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BOTTIGELLA, Giovanni Matteo; & Roberto Sanseverino.
Viaggio in Terra Santa. 1459
£475,000
EXCEPTIONALLY IMPORTANT ITALIAN/LOMBARD LANGUAGE MANUSCRIPT of a little-known pilgrimage to the Holy Land made from Venice to Jaffa by sea in 1458-9, containing "the most...
Quarto (220 × 155 mm), 133 unnumbered leaves written in a professional scribal hand in ink, about 29 lines per page on lined vellum, with contemporary annotations... Read more
ROBERTS, David.
Egypt & Nubia, from Drawings Made on the Spot … 1846–49
£165,000
First edition in the preferred deluxe coloured format of "one of the most important and elaborate ventures of nineteenth-century publishing, and it was the apotheosis of the tinted...
3 volumes, large folio (595 × 430 mm). Contemporary blue hard-grain half morocco on matching pebble-grained cloth, title gilt to spines, spines gilt in... Read more
HURGRONJE, Christiaan Snouck.
Mekka. 1888-9
£30,000
First edition, complete with its atlas of plates, of this historically important, and highly influential study of Islam's most holy city. Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje (1857-1936), a...
3 volumes: 2 text volumes large octavo (244 × 161 mm); folio atlas volume (363 × 285 mm). Text volumes in contemporary tan hard-grain half morocco, green and... Read more
CORYATE, Thomas.
Coryates Crudities Hastily gobled up in five Moneths travells in France, Savoy, Italy ... 1611
£20,000
First edition. Coryate's eccentric account of his peregrinations on foot through Europe in 1608. A "there and back again" to Venice, Coryate ended his journey by literally hanging up...
4to (8 1/2 x 6 in.; 216 x 152 mm). [472] leaves (collation precisely as in Pforzheimer) including engraved title-page, 4 engraved plates (2 folding), engraved text... Read more
RICHIE, Robert Yarnall.
Photographic album prepared for special presentation by the photographer 1945
£17,500
Presentation album of exhibition-quality photographs compiled by the photographer and bound for him in lavish morocco and gilt. An exceptional album of images made by the...
Folio. 30 original photographic prints each 340 × 270 mm in size, guard mounted and bound for presentation in original full green morocco, gilt map of Saudi... Read more
RAUNKIAER, Barclay.
Through Wahabiland on Camel-back: an Account of a Journey of Exploration in Eastern and Central Arabia. 1916
£16,000
First edition in English - translated by E.T. Leeds, archæologist, Assistant to the Keeper of the Ashmolean, and friend of T.E. Lawrence - "made for the Admiralty War Staff and...
Octavo. Original pale tan cloth, lettered in black to the upper board, panels in blind to both boards, grey endpapers. Boards very slightly finger-soiled, endpapers a... Read more
TAVERNIER, Jean Baptiste.
Les Six Voyages de Jean Baptiste Tavernier … en Turque, en Perse, et aux Indes. Pendant l'espace de quarante ans … 1679
£10,000
The first small format edition, following the quarto firsts of Les Six Voyages (1676) and Recueil (1678). Beautifully presented set of this highly desirable edition of the voyages of...
3 volumes, duodecimo (153 × 92 mm). Late eighteenth-century crimson straight-grained morocco, title gilt direct to the spine, flat bands, triple fillet gilt... Read more
LE BRUYN, Cornelius.
Voyages de Corneille Le Brun Par La Moscovie, en Perse, et aux Indes Orientales. 1718
£10,000
First French edition of one of the principal accounts of Russia published during the eigteenteenth century, originally published in Dutch, Amsterdam 1711. Cornelis de Bruyn, the...
2 volumes folio (330 × 206 mm). Contemporary sprinkled calf, skilfully rebacked with the original spines laid down, new red and green labels, spines gilt in... Read more
![[Oriental romances; a collection of his fictional works in first edition.]](/content/store/products/1658/2/2863.jpg)
(ARABIAN LITERATURE) MORIER, Sir James Justinian.
[Oriental romances; a collection of his fictional works in first edition.] 1824–47
£9,750
First editions of all nine works, including four presentation copies from the author, most inscribed "From the Author" at the head of title, but the sixth inscribed to Sir Robert...
9 works in 24 volumes. Bound in handsome uniform mottled calf by Rivière & Son, boards with small Greek key border in gilt, spines gilt in compartments with red... Read more
BURTON, Richard F.
Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to El-Medinah and Meccah. 1855–6
£9,750
First Edition. Forbidden to non-Muslims, less than half a dozen Europeans were known to have made the hajj, or pilgrimage, to the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina and lived,...
3 volumes, octavo, original dark blue cloth, title gilt to spines, decoration to the spines and decorative panels to the boards in black, terracotta endpapers. With... Read more
MAYER, Luigi.
Vues En Égypte, 1802
£8,500
The aquatint plates, engraved by and under the direction of Thomas Milton after original drawings by Luigi Mayer, include views of the Egyptian pyramids at Gizah, the Clossal Sphinx,...
3 volumes in one. Folio, with 96 hand coloured aquatints (48 in vol.I; 24 in vol.II; 24 in vol. III), pp. 109; 40; 47. 19th-century binding of half blue calf, gilt... Read more
STRUYS, Jan Janzoon [with Olfert Dapper].
The Perillous and most Unhappy Voyages of John Struys, through Italy, Greece, Lifeland, Moscovia, Tartary, Media, Persia, East-India, Japan and other Places … 1683
£8,500
First English edition, having first been published in Amsterdam in 1676, before becoming a Europe-wide best-seller. Purporting to be an account of the travels of a Dutch sail-maker...
