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Middle East, incl. Arabian Gulf: History, Travels, Falconry and Horses
Azevedo, Luis Marinho de. Apologeticos discursos offerecidos a Magestade del Rei Dom Ioam Nosso senhor quarto do nome entre os de Portugal. Em defensa da fama, e boa memoria de Fernão d'Alburquerque do seu conselho, & governador, que foi da India. Contra o que delle escreveo D. Goncalo de Cespedes na chronica del Rei D. Phelippe quarto de Castella. Lisbon, Manoel da Sylva, 1641. 4to. (8), 144 ff. With armorial title woodcut. Contemp. limp vellum with ms. title to spine. Edges sprinkled in red. Traces of ties.
€ 3,500
| First and only edition of this defence of Fernão de Albuquerque, a crucial source for the 1622 siege and capture of Hormuz by an Anglo-Persian force. The defeat of Rui Freire de Andrade effectively ended Portuguese power in the Arabian Gulf. This book is a most valuable source for the siege of Ormuz and operations in the Arabian Gulf in 1619-23 and contains extracts from contemporary documents relating to this campaign. - Several contemporary underlinings. Some browning; remarginings to title page, p. 3 of preliminary matter, Bb4 (defects to text); some of the loss has been supplied in blue ink (showing unattractive bleeding). - OCLC 13255383. Not in Macro. {BN#30336} (more) |
Bachagha Aberrahman Ou Rabah, Algerian statesman. Autograph Quotation signed ("Aberrahman Ou Rabah"). In French. No place or date. Folio. 1 page. On uncut wove paper, bearing the Schoellers-Parole blind embossed seal, margins uncut.
€ 1,000
| The original autograph contribution of Aberrahman ou Rabah to the Committee of the World League for Peace (Ligue Mondiale pour la Paix), a remarkable organization formed in 1925 with close ties to the League of Nations. The Committee itself was composed of such notaries as Queen Elizabeth of Belgium, King Carol II of Romania, John D Rockefeller, Marie Curie, and Albert Einstein, who personally gathered the present manuscripts over the course of seven years (1925-32). Among the public figures who contributed to the project were dignitaries from the newly-created League of Nations' member states. "Our wish, we French Muslims of Algeria, like that of all Frenchmen, is the peace in dignity of France and the safeguarding of her global interests. But if this peace that we wish for so ardently might prove impossible, on a troubled day, the native Algerians would be, as we well know, in the front ranks of the defenders of the country. [Signed] Abberrahman Ou Rabah, Bachagha, Member of the Supreme Council of the Government, Member of the Chamber of Agriculture, Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour". - Pax Mundi. Livre d'or de la paix. Enquete universelle de la Ligue mondiale pour la paix sous le haut patronage de son comite d'honneur avec l'approbation de la Societe des nations, du Bureau international du travail et de la Cour permanente de justice internationale. Geneve, Societe paxunis, 1932. {BN#25294} (more) |
[Bagpipes]. Original photograph of Habban bagpipe band. Middle East, 1940s. Silver gelatine print (vintage), 208 x 150 mm.
€ 100
| 22-man Habban bagpipe band posing for photographer, with two British musicians in local costume seated at centre. {BN#25224} (more) |
Bahgat, Aly. Hafriyat al-Fustat (Majmu`at al-manazir al-futughrafiyah). Fouilles dal Foustât (Album de photographies). Cairo, Mathaf al-Fann al-Islami, 1928. Folio (280 x 382 mm). (2), 5, (1) pp., 32 photographic plates. Original green half cloth with printed covers.
