A Boswell of Baghdad; With Diversions by E. V. Lucas is a characteristically genial collection of essays and literary diversions by the prolific English author and essayist. Lucas was renowned for his light, urbane prose and his gift for wandering agreeably from one subject to another.
The title piece takes its inspiration from a chronicler of Baghdad, while the diversions range widely over books, places, people, and curiosities that caught the author’s fancy. Blending anecdote, history, and gentle reflection, the essays display Lucas’s wide reading and easy charm. There is no fixed argument so much as a pleasant ramble through the byways of literature and life. For admirers of the leisurely English essay tradition, the book offers congenial company and the relaxed wit of a master of the form.