‎Golf‎

‎[Aramco].‎

‎Aramco World. Vol. 21 no. 2: March-April 1970. New York, Aramco, 1970.‎

‎4to. 32 pp. Illustrated wrappers. The Arabic Superman issue of the Aramco World Magazine, with a charming illustration of Superman on the front and Batman and Robin on the back. An included article explains the history of these Arabic counterparts of these American superheroes. In 1964 the Arabic Superman was introduced into the Middle East operating under the guise of Nabil Fawzi instead of Clark Kent, followed a year later by Sobhi (Batman) and Zakkour (Robin). The comics of course read from right to left, as does the "S" on the costume of Superman. The article seems to be an important source on these Arabic comics. Other articles cover David Roberts, Cotton Castle, the history of Aramco and the journey of father Abd al-Masih. - A fine copy.‎

‎[Aramco].‎

‎Dhahran. Scale 1:500,000. Dhahran, Aramco, 1954.‎

‎985 x 645 mm. Scale 1:500,000. Key in English. Printed on cloth. Blueprint map of the Gulf, showing Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and parts of Qatar. The map pays particular interest to oil and gas exploration, detailing the Trans-Arabian Pipeline, the old tapline survey route, and the offshore terminal and refinery at Ras Tanura, as well as the Jafurah basin, the largest natural gas field in the Kingdom stretching 170 by 100 kilometers. - Among the most notable places are Hofuf, Dhahran, and Abqaiq in Saudi Arabia, as well as Manama, Awali, and al-Muharraq in Bahrain. Labelled locations in the displayed portion of Qatar's coast include Hawar Island, Dukhan and Salwa. The map illustrates trails, roads, and airstrips, as well as topographical features such as dunes, sand and gravel patches, and sabkhas. - The sheet was prepared as a working document by Aramco and the U.S. Geological Survey to help them in the early stages of comprehensive nationwide mapping and exploration work for the Saudi Government. First published in May 1953, the present map was revised in February 1954. - Two minor brown spots; upper left edge a little toned and frayed.‎

‎[Aramco].‎

‎Saudi Arabian road map. Dammam, Altraiki Printing Press, 1978.‎

‎Large folding map (60 x 90.5 cm), printed in colour, depicting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its main roads. With the title in both Arabic and English and a table with the distances from one city to another. Printed on two sides, one side with the map in English and the other in Arabic. Bilingual road map of the Arabian Peninsula for Aramco employees. Focusing on Saudi Arabia, the map shows the main roads as well as surfaced roads, trails, roads under construction and even proposed roads. A list titled "hints for survival" mentions straightforward traffic rules such as "come to a complete stop at stop signs and observe stop-and-go signals" and "observe speed laws in the community where you live as well as on the highway". The headline makes readers fear the worst for Saudi Arabian traffic of this period. The Arabic side of the map contains the same "hints" as well as a list of road signs in Arabic and English. A table lists the distance in kilometres from several towns and cities to some of the major cities: Buraidah, Dhahran, Dammam, Hofuf, Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, Riyadh and Ta'if. - In very good condition.‎

‎[Aramco].‎

‎Saudi Arabian road map. Dammam, printed by the Al-Mutawa Press for the Arabian American Oil Company, 1975.‎

‎Large folding map (60 x 90.5 cm), printed in colour, depicting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its main roads. With on the right the title in both Arabic and English and a table with the distances from one city to another. Printed on two sides, one side with the map in English and the other in Arabic. Bilingual road map of the Arabian Peninsula for Aramco employees. Focused on Saudi Arabia, the map shows the main roads, as well as surfaced roads, trails, roads under constructions and even proposed roads. A list titled "hints for survival" mentions extremely logical traffic rules such as "come to a complete stop at stop signs and observe stop-and-go signals" and "observe speed laws in the community where you live as well as on the highway". Placing common traffic rules under the header "hints for survival" makes one fear the worst for Saudi Arabian traffic in this period. The Arabic side of the map contains the same "hints" as well as a list of road signs in Arabic and English. A table lists the distance in kilometres from several towns and cities to some of the major cities: Buraidah, Dhahran, Dammam, Hofuf, Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, Riyadh and Ta'if. - In very good condition.‎

