4 355 résultats
8vo. 94, (1) pp., final blank page. With a folding plan of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and a folding map of Palestine and southern Syria. Original printed wrappers. Very rare pocket guide to the Holy Land, prepared for British soldiers serving in Mandatory Palestine, encouraging them to explore sites of religious and historical interest in "a land of diversity" that can be "bewildering at times to the newcomers" (p. 5). - The book describes the most prominent landmarks of Jerusalem and its surroundings, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock, the Via Dolorosa, the Muristan, the Zion quarter, Gethsemane, and Jericho, as well as Bethlehem and Hebron, and gives directions to and accounts of other places including Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Beirut, Nazareth, Damascus, and Baalbek. In addition, it contains a short history of Palestine and a chronological list of events from 2,600 BC to the Lebanon's declaration of independence in 1941. - Wrappers slightly soiled. Plan lightly waterstained; pp. 77-80 torn at lower margin without loss to text; paper evenly browned throughout. A good copy. Only two library copies traceable internationally (National Library of Israel and Stanford University Library). OCLC 234128765.
8vo. (2), 17 pp., final blank page. With 2 half-tone photographs in the text and a folding map of the area between Baghdad and Beirut. Staple-bound. In original printed wrappers. Exceedingly rare pocket-booklet of leave instructions issued to members of the Persia and Iraq Force during the Second World War, "in the hope that it will help [them] to understand the type of country and the places [they] will see on [their] journey" (first page). Subdivided into three sections, the first part of the booklet describes the route taken by the leave convoy from Baghdad via Fallujah, Habbaniyah, Ar-Rutba, Mafraq and Damascus to Beirut, deeming the last portion from Damascus "by far the most picturesque part of the route" (p. 4), and finishing off with a photograph of people relaxing on the beach. The second section comprises a history of Damascus and the Syrian desert by Seton Lloyd (1902-96), who had been appointed archaeology adviser to the Directorate of Antiquities, Baghdad, in 1939, and during the war "was able to conduct some notable research, principally the excavation of the painted temple at Uqair and later of Tell Hassuna, where he identified a new culture - and the earliest known - in Iraq" (obituary, Independent, 13 Jan. 1996). The third and last section discusses the construction of the Baghdad to Haifa road by the British between 1938 and 1943. - General Edward Quinan's Iraq Command (originally Iraq Force) was renamed Persia and Iraq Force (Paiforce) shortly after the successful Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia in August 1941. The main responsibilities of Paiforce were to protect the Iraqi and South Persian oil fields and to maintain the lines of communication from British-controlled ports on the Persian Gulf to the Soviet ports on the Caspian. A dedicated Persia and Iraq Command was established under Sir Maitland Wilson in August 1942, though victory in the Western Desert Campaign combined with series of Soviet victories in southern Russia meant that Paiforce activities began to be wound down from mid-1943. The folding map to the rear of this booklet provides a detailed overview of the vital infrastructure roads and oil pipelines which they were tasked with defending. - Mended tear to upper cover; traces of folds and a little soiled. Handwritten numbers in orange crayon to lower cover. The interior with traces of a vertical fold throughout, resulting from the pages resting on the rim of the folding map; margins slightly creased. Map somewhat foxed. An uncommon survival, with only the Imperial War Museum copy traceable in institutions. Not in OCLC.
Ca. 66 x 54 cms. Printed outline colour. Constant ratio linear horizontal scale 1:4,200,000 (1 inch = 66 miles). Folded and bound in original yellow cloth boards. 8vo. Includes Afghanistan and the Balochistan province of Pakistan, as well as the Arabian Gulf with the coastline of the Gulf Emirates to Oman. - Ownership stamps of the German botanist Prof. Dr. Arnold Scheibe (1901-89; cf. NDB XXII, 619f.). OCLC 37732501.
