readable historical account。 I adored reading this and it has also led me to a little of my own further reading about Masson and Alexander。One for history fans， such an informative book that was great reading。 One I would definitely recommend。 。。。more
Amanda
，
Riveting True AdventureDeserter Charles Masson learns of the lost city of Alexandria Beneath the Mountains and embarks on a quest across nineteenth-century India and Afghanistan in search of treasure， archaeology and derring-do。 Alexandria is an extraordinary tale worthy of Rudyard Kipling or H Rider Haggard。 At its heart is a mystery as much about Masson the master of disguise， as about Alexander the Great’s lost city。 This non-fiction is peopled by braggarts， warlords， thieves， kings， confide Riveting True AdventureDeserter Charles Masson learns of the lost city of Alexandria Beneath the Mountains and embarks on a quest across nineteenth-century India and Afghanistan in search of treasure， archaeology and derring-do。 Alexandria is an extraordinary tale worthy of Rudyard Kipling or H Rider Haggard。 At its heart is a mystery as much about Masson the master of disguise， as about Alexander the Great’s lost city。 This non-fiction is peopled by braggarts， warlords， thieves， kings， confidence-tricksters， spies and holy men。Richardson proves himself a masterful storyteller and researcher of the history， land and cultures on which the incredible character of Masson left his mark。 The author enriches the narrative with journal extracts and local proverbs。 His love of the subject shines through every paragraph， and fully captivates the reader。My thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC。A fascinating， rip-roaring page-turner from start to finish。 。。。more
Chelsea
，