€ 1,500
| First Arabic edition. Atlas of plates intended to accompany Aly Bahgat's 1928 Arabic translation of the original French edition of his "Fouilles dal Foustât" (Paris, 1921). The city of Fustat, the first capital of Egypt under Arab rule, reached its peak in the 12th century, with a population of approximately 200,000. It was the center of administrative power in Egypt until it was ordered burned in 1168 by its own vizier, Shawar, to keep its wealth out of the hands of the invading Crusaders. The remains of the city were eventually absorbed by nearby Cairo. Today, Fustat is part of Old Cairo, with few buildings remaining from its days as capital, though there have been many archaeological digs which have taken advantage of the wealth of buried material in the area. Many ancient items recovered from the site are on display in Cairo's Museum of Islamic Art. - Table of contents and captions in Arabic and French. At head of title: Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyah / Musée de l'Art Arabe. - Corners insignificantly bumped; altogether well-preserved. - OCLC 28312546. {BN#27961} (more) |
[Bahrain]. Views of Manama. Manama, Bahrain, 1969. Collection of 4 press photos, c. 130 x 180 mm each.
€ 150
The Government building, palace, two minarets, and a downtown street scene. Hungarian press captions on reverse. {BN#29746} (more)
[Bahrain]. Ras Tanura & Bahrein Refineries. Compania Constructoria Bechtel-McCone, S.A. [San Francisco], Bechtel-McCone, [1946]. Folio. 18, (2) pp. Original illustrated printed covers.
€ 450
| Rare corporate publication issued immediately after the end of WWII, showing the latest achievements and projected aims of the then American-owned ARAMCO and BAPCO refineries. - Not recorded in online library catalogues internationally. - Not in OCLC. {BN#26686} (more) |
[Bahrain]. State visits to Great Britain. London, 1972-1984. 2 black-and-white gelatin silver prints. 238 x 176 and 165 x 120 mm.
€ 150
The Emir of Bahrain on his arrival at Heathrow Airport on 10 April 1984 for his four-day State Visit, flanked by Princess Alexandra (representing the Queen) and her husband, Angus Ogilvy; Shaikh Salman bin Da'ij Al Khalifa, Ambassador to Great Britain since 1972 (photo by Jon Blau, Camera Press London). - Press, date stamps and captions on reverse. {BN#29744} (more)
[Bahrain - Falconry]. Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, with Bahraini falcons. Bahrain, 16 February 1979. 3 black-and-white gelatin silver prints. 293 x 220, 240 x 176 and 250 x 200 mm.
€ 250
During the Queen's 1979 tour of the Gulf, the Duke of Edinburgh, himself an experienced falconer, got the chance to examine the birds at the Salman Centre for Falcons and to speak with handler Ali bin Hassan Al-Majid Al-Naimi, who explained the art of training and keeping the bird. The visit was part of the two-week Royal tour of the Gulf States, which lasted from February 15 to March 2. - Press stamps and captions on reverse. {BN#29745} (more)
Bajironde Zallaku, Ethiopian statesman. Autograph Quotation signed. In Amharic. [Paris]., 27. IX. 1927. Folio. 1 page. On uncut wove paper, bearing the Schoellers-Parole blind embossed seal, margins uncut.
€ 1,500
| The original autograph contribution of Bajironde Zallaku to the Committee of the World League for Peace (Ligue Mondiale pour la Paix), a remarkable organization formed in 1925 with close ties to the League of Nations. The Committee itself was composed of such notaries as Queen Elizabeth of Belgium, King Carol II of Romania, John D Rockefeller, Marie Curie, and Albert Einstein, who personally gathered the present manuscripts over the course of seven years (1925-32). Among the public figures who contributed to the project were dignitaries from the newly-created League of Nations' member states. "The League of Nations acts for peace and security for the whole world". With French inscription in his hand "Premier Deleguè de l'Empire d'Ethiopie, Bajironde Zallaka". Zallaka was the former Ethiopian Minister of Finance. - The Ethiopian Empire's relationship with the League of Nations is of particular interest during this period. In 1923 Haile Selassie I had secured entry into the League as the only remaining independent African state. In 1936 the Italian delegation withdrew from the League after their brutal invasion of Ethiopia, and Haile Selassie made his famed journey to Geneva to plead his country's case in person. Although the Empire was by now in Italian hands, Selassie's entry to the hall of the League of Nations was sympathetically accompanied by an introduction as "His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Ethiopia". His speech on the occasion, given amids the jeers of the Italian journalists present, is sometimes considered among the most stirring of the 20th century. - Pax Mundi. Livre d'or de la paix. Enquete universelle de la Ligue mondiale pour la paix sous le haut patronage de son comite d'honneur avec l'approbation de la Societe des nations, du Bureau international du travail et de la Cour permanente de justice internationale. Geneve, Societe paxunis, 1932. {BN#25302} (more) |
Bammer, Benita, painter (1938-1995). Painting. Vienna, 1975. 490 x 340 mm. Matted.