‎[Aramco].‎

‎You Discover Saudi Arabia. New York, Arabian American Oil Co. / You Discover, Inc., 1969-1972.‎

‎Educational material on Saudi Arabia, comprising 1 book, 1 Arabian flag, 2 Arabian coins, 2 Arabian stamps, 1 string of worry beads, 24 study posters (17" x 22") and 1 study guide in a cardboard container (33 x 27 x 4.5 cms). Book: Theodore O. Phillips. Getting to Know Saudi Arabia. Illustrated by Haris Petie. NY, Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc., 1963, 8th impression, revised 1972. 8vo. 64 pp. Original illustrated wrappers. - Further includes: Documentary still film, 41 frames, colour, 35 mm, stored in waterproof plastic can labelled "You Discover Saudi Arabia Filmstrip". 1971. Remarkable educational kit issued by Aramco to teachers throughout the U.S. from late 1969 into the early 1970s. In the words of a contemporary Aramco advertisement, "The multi-media 'You Discover Saudi Arabia Kit' is designed to allow teachers to introduce into the classroom by sight and touch, as well as the printed word, many facets of Aramco's operations in Saudi Arabia and some of the economic-sociologial aspects of life in that country". The kit includes a miniature flag of Saudi Arabia, sample coins, stamps, and worry beads, as well as an introductory booklet on Saudi Arabia and extensive information on the country, its geography, history, and culture, spread out on 24 folding instructional posters. While the book is directed at juvenile audiences, the posters and the study guide that accompanies them appear designed to be used in junior and senior college classes. Containing a wealth of information for expats, the set was also made available to university graduates considering a career in the oil industry. - A slightly later example with the book revised in 1972, this set is remarkable for including the separately issued 1971 documentary film to go with the kit. Comprising two titles and 39 captioned stills, it provides a brief overview of the people, history, topography, culture, economic development, and future of Saudi Arabia. - In the original cardboard box with shipping label addressed to the Meade Public Library, Kansas. Box a little grease-stained, otherwise in excellent state throughout. OCLC 2959261, 2723896.‎

‎[Ashtiname].‎

‎Ashtiname of the Prophet Muhammad, for the Christians of Egypt. Legal document certified by Isma'il, the Ottoman qadi of Egypt. Ottoman Egypt, 18th century.‎

‎Folio (213 x 442 mm). Black Naskhi on paper, decorated with an illuminated sarlowh in red and blue. Mounted on cloth. Rare 18th century copy of the "Ashtiname" (Covenant), a charter granting protection and other privileges to the followers of Jesus, issued to the Christian monks of St Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, supposedly by the Prophet Muhammad and dated Muharram of the year 2 of the Hegira. - A handwritten copy of a famous document from the early history of Islam: it assures the Christian populations of the protection of their property as well as their places of worship, among other privileges. While the authenticity of the text has been called into question by many scholars, the history of its reception over the centuries remains a fascinating subject. The supposed original document, which was given by the Prophet Muhammad to the monks of St Catherine's Monastery in Sinai, was confiscated by Sultan Selim I (ruled 1512-20) during his campaign in Egypt and Syria in 1516/17. Subsequently, numerous copies were drawn up so as to renew the protection offered to Christians. Their authenticity is assured by the certification of a qadi, our document bearing the signature of the qadi of Egypt, a certain Isma'il, affixed by way of a seal in the right margin of the document. - Minor repairs and dampstaining, but well preserved.‎

‎[Astronomy].‎

‎Astronomical manuscript in Arabic. No place, ca. 1790, or late 18th century CE / ca. 1200 H.‎

