To change the scenery; to leave London and England and to wander Europe like a simple vagabond or – in a more personal expression – like a poor pilgrim or wandering monk, a philosophical traveler, a solitary knight...

Patrick Leigh Fermor, at the age of 18, in 1933, instead of following the military career he was destined for, crosses the Channel and sets out to walk across Europe: his destination is Istanbul. Driven by his unquenchable curiosity about the world, he will achieve this mythical feat, going through trials and adventures.

The Time of Gifts, the thrilling chronicle of his youthful journey from the Netherlands to the Hungarian border, was awarded the W. H. Smith Literary Award in 1978 and has been described as one of the most beautiful travel books of the 20th century.

WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT THE BOOK

The chronicle of Fermor's wanderings in Europe is a literary treasure, a wonderful amalgamation of action and observation. Observer

Fermor writes with incomparable freshness and maturity. His youthful enthusiasm is transformed into a style that is simple, natural, free from all that is unnecessary. Le Figaro Litteraire