€ 200
| A charming scenery by the Austrian artist. {BN#26748} (more) |
[BAPCO]. Guide Book of Rules, Regulations and Procedures for Contractors Working for the Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited Awali, Bahrain. (Awali, BAPCO, August 1963). 8vo. V, (1), 68 pp. Original plastic spiral binder.
€ 450
| Original booklet of regulations as issued to contractors working with BAPCO in the 1960s. Contains sections on working hours during Ramadhan, overtime, security badges, work areas and good housekeeping, sanitary facilities, painting specifications, tools and equipment, explosives permits, theft and site identification, safe practices, traffic regulations, fire risks and accidents. - Well-preserved and obviously never read. {BN#26195} (more) |
Barbosa, Duarte. The Book of Duarte Barbosa. An Account of the Countries Bordering on the Indian Ocean and Their Inhabitants, Written by Duarte Barbosa, and Completed About the Year 1518 A.D. Translated from the Portuguese text [...] by Mansel Longworth Dames. Vol. I. Including the Coasts of East Africa, Arabia, Persia, and Western India as far as the Kingdom of Vijayanagar. London, Hakluyt Society, 1918. Vol. 1 only. 8vo. LXXXV, (1), 238, XXXIX, (1) pp. With folding map in rear flap. Original blue cloth with giltstamped cover vignette and spine title.
€ 950
| New English edition of the itinerary of Duarte Barbosa, a Portuguese official in India from 1500 to 1516. The first English translation appeared in 1865. Includes accounts of Mecca and Medina, the ports of Jeddah and Aden, the Arab kingdom of Hormuz, the islands in the Arabian Gulf (with reference to pearl-diving), etc. "The work may be a compilation of several sources, as it was impossible for one person to visit all the places [the author] mentions. Even if the book is not a record of personal observation, it is valuable for the information it supplies" (Cox I, 312). - Withdrawn from the Kansas City Public Library (their stamps on the flyleaf). The second volume was not published until 1921. The map reproduces Diego Ribero's 1529 map of the world. - Macro 467. Cox I, 316. {BN#25746} (more) |
Barros, João de. Decada primeira (-terceira) da Asia. Lisbon, Jorge Rodriguez for Antonio Gonsalvez, 1628. Large 4to. 3 vols. (6), 208 ff. (5), 231 (but: 238) ff. (10), 262 ff. Title vignettes (royal arms of Portugal). Without the folding plan present in some copies. Uniform mottled calf mit double giltstamped borders and cover titles; spines elaborately gilt; double giltstamped red spine labels. All edges sprinkled in red.