‎4to (170 x 227 mm). Arabic manuscript on polished paper. 42 written pp., 19-24 lines, per extensum, black and occasional red ink with red underlinings. With several astronomical diagrams in the text. Modern brown cloth binding with the original 18th century blindstamped leather covers pasted on the boards. An Arabic astronomical manuscript on quadrants in three parts, comprising: 1. Muhammad ibn al-Sheikh al-Hamid, Risalat al-kura (dhat al-kursi). - 2. Sabat Al-Mardini, Risalat mukhtasirat fi aleamal bialrabe alshamalii almaqtue (A brief treatise on the work in the northern quadrant). - 3. Sabat Al-Mardini, Risalat fi aleamal bialrabe almajib al-risalat al-fathiat fi al'aemal al-jibia (A treatise on work in the responding quadrant). All parts include detailed astronomical tables and diagrams in ink. - Well preserved manuscript in a professionally restored modern binding.‎

‎[Australian Second Light Horse Brigade].‎

‎Duplicate typescript copies of confidential reports from HQ. [Palestine], November/December 1917.‎

‎Foolscap folio (ca. 205 x 330 mm). (30) and (31) ff. (rectos only) of duplicate typescript with occasional manuscript corrigenda and addenda. Split-pin fastener in the top left-hand corner of each month. Unpublished confidential daily field reports from the Sinai and Palestine campaign of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, fought by the Arab Revolt and the British Empire against the Ottoman Empire and its Imperial German allies. The reports include the critical period between the Battle of Beersheba in late October and the fall of Jerusalem at the end of 1917. - Usually comprising one leaf for each day of the month, the individual reports commence with an overview of the brigade's activities, followed by further details for each regiment. The account of 9 November, e.g., records the strategically highly important advance on Burayr, one of the first places to be captured by the Allied Forces from the Ottoman Empire, consolidating the British hold on positions controlling the approaches to Jaffa and Jerusalem: "A great day for the Brigade 5th and 7th Regts. moving parallel on left and right respectively and 6th in support were heavily shelled from right flank; but made Bureir and Huleikat without opposition from those places, but had number of casualties from this shell fire. Great quantities of stores waggons and material of all sorts taken 7th Regt took a convoy of about 150 waggons 350 prisoners and many animals most of latter in a wretched condition at Kaukabah. Very many abandoned waggons on the road and stores being looted by Arabs. In afternoon moved on again and 5th Regt supported by one Sqdn of 7th most dashingly rushed another convoy of over 100 wagons and took over 350 prisoners. This convoy subjected to heavy shell fire from enemy on friend and foe alike. Squadron of 7th attached to 5th cleverly took 231 more prisoners in the dark [...]". - The 2nd Light Horse Brigade, a mounted infantry brigade of the Australian Imperial Force consisting of the 5th, 6th and 7th Light Horse Regiments, formed a very distinctive national force within the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, the British and allied army that drove the Ottoman Turks and their German allies back across the Sinai desert in 1916, into Palestine in 1917, and went on to capture Damascus on the first day of October 1918, shortly before the armistice. - Lacks the sheet for the first day of each month; reports of 9 November and 14 December comprising two leaves. Both first leaves (2 November and 2 December) detached, with some marginal loss, as well as slight loss of text to 2 November. Occasional marginal chips and creases throughout, early leaves tanned. - From the Paul Lucas Collection of Australian military history. A unique survival.‎

‎[Austrian Toy Theatre].‎

‎The Caravan to Mecca. The Halt in the Desert. Vienna, M. Trentsensky / London, A. N. Myers & Co., [before 1856].‎

‎Folio (387 x 242 mm). 49 hand-coloured illustrations on 6 plates and hand-coloured folding lithographed backdrop (desert scene; ca. 580 x 224 mm). Original blue wrappers with lithographed cover label. Charming Mignon Theatre of the kind popularized by the Viennese publisher Trentsensky around the mid-19th century and distributed throughout England by their London agent Myers, & Co. on the corner of Oxford and Berners Street. The desert landscape backdrop is to be populated by the pilgrims, camels, resting horses, etc., with plants, a large tent, a cooking fire, and many other details, all to be cut out from the present set of plates. Issued as "Exercises in Colouring", this set was clearly coloured by a trained contemporary artist rather than a dilettante. - The front cover is stained, spine splitting, but the plates are clean and well-preserved. Rarely encountered complete, well-coloured, and in the original state. Another example, prominently featured in the 2012 Hajj exhibition at the British Museum, was cut and mounted. Hajj. Journey to the heart of Islam. London, British Museum 2012, p. 125 (fig. 125).‎

