The Rihla* of W P Fogg

My blog follows the journey of the 19th-century American traveller, W P Fogg, uncovering stories from his 1874 account (Rihla) of the Middle East (published in 1875) and earlier world travels (1871 - 72), as recorded in letters published in his hometown newspaper and, in 1872, in book form. I read between the lines and discover stories he missed or that have been ignored or forgotten over time. I dispel (or try to) a commonly held view that he was an inspiration for Jules Verne's Phileas Fogg.

Fogg gifted a copy of his book of letters and his 'Rihla' to an Englishman he met in Naples, whilst on his travels in 1874. My blog traces the history of the latter (including its writing) up to its sale at auction in 2006. While the location of the former is known, its history up to 1994 is unknown.

* Ibn Battuta was commanded to "dictate an account of the cities which he had seen in his travel, and of the interesting events which had clung to his memory, and that he should speak of those whom he had met, of the rulers of countries, of their distinguished men of learning, and of their pious saints."

[From the introduction to The Rihla, transcribed by Ibn Juzayy, 1354.]