€ 8,000
| Second edition of the first three "Decades" on Portugal's Middle Eastern enterprises, all that was published during the lifetime of the author (a fourth volume was published posthumously in 1615; the set was continued by other hands). "This is considered by Du Fresnoy as being a good edition of the three first decades" (Clarke, The Progress of Maritime Discovery, p. 132). The writer de Barros (1496-1570), head agent for the Portuguese overseas trade authority "Casa da Índia", managed to persuade King João III to commission from him a history of the Portuguese in India (including Asia and southeast Africa). The result, published between 1552 and 1563, earned him renown as one of the first great Portuguese historians, and the the title of a "Portuguese Livy". The 'Decades' contain "the early history of the Portuguese in India and Asia and reveal careful study of Eastern historians and geographers, as well as of the records of his own country. They are distinguished by clearness of exposition and orderly arrangement. They are also lively accounts" (Enc. Britannica). Books 2 and 3 of the "Decada Segunda" (fols. 21 ff.) offer a detailed narrative of Alfonso de Albuquerque's expedition to the Arabian Sea and his conquest of Ormuz in 1507; the island remained under Portuese occupation from 1515 to 1622. As vassals of the Portuguese state, the Kingdom of Ormus jointly participated in the 1521 invasion of Bahrain that ended Jabrid rule of the Arabian Gulf archipelago. - Slight waterstaining throughout; t. p. of vol. 1 remargined (slight loss to border rules). Old ms. ownership to t. p. of vol. 3; stamp on t. p. of vol. 1; some contemp. notes at the end of the volume. Trimmed fairly closely at times, still, a good, uniformly bound set with handsome shelf appearance. Rare; last sold at Sotheby's 1998 auction. - Palau I.181b. Howgego I, B34, p. 91. Löwendahl, Sino-Western cultural relations I, p. 42, no. 75. OCLC 4507939. Cf. Macro 472-474. {BN#30959} (more) |
Barthel, Carl Friedrich, German painter (fl. c. 1803). Drawing of a camel with bedouins in the desert. No place, 1803. Pencil drawing, 175 x 104 mm on an oblong sheet of laid paper (200 x 132 mm, no watermark discernible).
€ 850
| Fine drawing of a pack camel in the desert, accompanied bedouins and an Arab horseman. Signed and dated by the artist, Barthel, who is possibly a member of the large family of Leipzig-based goldsmiths active around the late 18th and early 19th century. - Old vertical fold, otherwise perfect. {BN#31225} (more) |
Bayliss, Marguerite F. Bolinvar. New York, The Derrydale Press, 1937. Large 8vo. 2 vols. Original giltstamped red cloth. Together in custom-made half calf slipcase with giltstamped spine.
€ 950
| One of 950 copies labeled "EVC." Spines sunned; inner front hinge of vol. 1 loosened. Inscribed by the publisher on flyleaf of vol. 1: "To (Tity?) Randolph Catlin with the compliments of Eugene V. Connett". The Derrydale Press was founded by Eugene V. Connett, III, after his family’s beaver hat-making company was liquidated in 1925. He soon became an expert printer, and produced his first publication, Magic Hours, the first book to bear The Derrydale Press imprint (estimate: 20,000-30,000). For the next fourteen years, The Derrydale Press would publish 169 titles, most in limited editions, written by the best sporting authors and illustrated by the best sporting artists of the day. With the outset of World War II, Connett was forced to close the business due to the unavailability of quality materials during wartime and the firm’s increasing debts. - Frazier B7a. Siegel 112. {BN#31243} (more) |
[Bedouins]. Sheikh el Rachid, Chief of the Escorts and greatest Bedouin of Palestine. Washington, DC, J. F. Jarvis, 1900. 2 stereocopic images, c. 8 x 8 cms each, mounted on cardboard (17,7 x 8,8 cm) with printed captions.
€ 950
The portrait shows the seventy-odd-year-old Sheikh, wearing numerous medals on his burnous, before a door. Significantly better specimen than the only other known set, that in the Keystone-Mast Collection of stereoscopic views in the California Museum of Photography. {BN#29741} (more)
Benigni, Rudolf. Österreichische Botschaftsberichte über arabische Länder. - Austrian Embassy Reports on Arab Countries. Wien (Vienna), Österreichisches Institut für Bibliotheksforschung, Dokumentations- und Informationswesen, 1974. 8vo. 130 pp., 1 bl. f. Publisher's original printed wrapper.