‎[B.O.A.C. - British Overseas Airways Corporation].‎

‎Set of photographs. [Middle East and Africa, ca. 1952].‎

‎5 original black and white photographs. 68 x 44 mm to 104 x 74 mm. On Velox photographic paper. Rare original photos of five aircraft on the runway. Includes one of the few surviving images of the G-ALYU de Havilland Comet - the plane that in May 1952 completed the world's first passenger jet service from London to Johannesburg. Less than two years later G-ALYU was scrapped and its fuselage used for metal fatigue research following the crash of another B.O.A.C. Comet in January 1954. All Comet 1 aircraft were grounded in April 1954. - Among the other depicted aircraft is a Handley Page Hermes IV, registered G-ALDM. The Hermes IV model entered service with B.O.A.C. in 1950, taking over from the Avro York on the West Africa service from London to Accra via Tripoli, Kano and Lagos, with services to Kenya and South Africa commencing before the end of the year. - Pencil annotations to versos. Somewhat warped; slightly toned. Some notable specimens of aviation photography.‎

‎[Bahrain - Falconry].‎

‎Original press photo (vintage). Bahrein, 1973.‎

‎294 x 203 mm. Captioned on the reverse: "Royal Falcons. Falcons belonging to the Amir of Bahrein perch on royal falconers' wrists at a racetrack near Rifaa al Gharbi. Between races pigeons and doves are released for the falcons to hunt down in a swift and violent chase over the heads of the crowd." - Slight wrinkling to edges, but well preserved.‎

‎[Bahrain].‎

‎Collection of photographs. Bahrein, 1970s-1990.‎

‎90 x 128 mm - 203 x 283 mm. 12 original photographs: 9 black-and-white, 3 in colour. Several photos with mounted or loosely inserted English captions. Interesting set of photographs showing Bahrain politicians, landmarks and city views. With images of Sheikh Esa ben Salman Al Khalifa, as well as Bahrain ministers attending official meetings. The largest photograph depicts the Sitra water desalination plant, including a row of inflatable booms protecting the facility from an oil slick. - The remaining pictures include a group photograph of employees of the Bahrain Cultural Centre, a minaret, a souk, and an aerial view of Al-Manama City with the prominent Ministry of Information.‎

‎[Bahrain].‎

‎Original photographs of Manama, Bahrain. Manama, [ca. 1952-1954].‎

‎17 original gelatin silver photographs (14 small format and three postcard sized). All but three captioned on the versos in pencil. An excellent group of snapshots of Bahrain, chiefly focusing on the Bahrain International Airport and the capital, Manama. - The photographer is unidentified but was probably a serviceman based at RAF Bahrain, a military installation attached to the Bahrain International Airport from 1943 to 1971. Several photographs show the airfield, training base and the inside of some billets. Only one is aerial, a vertiginous bird’s-eye view of Muharraq Island, where the airfield was located. - In addition to the expected images of military life are glimpses of Manama, where the servicemen spent their time off. There are interesting views of commercial streets, the Al-Fadhel Mosque and the Bab Al-Bahrain. Some provide lively period detail, such as the film poster for Nau Bahar (an Indian drama released in 1952), a dealership advertising Ford cars, and a street lined with flags in preparation for the state visit of King Saud Ibn Abdulaziz in April 1954. That visit, undertaken shorty after Saud became King, was witness to the first suggestion of a bridge linking Eastern Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, an idea that eventually came into being with the construction of the King Fahd Causeway in the 1980s. - Some staining and spotting to the versos, a few printed from damaged negatives, otherwise very clean and clear with little fading.‎

‎[Bahrain].‎

‎Treasure Minute Dated 21 March 1957 Concerning a Gift of Land in Bahrein. London, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1957.‎

