The Travels Of Pietro Della Valle In India: From The Old English Translation Of 1664

A few words may not be out of place regarding the circumstances under which the preparation of this edition of the letters from India of P. della Valle was entrusted to the present editor. Some years ago a translation of these letters was made by Professor E. Rehatsek of Bombay University, apparently in ignorance of the fact that an English translation of the letters was already in existence. The Professor, being unwilling to undertake the task of annotating the translation made by him, sent it to the Hakluyt society, in the hope that the work might be published by that society. From the Old English Translation of 1664, a member of a noble Roman family, Pietro della Valle began travelling in 1614 at the suggestion of a doctor, as an alternative to suicide after a failed love affair. The letters describing his travels in Turkey, Persia and India were addressed to this advisor. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.