The Jew, The Gypsy and El Islam

A collection of three ethnographic essays drawn from long-term travel and linguistic study that explore Jewish communities, Gypsy (Romani) groups, and Islamic belief and practice. The first essay sets out field observations made while resident in Damascus, describing social customs, religious observances, and controversial claims about ritual behavior that some contemporaries found sensitive. The second assembles decades of material on Romani origins and customs gathered across several continents, though planned additions were never completed. The final essay offers reflections on Islam informed by close acquaintance with Eastern societies. The work combines detailed ethnological description with polemical judgments, and an editor omitted a disputed appendix.