€ 500
| The "Austrian Embassy Reports on Arab Countries": a catalogue of and guide to all relevant documents in the Vienna State Archives formerly kept at the Imperial Internuncio and later the Embassy in Constantinople from 1750 to 1918. The documents relative to Arabia include numerous pieces on the Sherif of Mecca, the Wahhabites, the Pacha of Jeddah, Sheikh Faisal's threat to Hajj pilgrims, and British interests in the region; others relate to the Wahhabite movement in Syria, the English blockade of Mocha and various insurgencies in Yemen, as well as events in Arabic countries from Iraq and Kuweit to Algier and Morocco. "Old Austria, beyond suspicion of imperialistic designs or ambitions of colonialism, was vitally interested in preserving the Ottoman Empire and protecting both its own chartered rights and the rights of man in this enormous territory, as well as in advancing the local economic development, a process, indeed, in which the Habsburg Empire itself played an important part. The diplomatic reports reflect this situation. Striving as they did to represent the facts without any political bias, strictly according to facts, they are of especial interest to the historian. They comprise a vast area stretching from the Arabian Gulf to Morocco on the Atlantic" (introduction). - Insignificant bumping to extremeties; altogether very well preserved copy of this indispensable and rare volume of reference. - Biblos-Schriften 77. {BN#30737} (more) |
Bent, J. Theodore. The Bahrein Islands, in the Persian Gulf. [London, Royal Geographical Society], 1890. 8vo. 20 pp. With 3 text illustrations and a folding lithographed colour map. Modern blue wrappers with cover label.
€ 500
| Offprint from the "Proceedings of The Royal Geographic Society", No. I, 1890. An early, oft-quoted study of country, history, and people of Bahrein, the "Cyprus of the Persian Gulf", with discussion of pearl fisheries, archaeological sites, commercial centres, etc. Bent's original paper, when presented before the RGS, had been accompanied by photographic slides, and Admiral Lindesay Brine had taken exception to the misleading character of some: "The Arabs were not such fearful people to look at as they appeared on the screen, some of them being very handsome men indeed" (p. 17). - Well-preserved copy. - Cf. Macro 517. {BN#25921} (more) |
Bent, Theodore and Mabel. Southern Arabia. London, Smith, Elder & Co., 1900. Large 8vo. X, (2), 455, (5) pp. With photoengraved portrait frontispiece (w. tissue guard), 6 (mostly folding) colour maps, and 24 plates. Original giltstamped red cloth.
€ 2,000
| First edition; rare. The work, which includes a bibliography, is divided into sections on Southern Arabia, Maskat, the Hadramaut, Dhofar and the Gara Mountains, the Eastern Soudan, the Mahri Island of Sokotra, Beled Fadhli and Beled Yafei. - Bent and his wife, Mabel, made seven journeys in all around the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, including Oman and Dhufar, which from 1893 to the end of his life he made the special field for his observations and travel. He gathered an enormous amount of geographical and other information on the Hadramaut region, which they photographed extensively, but tried in vain for three successive years to penetrate the Mahri districts. In 1896 Bent traversed the island of Socotra in the Gulf of Aden and the year after made further explorations around Aden itself. This account was compiled by his wife after his death and has become one of the most sought-after of early twentieth century Arabian exploration narratives. - Ex-library copy with remains of a library label on front pastedown and stamp of the "Suez Eastern Telegraph Company" on the final endpaper, slight traces of spine shelfmark label, otherwise clean. Sold for 4,600 GBP at Sotheby's 1998 Peter Hopkirk sale. - Macro, Bibliography of the Arabian Peninsula, 524. {BN#25145} (more) |
Bérard, Victor. Le Sultan, l'Islam et les Puissances. Constantinople - la Mecque - Bagdad. Avec deux cartes hors texte. Paris, Armand Colin, 1907. Small 8vo. VI, 443, (3) pp. With 2 folding maps. Contemp. half leather with giltstamped spine title.
