Publisher's Synopsis
The history of Arsaces, Prince of Betlis By Charles Johnstone Recounting the eventful travels of Selim, an intrepid young Arab who runs away from his parental home to learn about the world, The History of Arsaces, Prince of Betlis (1774) by the County Limerick-born Charles Johnston (c.1719-c.1800) is an inventive mixture of fictional genres and styles: romance, satire, sentimental narrative, and oriental fantasy. The novel appeared at a politically charged moment, on the eve of America's Revolutionary War and in the aftermath of the Bengal famine of 1769-70, world events that were linked by the nefarious operations of the ubiquitous East India Company. These momentous occurrences, polarizing public opinion and stimulating Irish patriot sympathies in the mid-70s, provide the undercurrent to Johnston's thoughtful examination of war, commerce, and empire through the lens of a fictional 'history.' Enclosing a series of tales within tales, Johnston's oriental romance offers readers a remarkable concoction of Gulliver-inspired fantasy, political satire, and moral reflection, played out within an expansive historical and geographical setting. As the Monthly Review or Literary Journal commented on its first appearance in 1774, The History of Arsaces, Prince of Betlis provided 'striking intimations, of the utmost national importance, with respect to over-grown empire, and colony connexions We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.
