<i>East by West: a Journey in the Recess</i> is an account of British journalist Henry Lucy's travels across America and on to the Far East in 1883, within two or three decades of the American Civil War, the Indian Mutiny and the end of Japan's isolation from the western world. Lucy was one of the most influential journalists of his day and, as "Toby M.P.", a noted humorist in Punch magazine. His acute powers of observation and light touch make this a most engaging book. <br /><br /> This is the second of two volumes and covers his experiences in Japan, India and other parts of south-east Asia, returning home via Aden and the Suez Canal. The <a href="http://librivox.org/east-by-west-vol-i-by-henry-w-lucy/">first volume</a> included his travels in America and in Japan, including the Atlantic and Pacific crossings by steamer.<br /><br />Note: In Chapter 6, Lucy understandably, to a readership wholly unfamiliar with Japan, includes lengthy statistics about Japan's systems and economy. Whi
