Nowadays, it’s possible to travel chiefly for recreation. Longer ago, however, travel had additional importance. The journals and observations of travelers of years past constitute an important, and sometimes unique source of information about a country’s historical situation. You will find ample evidence of this even in the first few pages of “Foreign Travelers in Greece, from A.D. 333 to A.D. 1821,” by Kyriakos Simopoulos. The detailed and often remarkable descriptions left by travelers over the years are surprising. In this worthy volume, you will encounter many stories about pirates, sea battles, treasure hunting, and unexpected...