Few places are as fascinating as Cuba, which has drawn travelers ever since it was "discovered" by Columbus in 1492. Magnificently evoking the romance and drama as well as darker episodes of slavery and tyranny, this book moves from the pirate days when Havana sheltered treasure ships to the "American era" when it became a glittering Mafia paradise.This unique, new anthology looks at Cuba through the eyes of diverse visitors, including literary luminaries such as Langston Hughes, Anais Nin, Arnold Samuelson, Maturin M. Ballou, William Cullen Bryant, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Frank Ragano and Selwyn Raab. Travelers' Tales satisfies the eternal thirst for stories about the Mafia and almost anything to do with Ernest Hemingway. It also sheds light on the longstanding love/hate relationship between Cuba and its great neighbor to the north. "I have been transported to Fairyland, I now live in an Enchanted Palace. All my sadness and apprehension fled the moment I caught sight of Havana."-Anais Nin"When first in the dim light of early morning I saw the shores of Cuba, I felt as if I sailed with Captain Silver and first gazed on Treasure Island."-Winston ChurchillJohn Jenkins is an established travel writer, editor, journalist and poet. He lives in Australia and teaches creative writing at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne University.