William Gifford Palgrave (1826–1888)

The subtitle of the book is "A Personal Narrative of a Year's Journey, 1862-1863". It was published in two volumes and is considered one of the best travel books ever written. Palgrave became a Jesuit priest and was sent on missionary work to Arabia. He became fluent in Arabic and by assuming the disguise of a Syrian physician, he was able to travel and talk to people more easily and safely.