‎2 pp. 8vo. Modern binder. Parliamentary minutes regarding the sale of a vacant site of some 4/5ths of an acre in the Manama district of Bahrain, originally acquired in 1903 for the erection of the Victoria Memorial Hospital which was demolished in 1953, to the Ruler of Bahrain, H.H. Sheikh Salman ibn Hamad Al Khalifa, who wished to found a Museum and Public Library on the site. The value of the site was estimated at about 70,000 pounds sterling. - With stamp of "The Law Society, London" (29 March 1957).‎

‎[BAPCO].‎

‎Bahrain. (Manama, the Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited [BAPCO]), 1952.‎

‎Small folio (218 x 283 mm). (48) pp. Original wrappers, colourfully illustrated with Islamic geometrical designs. A portrait of Bahrain, illustrated and printed in English and Arabian throughout, showing the country at a critical moment in it development, transitioning from traditional to modern ways of life with the growing importance of the oil industry. Issued on behalf of BAPCO and Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa I, Hakim of Bahrain, ruler of Bahrain from 1942 until his death in 1961. - A perfect copy.‎

‎[Beckford, William].‎

‎[Vathek.] An Arabian Tale, From an Unpublished Manuscript: With Notes Critical and Explanatory. London, for J. Johnson, 1786.‎

‎8vo. VII, (1), 334 pp., final blank leaf (p. 48 misnumbered "84"). With woodcut illustrations on p. 316 (X6v, showing ostrich and peacock-feather fans). Sumptuous 19th century red grained morocco binding, spine gilt, gilt cover rules and inner dentelle, leading edges gilt. All edges gilt. The unauthorized first edition, first issue (with misnumbered page 48). This original edition, claiming to be translated directly from Arabic, appeared without the name of the author, also omitting from the title the name under which the work would later be known internationally. - Although often classified as an early Gothic novel, "Vathek" is more truly an oriental tale, describing the experience and rewards of succumbing to temptation, and closely reflecting the "foolish, fantastic, egotistical life" of the author who began writing the story in French in January 1782. Despite the fact that Samuel Henley's translation, and the elaborate notes which he provided for the book, were undertaken with his friend Beckford's approval, its publication was contrary to the author's express wishes: Beckford had clearly intended to bring out the French edition first, but his wife had died in Switzerland on 18 May 1786, and though the book was published by Joseph Johnson on 7 June, he was still unaware of its existence by late August. Copies were priced at 4 shillings or 7s. 6d. on large paper, and have the running title of "The History of the Caliph Vathek". Even though Beckford published French editions in Lausanne (December 1786, dated "1787") and Paris (1787), the novel only became well known some thirty years later when Byron declared it to be his Bible. - Provenance: From the library of John Bigham, 1st Viscount Mersey (1840-1929), at Bignor Park, Sussex (his bookplate to front pastedown and ink ownership to flyleaf). Subsequently in the library of the American publisher and collector A(lfred) Edward Newton (1864-1940), whose collection was auctioned by Parke-Bernet in 1941 (bookplate). Later acquired by the American lawyer and collector Robert S. Pirie (1934-2015), a prominent member of the Grolier Club, whose library was dispersed by Sotheby's in December 2015 (his bookplate to front flyleaf). - With the final blank Y8, which is often absent. Occasional light brownstains, but in all an excellent copy, beautifully bound and with fine provenance. ESTC T62055. Rothschild 352. G. Chapman, Bibliography of William Beckford, pp. 22f, i. Summers 543. Garside/Raven/Schöwerling 1786:15. OCLC 1636740.‎

‎[Beirut Port].‎

‎Compagnie Impériale Ottomane du Port, des Quais et Entrepôts de Beyrouth. Assemblée Générale Ordinaire et Extraordinaire [...]. Rapport du Conseil d'Administration. Rapport des Commissaires des Comptes. Résolutions de l'Assemblée. Paris, Imprimerie et librairie centrales des chemins de fer, 1889-1922.‎

