Letters from Turkey: 1939-1946

When Georgianna Maynard went to Turkey in 1939 with her husband, Dick Maynard, she expected romance but found reality. The expected five year stay was extended to seven with the outbreak of World War II. The day-to-day struggle to cope with life as a young, married couple trapped in a foreign country is reflected by Mrs. Maynard's correspondence home. These letters, from the Maynards' first seven years in Turkey, describe visits to several of the great cities of the Middle East, from Alexandria to Istanbul, while portraying the rigors of organizing and operating a high school and running a household - all against the backdrop of world war. Her experiences in Turkey kindled in Georgie an interest in the history of the Near East, which led her to serving as a docent of the Oriental Institute for almost twenty years.