• CAMEL - BELLS OF BAGHDAD By Janet Miller This well-written and
attractive book (Putnam, 10s. 6d.) is an account of a journey to Iraq and Persia undertaken purely for pleasure by an extremely gifted and sensitive observer, who does not lack the ability to make a serious political judge- ment. Dr. Miller is an American who on the last occasion that she was evicted from America by the migratory spirit came to London with the idea of proceeding thence to Abyssinia. In the British Museum, however, a purposeful attendant plied her with books about Baghdad, which proved so fascinating that her objective was altered. She went to Basrah as the only passenger in an underheated Merchant Marine ship, and from thence to Baghdad in an agonizingly overheated train. In Baghdad she equipped herself with a native costume, and set out to explore the city systematically. Her impres- sions are freshly and vividly recorded, and additional charm is lent to her narrative by skilful quotations from the writings of previous travellers. After visiting Babylon and Chaldea from Baghdad, she turned her back on Iraq and crossed the desert into Persia. Her study of Persia is on a larger scale, and this part of the book, in addition to descriptive passages as charming as those about Iraq, contains much that is to the point about the political development of the country. We can recommend this book with confidence to anyone interested in the Persian scene.
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