‎Large 4to. All 31 issues, comprising a total of 774 pp. (some lithographic, others published as a typescript, but mostly letterpress), preserving the original printed wrappers. With 2 folding plans. Bound in 1920s green half calf over marbled boards. Rare collection of the annual reports published by the administrative board of the Beirut Port holding company: the complete stretch from 1889 (when work on the harbour began) to 1922. - Even since the 1860s, the old harbour of Beirut, 150 by 100 metres in length and a mere two metres deep, was rapidly becoming too small for the ever-expanding volume of traffic. In 1887 a consortium was formed of the Compagnie Impériale Ottomane de la Route Beyrouth à Damas, the Ottoman Bank, the Comptoir d'Escompte de Paris, the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas, and the Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes. Reincorporated as the Paris-based "Compagnie Impériale Ottomane du Port, des Quais et Entrepôts de Beyrouth", they obtained a concession from the Porte in 1888, and construction was completed in 1895. "The new harbor, located further to the east, provided deeper anchorage (two to six meters) next to an 800-meter-long pier running almost parallel to the coast and protected by a breakwater 350 meters long. The dock area covered twenty-one hectares, with vast warehouses whose metal cladding had been designed by Gustave Eiffel" (Kassir, p. 119). Located at the intersection of Europe, Asia and Africa, Beirut quickly became one of the principal ports between Europe and the Near East. Trade was hampered during the years of the First World War, but Beirut still received "more ships than any other port along the Syrian coast" (ibid., p. 122). - The first seven reports, covering the building phase, from 1889 to 1894, are printed as lithographs; from 1895 onwards they are letterpress, providing a full account of assets and liabilities, profits and losses, and resolutions adopted by the board, accompanied by extensive sets of tables. The publication was interrupted only in the war years, when the company was temporarily dispossessed, for which time the present volume instead contains a "Historique" and a "Memorandum", both published as typescripts. The series was resumed in 1921. - This collection bound for the "Banque de Syrie et du Liban" with their bookplate on the pastedown. Binding rubbed and chafed, but internally a very well-preserved set. Cf. Samir Kaffir, Beirut (UCA, 2010).‎

‎[Bergk, Johann Adam].‎

‎Arabien und Syrien in historischer, geographischer, wissenschaftlicher, artistischer, naturgeschichtlicher, merkantilischer, religiöser, sittlicher und politischer Hinsicht. Berlin & Leipzig, Verlagshandlung der neuen compendiösen Bibliothek, 1799.‎

‎8vo. XVI, 512 pp. With engraved title vignette, folding engraved map, and 4 engraved plates. Contemporary marbled boards. All edges red. First edition, conceived as a continuation of Bergk's volume on Egypt. The map shows Syria; the plates depict Arabic costumes, household tools, and views of Haleb, Mecca, and Medina. The title vignette shows Mt. Sinai. Also discusses the history , topography, climate, illnesses etc. of the Arabian Peninsula (with chapters on the Nejd, Arabia Felix and Yemen, etc.). - Some browning. From the library of the Kalksburg Jesuit college with their shelfmark label on pastedown. Kayser I, 32. Holzmann/B. I, 2892. Hamberger/Meusel XXII/1, 216. OCLC 257668994. Not in Macro, Atabey or Blackmer.‎

‎[Biblia arabica - NT].‎

‎Evangelium Sanctum Domini nostri Iesu Christi conscriptum a quatuor Evangelistis sanctis, id est Matthaeo, Marco, Luca et Iohanne. Rome, typographia Medicea, 1590(-1591).‎

‎Folio. 368 pp. With 149 large woodcuts. Contemporary paper wrappers. Rare first edition of the Gospels in Arabic; the first work to be issued from the Medicean Press, directed by G. B. Raimondi. Printed in Granjon's famous large fount, generally considered the first satisfactory Arabic printing type and appears here for the first time. Apart from the Latin title and colophon, the book is in Arabic throughout. Also in 1591 an Arabic-Latin edition was issued, more common than the present one and reprinted in 1619 and 1774. Illustrated with 149 large woodcuts from 67 blocks by Leonardo Parasole after Antonio Tempesta. - Some browning and waterstaining throughout; a few marginal tears. Untrimmed in the original temporary wrappers as issued. The Hauck copy commanded $75,000 at Sotheby's in 2006. Adams B 1822. Mortimer 64. Darlow/Moule 1636. Fück 54. Schnurrer 318. Smitskamp 374.‎

