FROM THE PUBLISHER

What do you do when you find yourself imprisoned in your room for six weeks? Xavier de Maistre, a twenty–seven–year–old Frenchman, found himself in this uneasy situation in the spring of 1790 when he was arrested after a duel. WIth a Foreword by Alain de Botton.

Confined to his room for six weeks, and with only a butler and a dog for company, Xavier de Maistre managed to fill his time by embarking on a journey around his bedroom, later writing an account of what he had seen. Whether venturing from his bed to his sofa, or even to his mirror, he wears his “traveling outfit”: his favorite pink and blue pajamas. Out of his forced reclusion comes a captivating fantasy—a novel take on travel literature that would inspire many later writers, including Marcel Proust. This edition also contains de Maistre’s A Nocturnal Expedition around My Room. Xavier de Maistre (1763￯﾿ﾽ1852) was a military man, who supplemented his army career with short works of fiction.