To feel the warm sea breeze of the Aegean, the roll of the ship, to see the dancing waves foam at the prow, to live for a moment like a modern-day Ulysses, and to explore the deep mysteries of Greek culture, ancient, medieval and modern, or to bask in the glories of the Italian renaissance--all of these delights and many more await readers of Cosmopolite's Journey. The journey includes, in stark contrast, experiences in the Second World War, an interlude in colonial Africa, and even an escape from an earthquake. This is travel writing at its best, and the reader's experience is...