Approximately 120 mounted (usually 2-4 to a page) snap shots ranging in size from 60 x 40 mm to 120 x 100 mm. Brief captions in black ink under almost all the photos. 1/4 leather album. 4to. The first half of the photos show middle class life in Edwardian England. The second, and more interesting half of the photos are snap shots that appear to have been taken by a British officer and include military subjects, scenes of Baghdad and the Euphrates, and views of the Bosporus. - Some photos are faded or have minor spots or light streaks. Wretched-looking lacking backstrip, with covers worn, discolored, and detached.
12mo. 139 pp. on 70 ff. of smooth wove paper. Arabic and Ottoman Turkish. With a double-page 'unwan headpiece in colours and gilt. Text enclosed throughout within gilt borders and blue rules; 9 full-page colour illuminations with circular text compartments. Blue marbled pastedowns. Contemporary blindstamped dark brown calf with inlaid light brown borders and centrepiece and fore-edge flap. Prettily bound pocket-sized Ottoman devotional manuscript on the 36th surah of the Qur'an, "Ya-Sin", written in Arabic and Ottoman Turkish. The splendidly illumnated first double-page (containing verses 1 to 6) is written in an exquisitely refined variety of Turkish naskh calligraphy, typical for Quranic manuscripts. The surah "Ya-Sin" is considered the heart of the Qur'an by many pious Muslims, as it presents the core tenets of Muslim religion.
(2), 8 pp. Folio. Sewn. Including a Circular on the receipt of fugitive slaves in the Arabian Gulf: "If, while your ship is in the territorial waters of any Chief or State in Arabia, or on the shores of the [...] Gulf, or on the East Coast of Africa, or in any island lying off Arabia, or off such coast or shores, including Zanzibar, Madagascar, and the Comoro Islands, any person should claim admission to your ship and protection on the ground that he has been kept in the state of slavery contrary to the Treaties existing between Great Britain and the territory, you may receive him until the truth of his statement is examined into [...]". - Well-preserved.
(2), 8, (2) pp. Folio. Sewn. Including a Circular on the receipt of fugitive slaves in the Arabian Gulf: "If, while your ship is in the territorial waters of any Chief or State in Arabia, or on the shores of the [...] Gulf, or on the East Coast of Africa, or in any island lying off Arabia, or off such coast or shores, including Zanzibar, Madagascar, and the Comoro Islands, any person should claim admission to your ship and protection on the ground that he has been kept in the state of slavery contrary to the Treaties existing between Great Britain and the territory, you may receive him until the truth of his statement is examined into [...]". - Well-preserved.
Small folio (214 x 286 mm). (22), 87, (1) pp. With engraved title-page, engraved vignette to printed title, and engraved head- and tailpieces to preliminaries. Late 19th century half calf, spine rebacked. A specimen from the Viennese Imperial Oriental Academy founded in 1754, published anonymously but probably edited by the school's most brilliant pupil of the time, Ignaz von Stürmer, who had access to the well-stocked library of Bernhard von Jenisch. It would seem that this publication is the first to offer a chrestomathy devoted specially to Persian literature. The work includes 22 fables from Jâmî's Bahâristân, a qasîda by Sa'dî, a selection from 'Attâr's Pand-nâmah, and 12 biographies from Jâmî's Bahâristân. The Persian text is faced by a Latin translation. This constitutes the first use of the improved Meninski types, then a century old but rediscovered in 1748. The types were revised, after designs by the Syrian merchant Yusuf Sasati, by the printer Joseph von Kurzböck, who expanded the font to 520 characters. The publication of the Anthology was intended as a test run both for the typesetter and the editors of the re-edition of Meninski's Thesaurus. - The engraved title-page depicts an allegory of Virtue against the backdrop of the Hagia Sophia, emphasizing the Turkish-Austrian relationship despite the work's Persian interest. In 1784 Stürmer would publish a Turkish work, the Tarih-i Fanai, with the Meninski types. - Binding professionally repaired. Some brownstaining throughout. Provenance: relief stamp of the British and Foreign Bible society to flyleaf. Zenker I, 47f., 383. Diba 16 (18 pp. of prelims?, citing Jenisch as author). Durstmüller I, 218. Weiss 1839, 9, 19 & 28.