‎[Biblia arabica - NT].‎

‎Kitab al-Injil as-sharif at-tahir wa-al-misbah al-munir al-zahir. Al-Shuwayr, Kisrawan, Lebanon, Kloster des Heiligen Johannes des Täufers, [1776].‎

‎Folio (213 x 322 mm). (4), 316 pp. Parts printed in red and black. With numerous ornamental lines and several woodcut tailpieces. Modern half calf. "The Evangelion of the Greek Church, containing the Gospels arranged for liturgical reading throughout the year" (Darlow/M.). From the printing office of the monastery of St. John the Baptist at Shuwair in the Lebanon, which was operative between 1734 and 1899 (cf. Silvestre de Sacy I, pp. 412-414; Middle Eastern Languages and the Print Revolution. A Cross-Cultural Encounter, Westhofen 2002, pp. 179-181). Particularly remarkable in this present publication is the typographic decor: all pages are framed by double rules; new sections of text are headed with an ornamental line of floral elements across the entire page width, and numerous pages show smaller figural endpieces (roses, baskets, crosses, as well as the Virgin with the Child Jesus) - a charming juxtaposition of simple woodcuts showing floral and geometrical decor familiar from the Hebrew prints produced in 19th-century Palestine with the more elaborate products "à la italienne". - Some occasional worming, browning and brownstaining. Schnurrer 360. Darlow/Moule 1661.‎

‎[Biblia arabica - Psalmi].‎

‎Kitab al-Mazamir. Dayr al-Shuwayr, Kisrawan, Lebanon, St. John the Baptist Monastery, 1839.‎

‎8vo. 354, (14) pp., wanting final blank. Contemporary blindstamped brown calf. Rare Psalter from the printing office of the Melkite monastery of St. John the Baptist at al-Shuwayr in the Lebanese Kisrawan mountains, operative between 1734 and 1899, during which time it produced in all 69 Arabic books, including re-editions (cf. Silvestre de Sacy I, pp. 412-414; Middle Eastern Languages and the Print Revolution. A Cross-Cultural Encounter, Westhofen 2002, pp. 179-181). Nasrallah counts 15 editions of the Psalter alone, the last (produced in 1899, the only as-Shuwayr Psalter in the Aboussouan collection) constituting the swan-song of that important press. "Le Psautier a longtemps été le livre classique unique des écoles d'Orient. Cela nous explique pourquoi il fut si souvent édité" (Nasrallah, p. 38). - Binding a little rubbed; some light browning and brownstaining (mainly confined to margins). A good copy. Not in Nasrallah.‎

‎[Biblia arabica - VT - Pentateuch]. Erpenius, Thomas (ed.).‎

‎Turat Musa al-Nabi alayhi al-salam id est Pentateuchus Mosis Arabicè. Leiden, Thomas Erpenius for Johannes Maire, 1622.‎

‎4to. (16), 458, (2) pp. With the title in a woodcut architectural frame. Contemporary vellum. "First printing of the Pentateuch in Arabic characters" (Smitskamp). Edited by Thomas Erpenius and printed with his influential nashk Arabic types, cut under his direction by Arent Corsz. Hogenacker in Leiden. It gives the text of a 13th-century translation of the Pentateuch in the Maghreb dialect (spoken in Mauritania). Erpenius was one of the most distinguished orientalists and by far the best Arabist of his day. He published an influential Arabic grammar and several excellent critical editions. His own private printing office, equipped with Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Ethiopic and Turkish type, produced its first works as early as 1615. - With bookplate, owner's inscription and library stamp of Verplanck Colvin (1847-1920). Occasional spots, some leaves with a minor waterstain in the upper or lower margin, nor affecting the text. A good copy, with generous margins. Binding slightly soiled and with a restoration to the front inner hinge, but otherwise good. Breugelmans 1622-2. Darlow/Moule 1645. Smitskamp, PO 86.‎