€ 750
| Only edition. The maps show Egypt and Abessinia with the Arabian Peninsula and Asia Minor with the Middle East and Iraq. - Some foxing throughout; slight worming to lower corner of preliminary matter. Corners rubbed and bumped. Sold at Sotheby's 2002 Travel Sale for 454 GBP (later half morocco). {BN#25135} (more) |
[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 engr. title vignette, folding engr. map, and 4 engr. plates. Contemp. marbled boards.
€ 1,250
| First edition. - 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 theri shelfmark label on pastedown. - Holzmann/Bohatta I, 2892. Hamberger/Meusel XXII/1, 216. Not in Blackmer or Atabey. Not in Macro. {BN#30700} (more) |
Berreby, Jean-Jacques. Le Golfe Persique. Mer de Légende - Réservoir de Pétrole. Paris, Payot, 1959. 8vo. 228 pp. With 4 maps and 11 photo illustrations on plates. Original printed wrappers.
€ 450
Deals with numerous aspects of the Gulf States such as history, economy and social studies, especially in the context of the area's rapid economic development through oil exploration. Provides a good overview of the Gulf states' geopolitical role up to the late 1950s. - Untrimmed copy. {BN#29027} (more)
[Berse, Kaspar]. Epistolae Indicae, in quibus luculenta extat descriptio rerum nuper in India Orientali praeclar[a]e gestarum a Theologis societatis Iesu. Dillingen, Sebald Mayer, 1563. 8vo. (192) pp. (Bound after) II: Ephrem Syrus. Opuscula. Eiusdem monita sive praecepta Christianae vitae, in lucem aedita per Iacobum Menchusium. Ibid., (1563). (8), 83, (1) ff. (Bound with) III: Schottenius, Hermann. Vita honesta, sive virtutis: quomoodo quisque vivere debeat. [Ibid.], 1563. 79 ff. Contemp. blindstamped pigskin over wooden boards. Wants clasps.
€ 9,500
| I: First edition of this collection. Contains the important letters of Caspar Berse (Barzaeus, 1515-53), the "Dutch St. Francis Xaver", written on the Island of Hormuz in the Arabian Gulf. Berse gives an interesting account on the coasts of India from the Arabian Gulf to the Malabar and Coromandel coasts, including Ceylon, containing detailed information on the mission. These letters were re-published several times in the next decade and became known as one of the first 'modern' descriptions of India. The Jesuit Berse, born on Walcheren Island and educated at Louvain and Coimbra, was sent to the Middle East in 1548. In 1551 he was made headmaster of St. Paul's College in Goa, where he also died. The editor, the physician Johannes Agricola Ammonius (d. 1570), dedicates the work to Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria. Deleted contemp. ownership to t. p. - II: First edition produced by the Dillingen professor Menchusius, containing the lesser works of the greatest theologian of the Syrian Christian church. First quire loosened; old ownership and notes. - III: Later edition of this moralizing treatise, first published in 1527 and frequently reprinted until 1631. The Cologne professor Schottenius is mainly remembered for his didactic plays. Deleted contemp ownership to t. p.; the name of the editor, Adrian Barlandus, has been obliterated. - Very slightly browned and brownstained throughout. The appealing binding is insignificantly rubbed; corners bumped; covers slightly warped. - I: VD 16, B 2149. IA 114.322. Lach I, 431. Bibl. Belgica I, 183, B 2. Bucher 172 (s. v. Canisius). Cf. de Backer/Sommervogel I, 996f. Not in BM-STC German. - II: VD 16, E 1577. Adams E 214. IA 161.224. Bucher 171. - III: VD 16, S 4031. Not in BM-STC (German) or Bucher. {BN#26611} (more) |
Bhutta, Mohammad A. Physical and Geological Characteristics of the Northern Ad-Dughm Glass Sand Deposit, Ar-Riyad District, Saudi Arabia. Jeddah, Directorate General of Mineral Resources, 1966. 4to. V, (1), 27, (1) pp. With portrait frontispiece (HRH King Faisal), 11 text illustrations and 4 black-and-white folding plates in pocket. Original printed wrappers.