12mo. 1 p. Manuscript in the form of a folded letter entitled "Sheah Relique" that originally enclosed a so-called turbah, here described as follows: "Turbot. A relique of the Sheah Musulmen when they pray they kiss it. It is formed of the earth of Kerbela or Naguf Ashraf a place consecrated to the Shrine of Hussain son of Ally son in law of Mohamed. They place such faith in this that they believe it will keep them from all evils and I hold it from a Persian's own mouth that if a gale of wind was to arise and the ship in imminent danger of being lost, by throwing the smallest particle of this into the sea it would instantly subside". - A turbah is a small piece of soil or clay, often in the form of a seal with imprints, that is used by Shia Muslims during daily prayers to symbolize their connection to the earth. The most favoured soil for the creation of turbahs is that from the site of the shrine of Husayn ibn Ali in Karbala, Iraq, as mentioned in the manuscript. In contrast to what the description suggests, not only soil from Karbala or Najaf Ashraf, another holy city of Shia Islam in Iraq, can be used for a turbah. However, apotropaic properties such as safeguarding against calamities have been ascribed to the "turbah Karbala". - Two worn pieces of leather that originally held the turbah described in the text are still enclosed. On English paper with watermark from 1828. Minor foxing and stains; traces of folds and several large tears not affecting the text.
4to (170 x 202 mm). (6), 58 pp. With 8 photographic plates and one map. Original pictorial grey wrappers. Ten excellent short essays on Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), printed at the Times offices in Basra. According to the preface, the pamphlet was published in response to growing curiosity about the country, sparked by British involvement post-WWI. Most of the essays, as per the title, focus on the distant past, taking the reader to the founding of Baghdad in the eighth century, Basra in the Middle Ages and the construction of the Ctesiphon Arch (Taq Kasra). The latter is one of the finer pieces, providing a brief but detailed account of the creation of the structure and its completed finery, drawing on Gertrude Bell's musical translation of al-Tabari's description of the famous carpet "woven in the pattern of a garden" (Amurath to Amurath). - Other essays turn to the early twentieth century and contemporary life. The piece on Mandaeism, in addition to outlining its history, features a short interview with a group of Mandaeans from the Mesopotamian Marshes, in which they discuss their beliefs and religious practices. The final essay, by the missionary John Van Ess (the only contributor to give his full name), reflects on his time in Mesopotamia among certain rural tribes, highlighting episodes of kindness and hospitality. Van Ess (1878-1949) is notable for the time he spent in Mesopotamia (nearly fifty years), his role as an advisor to British officials and, in that capacity, for his opposition to making Faisal King. - With contemporary ink ownership of A. H. Lee on the front cover. Remnants of postage stamps on rear wrapper, slight repair to spine. Exceedingly rare: only two intact copies known, in the British Library Reference Collections and in the National Library of Scotland; the Munich University Library appears to own an incomplete copy. OCLC 562435427.
8vo. (8), 384 pp. Cloth-backed red boards with title inked on spine, likely privately bound. Very rare privately published botanical text on the famous expedition of the Jewish agronomist Aaron Aaronsohn (1876-1919) through the Anti-Lebanon mountain range and his subsequent discovery of what was claimed to be the oldest wild wheat, ancestor of all farmed wheat today. - While the exact line of descent of modern wheat is contested and complex, Aaronsohn's wheat - wild emmer - was indeed ancient, and its discovery remains a landmark moment in historical botany and the study of the history of human civilization. Like much of Aaronsohn's work, his detailed notes on the wild wheat distribution and other botanical notes on the landscapes he surveyed were published posthumously by Aaronsohn's family. The text includes numerous scientific names and an index, plus 13 botanical designs and 38 photoplates documenting the expedition. A folding map at the rear is titled "Aaronsohn's travels in Jordan and the distribution of wild wheat in the land of Israel". Largely in Hebrew, supplemented with scientific Latin, this Hebrew version is very uncommon, as Aaronsohn's work was originally published in French as "Florula transiordanica: révision critique des plantes récoltées et partiellement determinées", also by his family, in 1931. - Binding bumped at extremeties; a few library stamps to title-page, along with some minor paper repairs. Altogether in good condition. OCLC 42945306.
