Edward Forster’s bookAlexandria: History and Guide (1922)’, imbued with a deep love for the city in which the British writer lived during the First World War. Forster translated this love into two works: those mentioned above, and a collection of city sketches, Pharos and Farelon.
Although the millions of tourists who visit Egypt each year are often seen wandering around the main sites, clutching a guidebook or browsing online guides, few are familiar with Forster’s Guide to Alexandria.
However, these guidebooks, usually published by large travel guide companies such as Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, or Le Routard, stand in stark contrast to the approach taken by Forster. By seeing Alexandria through its rich past, Forster saw the city as one of lost memory, classes and civilizations.
While the modern guide includes sections on the history, culture, and politics of the country or city in question, Forster’s focus on the cultural depth of Alexandria, coupled with his informative guide, provides a refreshing view of the Egyptian guide.
Born in London in 1879, Forster studied history and classics at Cambridge University before pursuing what would become one of the most famous careers in twentieth-century British writing.
Before publishing his Guide to Alexandria, Forster had already enjoyed popular and critical support for his work, from his first novel “Where angels fear to tread(1905), to his most famous works,Room with view“(1908) and”Howard End(1910).
Forster was a humanitarianHe placed human relations and individual dignity at the center of his work, supporting empathy and interpersonal connection across social, cultural and political divides.
Forster, a conscientious objector in World War I, refused military service in the British Army, choosing instead to work for the British Red Cross stationed in Alexandria. In Egypt, the writer met several other artists, most notably the poet Constantine Cavafy.
Of Greek descent, and though born and raised in Alexandria, Cavafy embodied Alexandria’s appeal to Forster as a cosmopolitan and cultural center. Interestingly, Forster included in his guide Cavafy’s poem “God abandons Anthony(1911), translated into English by George Valasopoulou, another resident of Alexandria.
Forster’s cultural focus in his guide, even when published, was uncommon. It appeared in the 1830sthe modern guide aims to provide travelers with all the necessary information for a trip abroad. This evidence was objective and impersonal, different from the more sentimental travel literature of the early nineteenth century.
Pioneered by the Scots John Murray PublishingMurray’s series of travellers’ pamphlets, A Travelers’ Guide to Egypt, was published in 1847, by John Gardner Wilkinson, the British Egyptologist.
This neutral style of guidebooks became widespread in the second half of the twentieth century, with publishers such as Lonely planet, Raw evidence, Brandtand Le Jade de Rotard (Backpacker’s Guide) is a huge success. yet, According to The Independent newspaperIn the United Kingdom, sales of guidebooks are back on the rise after the COVID-19 crisis, despite the popularity of online guides.
Three of these publishers, with the exception of Brandt, continue to update their Egypt guides, and all are releasing new editions in 2025.
As with the first books published by John Murray, these guides prioritize practical information, helping travelers navigate hotels, restaurants, beaches and attractions.
For example, in The Rough Guide to Egyptpublished in June of 2025, and its entry on Alexandria begins: “Alexandria (AlexandriaIt was Egypt’s capital for nearly a thousand years before fading into oblivion, only to be reborn in modern times as a European-themed city.
The guide follows this introduction with a “brief history” of Alexandria, extending about two pages. When you click the ‘Alexandria’ button, the Alexandria section includes a short half-page explanatory box about ‘Alexandria in Literature’. Here Forster is mentioned, along with Cavafy, Lawrence Durrell, the British novelist and poet, and Miramar by Naguib Mahfouz.
Later commentators in the same section quickly explore the Museion, the Pharos (the Lighthouse of ancient Alexandria), the Ancient Library, and the Hypatia of Alexandria. However, these descriptions have drowned out Alexandria’s locations, restaurants and bars.
Forster takes a different approach. The first half of his guide deals with the history of Alexandria, beginning with Alexander the Great, then moving to sections on Ptolemaic literature and science, the Greco-Egyptian, and Christian periods.
Throughout his history, Forster draws attention to the importance of Alexandria’s culture as an essential element in understanding the city’s past. He saw that Alexandria’s history and identity could not be separated from the literature that shaped and recorded it. Rather, the author included long sections on Alexandrian philosophy and theology, presenting the theory of Alexandrian Jewish, Christian, and Neo-Platonist thinkers.
Through his use of references and footnotes, Forster integrates history and evidence, enabling the reader to return to the book to find more details about a particular site. At the beginning of his guide, Forster wrote: “The main interest of the book depends on these references.”
“Alexandria: A History and Guide” remains to this day a reminder that a deeper understanding of Egypt’s rich culture may enrich the tourist’s experience, not only in Alexandria, but throughout the country.
