A Magician in Many Lands (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from A Magician in Many Lands'O for the touch o a vanished hand, and the sound of a voice that is still!' The poet's words come sadly to mind as I recall the genial personality of my old friend Charles Bertram, and take pen in hand to write a brief introduction to the record of his journey round the world: a record which, unhappily he himself was not destined to see in print, having in the meantime been summoned to make that last long journey from which no traveller returns.A book of travel, written by a keen observer, is always interesting. Charles Bertram was not only a keen observer, but enjoyed opportunities of observation denied to ninety-nine travellers out of a hundred. His exceptional skill in his fascinating craft, his popularity as a public entertainer, and his personal good-fellowship had made for him a host of friends, and probably no man ever started on a journey round the world more amply provided with letters of recommendation to the four quarters of the globe. And wherever the magic carpet set him down, he had the happy knack of making yet more and more friends: all eager to show him what was best worth seeing in his temporary halting-place.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.