Quarto (222 ×168 mm) Contemporary sprinkled calf, double fillet panel in blind to the boards, and a similar foliate roll to the joints. Engraved pictorial... Read more
ROBERTS, David.
The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, & Nubia. 1855
£7,500
New edition, in smaller format, of the two great three-volume works collectively known as Roberts's Holy Land. Roberts was the first independent, professional British artist to...
6 volumes in 3, quarto (294 × 209 mm). Contemporary full calf, bevelled boards, red morocco title-pieces, bottle-green morocco numbering pieces, raised bands,... Read more
FRITH, Francis.
Sinai and Palestine. [1863]
£5,000
Volume I of the second, enlarged edition of the work originally published in two volumes in 1859. "The prints in this edition are of a much stronger quality than those in the first...
Folio. Original half tan morocco, red cloth sides, titles to spine gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Mount albumen print to half title and 36 larger albumen... Read more
(BAHRAIN PETROLEUM COMPANY)
Collection of original photographs commissioned for the BAPCO in-house magazine, The Bahrain Islander. 1954-6
£4,750
An unusual collection of original photographs illustrating the oil industry in Bahrain, together with a group of internal company documents, providing news, history and an overview...
18 original silver-print "8 by 10" press photographs (257 × 204 mm, or the reverse), one a duplicate, carbon-copy, typescript caption texts mounted versos;... Read more
COUSIN, Louis.
Histoire de Constantinople depuis le regne de l'ancien Justin, jusqu'à la fin de l'Empire. 1672–74
£4,500
First edition, a fine set of this abridged French translation of the Greek Corpus Byzantinae Historiae, by the French scholar Louis Cousin (1627–1707). The work was a...
8 vols., quarto (238 × 180 mm). Near-contemporary dark blue morocco, covers with triple fillet border in blind, spines in six compartments with raised bands,... Read more
RUSCHENBERGER, William Samual Waithman.
A Voyage round the World; including an Embassy to Muscat and Siam, in 1835, 1836, and 1837. 1838 & 1837
£4,500
First editions. Individually uncommon, perhaps Ruschenberger the more so, and together here offering a very full record of important early American trade negotiations in the Middle...
2 volumes octavo (220 × 134 mm; 215 × 138 mm). Uniformly bound in black half morocco on marbled boards, title gilt to spine, flat bands sparingly tooled,... Read more
LAWRENCE, T. E.
The Diary of T. E. Lawrence MCMXI. 1937
£4,000
First edition, no. 53 of 203 copies, "150 only are for sale", this one of 40 on Medway Paper; the binding is as described by O'Brien for the "one of 30" copies. "After graduating...
Quarto (295 × 235 mm). Original full vellum, title gilt to upper board and spine, Corvinus crow gilt to lower board, ivory silk ties, in plain card cloth slipcase... Read more
CUREAU DE LA CHAMBRE, Marin.
Discours sur les Causes du Débordement du Nil. 1665
£4,000
First Edition, for the first time published separately, previously included in his Pensées of 1634 and 1662, uncommon, just six copies on OCLC, only three of them in the US....
Quarto (252 × 183 mm). Contemporary full calf, raised bands to the spine, compartments gilt with floral lozenges within double ruled panels, presentation gilt... Read more
NIEBUHR, Carsten.
Beschreibung von Arabien. 1772
£3,750
First edition. Niebuhr trained as a surveyor in order to support himself into his majority, then receiving a small inheritance. He next studied mathematics at Göttingen before...
Quarto (249 × 186 mm). Modern pale tan half morocco on marbled boards, darker tan label to spine, floral devices gilt in compartments, red edge-stain. Title page... Read more
MAYER, Luigi.
Views in Egypt, from the Original Drawings in the Possession of Sir Robert Ainslie, 1801
£3,500
First edition, plates watermarked 1794 and 1801; originally issued in 12 parts. Of German-Italian origins, Luigi Mayer studied with Piranesi in Rome, and was later in the service of...
Folio (463 × 320 mm) Contemporary streaked calf, gilt panelling to the boards, neatly rebacked, marbled edges and endpapers. 48 hand-coloured aquatints.... Read more
VALENTIA, George Annesley, Viscount.
Voyages and Travels 1809
£3,500
First edition, one of 50 large paper copies. "This work contains much information of a novel and important kind... It was read through the press by Mr. Salt, who was Secretary and...
3 volumes, quarto (300 × 238 mm) original boards with near contemporary sheep reback, red morocco labels to the spines. Half-titles, 3 engraved vignette... Read more
CHARDIN, Sir John.
The Travels ... into Persia and the East-Indies. 1686
£3,500
First edition in English. Chardin was a dealer in jewels who first travelled to the East in 1665; his most important voyage was made in 1671 and he travelled by a different route...
Folio (313 × 195 mm). Contemporary dark calf, rebacked with original spine laid down, red morocco label, further repairs to top edge of front board and corners.... Read more
DAPPER, Olfert.
Naukeurige beschryving van gantsch Syrie, en Palestyn of Heilige Lant. 1677
£3,500
First edition. Dr Olfert Dapper (1636–1688), physician, geographical and historical scholar, was the author of a series of works dealing with Africa, America and Asia; these...
Folio, in two parts. Contemporary mottled calf neatly rebacked, two-line gilt border to edges, all edges speckled red. First title page printed in red and black, with... Read more
DOUGHTY, Charles M.
Travels in Arabia Deserta. 1921
£3,500
First published in 1888, this is the second edition, the first with Doughty's new preface, and Lawrence's introduction, one of 500 copies only. "Travels in Arabia Deserta, on which...
2 volumes octavo (219 × 140 mm). Handsomely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in dark green full morocco, title gilt to the spines, raised bands with dotted roll,... Read more
