A Hand Book, or Guide, for Strangers Visiting Malta

A Hand Book, Or Guide, For Strangers Visiting Malta by Thomas Macgill. This English-language travel manual from the mid-19th century blends historical chronology with topographical survey and practical guidance for visitors. It traces Malta's history from Phoenician and Greek rule through Carthaginian, Roman, Saracen, Norman, and Knights of St. John periods, then to the British era, and provides extensive chapters on Valletta's fortifications, palaces, churches, hospitals, auberges, markets, and harbours, as well as Floriana and the harbour towns. The work covers Malta's ports, climate, soil and agriculture, and crafts such as cotton production, spinning, embroidery, lace, and shipbuilding. It also preserves Maltese social life: weddings, festivals, and rural customs, drawing on observations of the peasantry and urban life. Additionally, it offers practical routes and sights for travelers, including journeys to Gozo and Comino, combining antiquarian lore with contemporary travel information to present a vivid portrait of Maltese history and daily life as seen by a mid-19th-century English observer.