‎[Biblia arabica - VT].‎

‎Al-`Ahd al-qadim wa-al-hadit [Biblia sacra in lingua Arabica]. [Rome], Matba`at Malak [i.e. Angelo] Rutili, 1752.‎

‎Small folio (218 x 290 mm). 2 pts. in 1 vol. 688 pp. Near-contemporary half vellum with red label to gilt spine. New edition of the text published in 1671 in the Propaganda College's three-volume Arabic-Latin Bible, which is considered the editio princeps of the complete Bible in Arabic (disregarding the Paris and London polyglots). The version was prepared over a period of many years by Philip Guadagnolo and revised by Louis Maracci. First received with hesitation, it "eventually won general acceptance among Arabic-speaking Christians" (Darlow/M. 1652). Edited by Raphael Tuki, Bishop of Arsinoe, this present edition (usually issued in two volumes but here bound in one) contains the books of Genesis through Nehemiah and Tobit only. - Occasional worming to margins, otherwise a good, well-preserved copy. OCLC cites eight copies worldwide, none in America. Darlow/Moule 1660. OCLC 398605651.‎

‎[Biblia arabico-latina - Evangelium secundum Matthaeum].‎

‎Passio Domini nostri Iesu Christi, secundum Matthaeum. Arabice, cum Latina versione ad verbum, iuxta editionem Romanam. Leiden, Raphelengius, 1613.‎

‎4to. 45, (1) pp. With printer's device to title page. Modern half calf. Sole edition: "Extremely rare. The last of three small New Testament portions issued in Arabic by the Raphelengius press" (Smitskamp). Anonymously edited by Thomas Erpenius as a specimen of his planned polyglot Bible. "Erpenius had a special interest in the text of the Bible, and also published the Syriac version. He aimed at editing a corpus embodying all the variants which could be gleaned from the Oriental versions, but his premature death at the age of forty put an end to these plans" (Smitskamp 80). - 1833 ownership "John Williams" to title page. Slight waterstain throughout the upper third, otherwise fine. Smitskamp 279. Not in Darlow/Moule.‎

‎[Biblia arabico-latina - NT].‎

‎Arba`at Anajil Yasu` al-Masih Sayyidina al-Muqaddasah. Sacrosancta quatuor Iesu Christi D. N. Evangelia. Arabice scripta, Latine reddita, figurisq[ue] ornata. Rome, Typographia Medicea, (1591)-1619.‎

‎Folio (260 x 366 mm). (4), 9-462, (2) pp. Title-page printed in red and black, with the Medici arms. With 149 text woodcuts by L. N. Parassole after Antonio Tempesta. Contemporary Italian flexible boards with ms. title to spine. The rare first re-issue, with new preliminary matter only, of the first Gospel printing in the interlinear Arabic and Latin version, prepared at the same time and printed by the same press as the first Arabic-only Gospel. These were the first works ever produced by Ferdinando de' Medici's "Medicea" press, founded by Pope Gregory XIII to spread the word of Christ in the Orient. Supervised by the able scholar Giovambattista Raimondi (1536-1614), its strength lay in oriental, especially Arabic, printing. After Raimondi's death, the press relocated to Florence. - The Arabic text is printed in Robert Granjon's famous large fount, generally considered the first satisfactory Arabic printing type; as all early printed editions of the Arabic Gospels, it is based on the Alexandrian Vulgate (cf. Darlow/M. 1636). The Latin version is by Leonardo Sionita. As issued in 1591, the work began with page 9, without a title page or any preliminary matter at all: "the intended prefatory matter was apparently never published" (Darlow/M.). The 1619 re-issue contains 4 pages of preliminary matter (title page and a note "typographus lectori"); there exist copies with two additional leaves of dedications not present here. Another re-issue, much more common, was released in 1774. - Occasional browning; a good, untrimmed and hence wide-margined copy in its original temporary binding. Darlow/Moule 1643. Mortimer 64 (note). Streit XVI, p. 866, no. 5138.‎