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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.
8vo. (2), 78, (6) pp. With an engraved folding map of the Arabian Peninsula, 3 engraved folding plates, and an engraved title-vignette. Later full cloth. Rare first Dutch edition of the travelogue of a 16th-century sea voyage around the Arabian Peninsula. Castro's voyage took him from Socotra up the Red Sea. He landed on both the African and the Arabian coast before reaching Suez; his account includes descriptions of the various ports he encountered en route as well as observations on the naming of the Red Sea. - Dom João de Castro (1500-48) was a naval officer and later Viceroy of Portuguese India. In 1538 he embarked on his first voyage to India, arriving at Goa and immediately proceeding to the defense of Diu. Castro was responsible for the overthrow of Mahmud, King of Gujarat, whose interests threatened Portuguese control of the Goan coast. Castro died in Goa in 1548 and was initially buried there, but his remains were later exhumed and transferred to Portugal. - Traces of glue near the gutter of the title-page, but a good copy in a modern binding. Only three copies traceable in auction records. BMC V, 168:149. OCLC 224637211. Cf. Scholberg, Bibliography of Goa & the Portuguese in India, DC7. Avila Perez 1562. Welsh 4780 (other eds.).
8vo. IX, (5), 333, (1) pp. With 8 plates. Yellow cloth with title information in blue on front cover and spine, with a dust jacket designed by Paul Wenck, map of Ethiopia and Arabia on the endpapers. First edition of Coon's account of his experiences in Ethiopia and Arabia. From 1933 to 1934 Coon travelled through Ethiopia to conduct physical anthropological research, but after conflicts with the authorities he had to escape to Arabia. He states in his foreword that the purpose of the present work is a memoir, since it was not meant to "impress the public with our scientific findings, for, interesting as these results may or may not be, they are reserved for more formal publication", but simply to tell what he and two others did during the expedition. C. S. Coon (1904-81) was an American anthropologist and professor of anthropology at Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania. He spoke ten languages and made notable contributions to the fields of cultural and physical anthropology and archaeology. He was the author of multiple works, including highly controversial works on race, such as "The Origin of Races" (1962), which were widely disputed during his lifetime and are considered pseudoscientific by modern anthropology. - Dust jacket somewhat damaged, covered with clear protective plastic, edges foxed. Otherwise in very good condition. Macro 747. Shapero, The Islamic World (2003), 178. Sotheby's, Burrell sale, lot 889.
8vo. 2 parts in 1 volume. VI, 202 pp. VI, 114 pp. Modern orange cloth. Second German edition (the original French edition appeared in 1851); an English translation was published in 1863. The book is divided into two parts and includes extensive information on the principles of Arabian cavalry, military costumes of horsemen, celebrated Arabian horse breeds (Haymour, Bou-ghareb, Meizique), how to choose and acquire your horse, nutrition, hygiene, the meaning of the variously coloured horse attires, rigging, veterinarian medicine and illnesses, crippledness, castration, various kinds of military attacks in the deserts and how to execute them, tribal wars, as well as ostrich, gazelle, and falcon hunting. The book concludes with general remarks on the Sahara desert and a letter from the Algerian Sufi saint and military and religious leader Abd-el-Kader (1808-83), the Emir of Mascara who founded the Algerian state and led the Algerians in their struggle against French domination and in 1847 was imprisoned with his family by the French government in the fortress of Lamalgue in Toulon (France). The Emir wrote the letter while Daumas served as French consul in Mascara. In this letter the Emir, calling himself Daumas' friend, answers some questions Daumas previously asked him while preparing this book. - The French cavalry general Melchior Joseph Eugène Daumas (1803-71) was "directeur des affaires d'Algerie" and also served as Minister of War. "De 1837 à 1839, il avait rempli, auprès d'Abd-el-Kader, à Mascara, les fonctions de consul, et en 1847 il fut chargé d'une mission spéciale auprès de l'Emir, alors détenu au fort Lamalgue, à Toulon. Ces relations amicales expliquent la part prise par Abd-el-Kader à certains ouvrages du Général Daumas" (Mennessier de la L.). - Some annotations in coloured pencil. Old handwritten ownership "Berkovich" to title and preface. Title-page and table of contents professionally repaired. Cf. Mennessier de la Lance I, 348. Huth 178. Not in Fromm.
Oblong 4to (244 x 232 mm). XVI, 152 pp. Illustrated throughout. Original pebbled brown cloth, titled in gilt on front cover. A rare Zionist publication on anti-Israeli propaganda, in English and Hebrew throughout, issued in the wake of the first two tumultuous years of statehood. Prolifically illustrated with facsimiles of contemporary photographs, posters, and cartoons and quoting extensively from Arab newspapers translated into Hebrew and English, the author presents a snapshot the political climate and high tensions of 1950 through a curated collection of contemporary sources, most from Arab media outlets in Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. - Light wear, binding delicate. Interior bright and clean. OCLC 19160797.
2 vols. 8vo. (4), XI, (1), XXV, (26)-264, (2) pp. (4), 259, (1) pp. With 2 engr. frontispieces and 6 engr. plates, all in contemp. colour. Contemp. marbled half calf with double giltstamped spine labels. Marbled endpapers. Third edition. - Drouville was a cavalry officer who went to Persia in the service of the Tsar and spent three years there. His vivid account of Persian manners, customs, and military organisation contains charming costume plates in contemporary colour. - Occasional minor brownstaining; professional repairs to spine-ends. Hage Chahine 1413. Wilson 62. Graesse II, 435. Cf. Howgego II, G2 (1st and 2nd ed.). Henze II, 97. Lipperheide Lc 9. Colas 901. Hiler 249 (all for the 1825 second ed. 1825 only). Schwab 144. Diba Collection p. 180 (first ed.).
Varnished wood. 335 x 35 mm. Maps printed on both sides, with calendar for 1894 in gold on black on both sides of the finial. "This desk accessory, designed for use as a map page turner or letter opener/paper knife, was a promotional item for The Eastern Telegraph Company Limited and The Eastern Extension Telegraph Company Limited. Based in London, these companies were part of a network creating communication routes around the UK and across the Atlantic in the late 1800s ... The blade of this wooden object is decorated with varnished sections of a world map, including Australia, with red lines indicating international land and sea telegraph lines" (Description of a similar example in the Queensland Museum, Registration no. H47766). - In very good condition.
17704to. (6), 374, (174) pp. With engr. publisher's device on t. p. Contemp. half calf with giltstamped red label to gilt spine. All edges red. Re-issue of the 1733 4th edition (first published in 1620). "An important addition is Schultens' 'Clavis dialectorum', in which he discusses the lexicological relation between Hebrew and Arabic. Another new feature is the anthology of proverbs entitled 'Al-Nawabig' [...] The indexes are this time predominant, for Arabic alone 142 pages" (Smitskamp). Erpenius (1584-1624), professor of oriental languages at Leiden, is regarded as "one of the men whom the study of oriental languages owes its resurrection" (cf. ADB). His own private printing shop, equipped with Hebrew, Arabic, Syrian, Ethiopian, and Turkish type, produced its first specimens as early as 1615. - Some slight browning and brownstaining throughout due to paper. Contemporary bibliographical note to front flyleaf; ms. ownership "Fuchs" to pastedown. Smitskamp, PO 76. Schnurrer 108. Gay 3400. Brunet II, 1050. Graesse II, 499. Ebert 6914.
8vo. XIV,188 pp. With portrait frontispiece and plates. Original pictorial cloth, gilt. First edition. - Some foxing, rubbed.