Mari-Henri Beyle (1783-1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal, is one of the foremost Romantic novelists. His masterpieces include The Red and the Black and The Charterhouse of Parma.

Published posthumously in 1930, Stendhal's travel notes on his 1838 journey to southern France contain descriptions of cities such as Bordeaux, Toulouse and Marseilles, peppered with numerous personal digressions, anecdotes and cultural musings. Both an addition to the Stendhalian canon and a pioneering work of the travel-writing genre, Travels in the South of France provides an illuminating perspective on this popular region and the phenomenon of tourism in general.

Part travelogue, part guidebook, part journal intime, Stendhal's observations are fresh and engaging, and make a welcome reappearance in this pleasantly produced and illustrated translation by Elisabeth Abbott.