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Words of Mercury  By  cover art

Words of Mercury

By: Patrick Leigh Fermor, Artemis Cooper - editor, Rolf Potts - foreword
Narrated by: Christopher Oxford
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Publisher's summary

A career-spanning anthology from the greatest traveler - and travel writer - of the 20th century.

The adventures of Patrick "Paddy" Leigh Fermor, Britain's most beloved traveler, began in 1933, when he embarked on a walk from Holland to Constantinople - the entire length of Europe - at the tender age of 18. Sleeping in barns, monasteries, and, on occasion, aristocratic country houses, the young adventurer made way his through the Old World just as everything was about to change.

Words of Mercury collects pieces from every stage of Leigh Fermor's life, from his journey through Eastern Europe just before the outbreak of the Second World War - described in gorgeous, meditative detail - to his encounter with voodoo in Haiti, to a monastic retreat to Normandy to try to write a book. Also included is the story of one of his most well-known exploits from the war - his planned and executed kidnap of a German general under British orders. Ever the student, "Paddy" also wrote extensively on his encounters with polymaths, linguists, and artists all over the world.

Over the course of his illustrious lifetime, Leigh Fermor wrote several acclaimed travel books, countless essays, translations, and book reviews, many of which are compiled in this anthology. His unique experiences out in the world fed his insatiable curiosity and voracious appetite for scholarship. His tales, written in a singular, elegant style, have inspired generations of writers and continue to shape the language of travel.

©2003 The Estate of Patrick Leigh Fermor; Introduction and editorial matter Artemis Cooper 2003; Foreword 2014 by Skyhorse Publishing (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

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