Fifty-Three Years in Syria, Volume I

Henry Jessup left Boston in December, 1855, and joined the American Presbyterian Mission in Syria. In vividly descriptive prose these two volumes detail his memoirs of the country amongst the "the balmy breezes . its almond blossoms and wild flowers" - a complete contrast to "the bleak blasts of wintry Boston" which he had left behind. In attempting to bring "light into the dwellings," the Mission faced problems such as the strong Muslim suspicion of Christians, a hostile government and the corruption of the existing Christian sects. One of the author's strongest personal motivations was to educate and empower girls and women, whom he saw as oppressed by Islam. These volumes give us an unusual perspective on the history of Syria. Volume I covers the author's arrival and first impressions, moving on to discuss the translation of the first Arabic Bible and the founding of the Syrian Protestant College. Volume II continues with Jessup reflecting on his later years in the region at the end of the turn of the last century. It also includes detailed appendices on the history of the American Mission in Syria.