8vo. LVI, (2), 427 pp. Contemp. half cloth with giltstamped spine title. First German edition of the highly influential poems of al-Mutanabbî (915-965). The famous poet of the Abbasidic era exerted a decisive influence on all subsequent poets in Arabic. - Ms. library shelfmark and stamp on title page (withdrawn). Brunet III, 1924. Goedeke VII, 764, 68. Wurzbach VII, 276, 44. Cf. GAL I, p. 86f. (for Motenebbi).
1966V, (1), 51, (1), l. bl. f. With portrait frontispiece (HRH King Faisal) and 13 folding maps in pocket. Original printed green cloth binding. Rare Saudi government publication on iron ore deposits (mainly Goethite and Hematite) in Western Arabia. As stated in the foreword, "Bulletin 2 is the first geological report on an occurrence of a single metallic mineral to be published by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources". Wadi Fatima, east of Jiddah on the Arabian Red Sea coast, is a microcosm of the geology of the Jiddah area. Rocks ranging in age from 800-million-year-old metamorphic rocks to Tertiary lava flows are exposed, and illustrate the geological richness of western Saudi Arabia. "The Wadi Fatima ore deposits promise to become one of the main sources of iron for the developing steel industry of the Kingdom". Binding rubbed with some discoloration to spine, otherwise fine. OCLC 4053546.
4to. 139, (5) pp. With folding engr. map. Later cloth. First edition. - Includes observations "on the Plague in Egypt", "on the Overflowing of the RIver Nile, and the Qualities of its Water", "on the Climate and Seasons of the Year in Egypt", and "on the Situation of Egypt relative toi commercial Advantages", as well as "A Specimen of Turkish Justice, or, rather, of that of the Mamelucks in Egypt". John Antes was a missionary of the Moravian Church resident in Egypt from 1770 to 1781. He "produced this work in answer to those of Savary and Volney" (Blackmer). - Some foxing to title page. This copy is from the collection of the author's descendants, with several inscriptions on the flyleaf. Later in the Ottoman collection of the Swiss industrialist Herry W. Schaefer. Atabey 25. Blackmer 36. Ibrahim-Hilmy I, 38. Blake 16. OCLC 4415058.
Small folio (215 x 280 mm). 6 issues. Original printed wrappers. Stapled. Complete run of the popular Aramco magazine for the year 1976. In November 1949 the Arabian American Oil Company launched Aramco World as an interoffice newsletter that linked the company's U.S. offices with "the field" - primarily Dhahran, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The journal quickly grew into a bi-monthly educational magazine featuring historical, geographical and cultural articles that helped the American employees and their families appreciate an unfamiliar land. - The present collection comprises vol. 27, issues no. 1-6. - Addressed to Michigan resident Florence E. Lostuzzi on verso.
Folio. VI, 59, (2), 59 pp. Colour illustrations throughout. Original illustrated colour wrappers. Stapled. 1953 issue of the "Taqrir an sair al-amal marfu ila Hukuma al-Arabiya as-Suudiya min qibal Sarikat az-Zait al-Arabiya al-Amrikiya", printed in Arabic and English throughout. Profusely illustrated, the annual journal issued by ARAMCO reported on the year's work and activities in the form of essays and statistical figures. A few years previously, Aramco had moved their headquarters from New York to Dhahran, jointly with King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud managing to negotiate a larger share of the profits for the Saudi Arab Government. The principal oil fields at the time were Ghawar and Safaniya, soon to be confirmed the largest onshore and the largest offshore field in the world, respectively. - Some notes in ink to Arabic title-page. In good condition. Cf. OCLC 2416997.
