In New York, reading Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War. The 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens was going down once again, and I was in the thick of it. The Athenians really knew how to snare their neighbors. Every city that got tangled in their web of envoys, treaties and federations, paid for it with total destruction. In the end Sparta won and Athens lost. All the scheming brought about nothing but their own demise.

In The Warriors Sol Yurick yanked the story from ancient Greece and Persia all the way to Central Park.

At the Strand I found the complete Arabian Nights - all sixteen volumes - translated and annotated by Richard Burton. I had to choose between starving for five days and leaving the books on the shelf. In a fit of self-preservation I chose the food, regretting it ever since.

When I arrived home the customs lady took one look at the ragged creature bent under a backpack and an enormous duffel bag. Half an hour later - after riffling through 60 kilos of books - she waved the creature on, knowing that she had failed in her duty. She still wakes up at night, trying to figure out what he was smuggling in those dusty tomes.