Such is the vitality and sparkle of Márton Szepsi Csombor's intensely personal narrative that even now the first Hungarina travelogue still holds a strong appeal for the modern reader, and the success that greeted its publication four hundred years ago comes as no surprise. Here too, in the first complete translation of the work into English, the youthful author stands out as a vibrant, energetic personality, a shrewd observer and commentator with a lively interest in the variety of the places that he visits and the people that he meets. His intention of sharing his experiences with his compatriots was amply achieved, and it is much to be regretted that in 1622, at the age of only twenty-seven, the plague deprived him of further opportunities for travel and us of the chance to read about them.