Folio. VII, (1), 52, 52 pp. Colour illustrations throughout. Original illustrated colour wrappers. Stapled. Yearly report of the Arabian American Oil Company (now Aramco), covering the year 1954, when the production reached a "new high in the Company's history", something "achieved despite the increasingly keen competition resulting from a substantial surplus of producing capacity in the Middle East" (p. VI). Contains tables showing the company's produce, photos of oil fields and drilling stations, sections on transportation, personnel, marketing, safety, the local economy, etc. The text is included in both English and Arabic. - In very good condition. Cf. OCLC 2416997.
8vo. (2), 332 pp. Original beige printed boards with red cloth spine. First edition of a rare survival, illustrating the development of language studies among the officers of the British military during colonial rule in India and the Middle East. The work was compiled by Rizkallah Azoo, the Arabic Instructor to the board of examiners under the supervision of the secretary board of examiners at Fort William, Calcutta. - The book is divided into two parts, the first containing fables, anecdotes and narratives, travels of famous explorers (including Ibn Battuta and Sinbad the Sailor), and a final section on the travels of Sadiq Pasha to the Great Desert of Africa. Part two covers an extract from Kitab-ul-Wasitah, a description of Malta, and an account of European arts and sciences by Ahmed Faris Effendi, the editor of Al-Jawib. It concludes with some curious descriptions of Paris and London. - The standard examination of Arabic was a serious matter, affecting officers' roles and promotions in overseas territories. Failure to pass the elementary Arabic examination could result in deferment of appointments, and even the withholding of portions of an officer's salary. - Light exterior wear, otherwise well preserved. Rare: OCLC locates copies at Oxford and SOAS, as well as at the University of California (Berkeley) and seven additional libraries. OCLC 417302837.
Large 8vo. XVIII, (1), 113, (1), 407, (3) pp. With 3 lithogr. plates. First modern edition of the original Arabic text of "Al Hidayah ila Faraid al-Qulub" ("Guide to the Duties of the Heart"), written in 1080 by the Jewish philosopher Bahya ibn Paquda, who lived at Zaragoza, in Muslim Spain. The work offers the first Jewish system of ethics and was translated into Hebrew by Judah ibn Tibbon in 1161-80 ("Chovot ha-Levavot"). It is based on numerous non-Jewish sources, including writings of Islamic mysticism and Arabic neo-Platonism. Yahuda's edition uses mss. in the libraries of Oxford, Paris, and St Petersburg. - In excellent condition. OCLC 68138636.
Large 8vo. XVII, (3), 113, (3), 407, (1) pp. With 3 lithogr. plates. Contemporary red cloth with giltstamped spine title; original blue wrappers bound within. First modern edition of the original Arabic text of "Al Hidayah ila Faraid al-Qulub" ("Guide to the Duties of the Heart"), written in 1080 by the Jewish philosopher Bahya ibn Paquda, who lived at Zaragoza, in Muslim Spain. The work offers the first Jewish system of ethics and was translated into Hebrew by Judah ibn Tibbon in 1161-80 ("Chovot ha-Levavot"). It is based on numerous non-Jewish sources, including writings of Islamic mysticism and Arabic neo-Platonism. Yahuda's edition uses mss. in the libraries of Oxford, Paris, and St Petersburg. - In excellent condition. Herlitz IV/2, 1521. OCLC 3117215.
4o. 294, (1) pp., final blank page. With a full-page map of Palestine not included in pagination, 2 full-page plans of Jerusalem included in pagination, and several small print illustrations in the text. Contemporary half calf over marbled boards with giltstamped spine and spine-title. Marbled endpapers. Fourth edition of this description of a journey through Palestine by the French painter and writer Bazelaire (1857-1926), first published in 1889. In April 1888 she boarded a ship with a group of pilgrims, which, after a stop in Civitavecchia, from where she visited Rome, dropped anchor in Haifa. Accompanied by her brother Maurice (1840-1909) and her sister Isabelle (1847-89) she departed on horseback to tour the country for a month. Her emotional account describes the places they visited, including Mount Carmel, Nazareth, Tibériade, Jerusalem ("Am I really in Jerusalem, or is it but a dream about to fade away?", p. 129), Mount Olivet, Jericho, the Dead Sea, Bethlehem, Hebron, and the Valley of Josaphat. Among other adventures, a night spent locked in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre near Jesus's empty tomb inspired a particular sense of awe: "It is a night as long as a century, and as short as all joys in the world! [...] All those who have seen Jerusalem know and understand these things, I invoke all pilgrims!" (pp. 253f.). - The initials and illustrations accompanying the text were created by Bazelaire herself. The plans show the old and new towns of Jerusalem. - Extremities insignificantly rubbed; small flaw to spine. Paper somewhat browned and brownstained throughout. A pressed palm leaf is inserted between pp. 124 and 125. Hage Chahine, Guide du livre orientaliste 359. OCLC 1083265900. Cf. Ueckmann, Frauen und Orientalismus 359 (1899 ed.). Kuhn, Orientalische Bibliographie VI, 4225 (1892 ed.). Not in Weber, Cox, Graesse.
