You might believe yourself, at sight of this Muscovite architecture, in some chimerical Asiatic city-you could easily take the cathedrals for mosques, the belfries for minarets; but the rational fa ade of the new palace would bring you back to the very heart of the West and of civilization; a sad thing for a romantic savage like myself -from "The Marvelous Treasures of the New Palace," by Theophile Gautier From the era from a trip to the Continent was rarer but more deeply appreciated comes an enchanting literary travelogue assembled from the hearts and minds of some of the greatest wordsmiths in the English language. A Grand Tour in 10 volumes, these delightful volumes, first published in 1914, gather little-seen essays from famous erudite explorers in compact collections that will inspire those who've never been abroad to make the journey, and move those who have to pack their bags again. Volume X explores Russia, Scandinavia, and the Southeast, viewed through the eyes and prose of a panoply of extraordinary writers: Mary Wollstonecraft travels the coast from Sweden to Norway, Edward Gibbon visits St. Sophia, Bayard Taylor offers a panoramic view of Moscow, and much more by such notable voices as Augustus J.C. Hare, Sir Henry Norman, Robert Bremner, and others. (This volume also features a complete index to the 10-book set.) Beautifully illustrated with charming photographs, it is a work to treasure... and to take along on your next trip. OF INTEREST TO: armchair travelers, readers of classic literature American journalist and historian FRANCIS WHITING HALSEY (1851-1919) was literary editor of The New York Times from 1892 through 1896. He wrote and lectured extensively on history, and also edited the two-volume Great Epochs in American History Described by Famous Writers, From Columbus to Roosevelt (1912).