British Consul and antiquities-collector Thomas Sandwith's account of his two months travelling in Egypt provides a valuable new primary source on a dynamic period in Egyptian history.

His account of newly discovered sites and meetings with Egyptologists provide a new perspective on the burgeoning 'golden age' of Egyptology. His astute descriptions of his journey from Cairo to Aswan give a vivid new perspective of the growth of European tourism in British-occupied Egypt. Sandwith was a longtime resident of the Middle East and he also offers insights into the figures who administered the occupation.

His decades-long interest in archaeology and familiarity with the Levant mean this diary - until now on the long-hand pages as he wrote them on the boat - is thus unique among contemporary travel accounts, and a valuable primary source for scholars interested in the history of the British in the Middle East, the history of travel in the Middle East and the history of archaeology and Egyptology.