Narrative of A Year's Journey Through Central and Eastern Arabia (1862-63); Includes Two (2) Maps of Arabia
London: MacMillan, 1866. Third Edition. Green cloth over boards with titling and cover illustrations of an Arab and camel in the desert in gilt. Two Volumes, 13.5 x 22, wear at the spine extremities, Vol 1. has rubbing to front cover and 1 cm tear on spine, typical light foxing and aging to pages. Maps have foxing and toning along the attached edge, several small tears at folding edge, wrinkled edges at open edge. Inscribed, not signed by the author: "To: G. E. and S. L. Simpson / from the author / October 28, 1868".
William Palgrave (1826 - 1888) was a Roman Catholic convert working in Syria as a missionary and founder of schools. He acculturated as a local in speech, dress and custom. He narrowly escaped the Druse massacres of Christians in 1861. He was given special dispensation by the church in Rome to venture into the Arabian cities of Ha'il and Riyadh. He created a disguise as a Syrian Christian doctor named Selim Abu Mahmoud al-Eis. Again his good luck allowed him to escape detection and capture, which would have surely resulted in his death, as the Arabians were not tolerant of Europeans. His accomplishments in 1862 - '65 include the first westerner to cross Arabia from NW-to-SE. The second half of Vol. II contains his visit to Bahrain we he experienced the toleration of religious controversy; then on Qatar where he wrote the best western description of the sheikdom up to that time; and Oman, which included descriptions of Sharjah and Muscat. Good +, Both maps are VG. Item #3162
Price: $926.00