Nightingale, well known for her dedication to and reform of nursing, was also a prolific letter writer. In November 1849 she spent five months sailing from Alexandria to Abu Simbel and back. On that journey she wrote many letters to her family in England, vividly and in great detail describing the ruins, the environment, the lives of the people, and the politics of Egypt. The letters were "circulated" by her sister in 1854 and are now published for the first time. Many sketches and colored paintings of 19th-century Egypt appropriately illustrate the narrative. A visually and intellectually satisfying book recommended to academic and large public libraries. Kathleen Farago, Lakewood P.L., Ohio Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
