'Paddy's portrayal of the islands could be said to have jump-started the tourism industry upon which the Caribbean has since largely depended' -- Geographical Magazine 20040101 'Bringing the landscape alive as no other writer can, he uses his profound and eclectic understanding of cultures and peoples ... to paint vivid pictures - nobody has illuminated the geography of Europe better' -- Geographical Magazine 20040801 'Being a natural romantic ! he was able to probe the hidden recesses of this mixed civilisation and to present us with a picture of the Indies more penetrating and original than any that has been presented before' -- Harold Nicolson, The Observer 'He is the ideal traveller, inquisitive, humorous and vivid in depicting' -- Sunday Times 'John Murray is doing the decent thing and reissuing all of Leigh Fermor's main books ... But what else would you expect from a publisher whose commitment to geography is such that for more than two centuries it has widened our understanding of the world?' -- Geographical Magazine 20040801 'A substantial and fascinating work, with the adventurer's signature across every page' -- Daily Mail 20040801 'No-one has captured and evoked the extraordinary differences between the islands better' -- Geographical Magazine 20040801 'Amusing, knowledgeable, and percipient, it is everything a travel book should be.' -- The Good Book Guide 20050101

After his famous walk across Europe - recounted in A Time of Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water - Patrick Leigh Fermor lived and travelled in the Balkans and the Greek Archipelago. In the Second World War he joined the Irish Guards, became a liaison officer in Albania and fought in Greece and Crete - living disguised as a shepherd in the mountains for two years organising resistance activities. He was awarded the DSO and CBE, and a knighthood in the 2004 new Year Honours List. His writing career, spanning over fifty years, includes six other titles available in John Murray paperback.