Difficult and sometimes dangerous, American travel to the Middle East in the mid-19th century generated many descriptive diaries by a wide range of visitors during their pilgrimages. Many noted American writers were among these early travelers, including author and humorist Mark Twain (1835–1910), author of historical fiction J.W. DeForest (1826–1906), poet and editor-in-chief of the New York Evening Post William Cullen Bryant (1794–1878), and poet and travel author Bayard Taylor (1825–1878). Following are their reactions as they penned their first views of Jerusalem. Mark Twain At last, away in the middle of the day, ancient bits of wall and […]