In the nineteenth-century, there was a great deal of interest in the lands of the Middle East. Much of the interest was motivated by a missionary concern to spread Christianity. However, there was also an interest based in the mysteries of the culture and daily life of the Middle East that were so foreign to the Western lifestyle. The latter concern, according to James Bassett, frequently resulted in descriptions of the Middle East that distorted reality. Thus, in the present work, Bassett attempts to provide a more balanced account of the Middle East and of the missionary efforts taking place there.