8vo. (6), X, 166 pp. Contemporary full calf with giltstamped spine and giltstamped spine-label. All edges marbled. Marbled endpapers. First edition. French translation of the "Vasiyetname", the Turkish catechism by the Hanafi Maturidi scholar and moralist Imam Birgivi (1522-73), who lived during the height of the Ottoman Empire. Edited by the French orientalist Garcin de Tassy (1794-1878). Invoking honesty, devotion, unity and fraternity, the "Vasiyetname" was directed at the common people, and was therefore written in Kaba Türkçe, a simpler, vulgar version of Ottoman Turkish used by unskilled workers and farmers. - Apart from the Muslim catechism, the present volume includes a translation of the "Pend-Namèh" by Saadi Shiraazi by the same editor, and a translation of the poem "Al-Burda" by Antoine-Isaac Silvestre de Sacy (1758-1838), as well as two fairy tales from the "Anwari Soheili", the famous collection of folk tales by Bidpai ("The Falconer" and "The Bear and the Gardener"). - Binding somewhat rubbed; lightly bumped at extremities; hinges starting. A few pencil underlinings. Small portion of lower right corner of title-page torn off; tiny marginal tear to p. 33f. Traces of two removed paperclips and some ink dashes to half-title. Decorative contemporary bookplate in Arabic to front pastedown. Shelfmark stamped to half-title. Two red square stamps to title-page, another to first page of the preface and first page of the "Exposition". OCLC 165361693.
Hand-coloured engraved map (365 x 260 mm). Detailed map of Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, etc. Rigobert Bonne was the Official Hydrographer to the French Depot De La Marine. - In good condition. Not in Tibbetts, Al Ankary and Al-Qasimi.
8vo. (8), VIII, 400 pp. Modern half calf with giltstamped title to spine. First English edition. Book 1 contains a description of Arabia, as well as of Mecca and Medina; books 2 and 3 contain Mohamed's genealogy and biography. The historian Henri de Boulainvilliers (1658-1722), translator of Spinoza's "Ethics", wrote on topics so diverse as astrology, physics, philosophy and theology, though many of his writings were not printed until after his death. For his neutral reasoning, his works were cited by subsequent writers who would prove influential in the development of Western political thought and historical research. - Short tear to title page repaired; some browning and brownstaining throughout. From the library of the British philosopher of religion, David Arthur Pailin (b. 1936), with his bookplate and copious notes laid in. Chauvin XI, p. 149, no. 477. BMC 3:1075.635. Cf. Aboussouan 153 (Amsterdam, 1731). NYPL Arabia coll. 164.
18384to. 3 vols. With 3 engraved title-pages, 2 engr. maps, and 113 (instead of 117) plates. (4), 80 pp. 76 pp. 100, (4) pp. Contemporary cloth. First edition. The attractive views of Alexandria, Antioch, Beirut, Damascus, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Rhodes, Tripoli etc. are engraved from drawings by W. H. Bartlett, W. Purser and others. - Slightly rubbed and bumped, spine faded and with small tears. Blackmer 291. Aboussouan 187. Weber I, 1125. Cf. Howgego II, E4 (p. 194). Tobler 167.