"‘Take my camel, dear,’ said my aunt Dot." So begins Rose Macaulay’s greatest novel. Traveling overland from Istanbul to legendary Trebizond, the narrator and her companions have a series of hilarious encounters with potion-dealing sorcerers, recalcitrant policemen, and an ever-appearing busload of southern evangelists. But though the dominant note of this very unusual novel is humorous, the import is often tragic — as along the way the narrator confronts the specter of ancient empires, religious doubt, and individual heartbreak. This award-winning book is fine, funny, and unique travel adventure.