€ 450
| Rare study of the Al-Dughm silica sand deposit, about 45 km southeast of Riyadh. With a summary in Arabic. Published by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. - Binding slightly rubbed; otherwise fine. {BN#26192} (more) |
Bibby, Geoffrey. The 'Ancient Indian Style' Seals from Bahrain. [Oxford, OUP], 1958. 4to. 243-246 pp. With 1 plate (instead of 2; lacks plate XXVI). Modern binder.
€ 150
| Article from the journal "Antiquity" XXXII, discussing the circular stamp-seals discovered by the Danish Archaeological Expedition to Bahrein and Qatar in 1953-57. Six of theses seals are pictured on the plate. {BN#27500} (more) |
[Biblia - VT - Psalter - Coptice & Arabice]. Pi jom nte pi Psalterion nte David. Kitab Zubur Dawud. [Rome, Congregatio de Propaganda Fide, 1744]. 4to. 502 pp., final blank f. Printed in red and black throughout; text printed within double ruled borders. Verso of title leaf and recto of second leaf blank; woodcut title ornament (portrait of Christ and Coptic cross) with three woodcuts and type ornament border on t. p.; 2 text woodcuts within ornate woodcut borders of King David (signed P.V.) and Mary; woodcut headings and typographic ornaments. Contemp. vellum over boards.
€ 6,500
| First edition of the Psalms, followed by the Canticles, in Coptic and Arabic in parallel columns edited by Raphael Tuki and beautifully printed at the publishing house of the Congregation of the Propaganda Fide where Bodoni learned his trade. It was "published by the Congregation de Propaganda fide, with the view of being sent to Egypt. The Arabic version was added to render the Coptic more intelligible; for that language, it appears, is little understood by the Copts themselves" (W. Brown, A. Clarke, The History of Missions, II, p. 539). - Rapahel Tuki (Rufa'il al-Tukhi; 1701-87), born into an Orthodox Coptic family in Egypt, converted as a young adult to Roman Catholicism. "He went to study at the Collegio Urbano di Propaganda Fide in Rome, obtaining a doctoral degree in theology in 1735. He served as professor of Coptic Language and Church Rite at the Collegio for more than thirty-five years. Pope Clement XIII consecrated him titular bishop of Arsinoe in 1761. Tuki's greatest contribution to Coptic scholarship lies in his many editions and studies of the Coptic liturgy and the Coptic bible, which remain important scholarly tools today" (Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity). - Printed on a fine, thick paper; minor toning in two gatherings; neat notes on front end-paper in ink and pencil by a later hand. A few tiny worm holes in spine not affecting interior. - Darlow/Moule 1659 & 3090. OCLC 19938178. {BN#31675} (more) |
Biel, G[ottlieb Wilhelm Ludwig] von. Einiges über edle Pferde. Dresden, Hilscher, 1830. 8vo. XXVIII, 330, (2) pp. Contemp. boards.
€ 450
| First edition of this extremely early German work on noble horses and studs, more than half of which is devoted to the role of Arabian horses. Published four years before Ammon's "Nachrichten von der Pferdezucht der Araber" (1834), considered one of the very earliest works treating upon Arabian horsebreeding exclusively. Biel is noted as "a champion of English thoroughbred breeding" (cf. Schrader/H.). - Old ownership stamp to t.p. Slight brownstaining throughout. - Huth 112. Schrader/H. 175. {BN#28000} (more) |
Bilainkin, George. Cairo to Riyadh Diary [signed copy]. London, Williams and Norgate, 1950. 8vo. X, 233 pp., plus frontispiece and 18 reproduced photographs. Inscribed in blue ink to pastedown "For Catherine Hutchinson, from George Bilainkin", signed and date 1950. Bound in original publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine.
€ 450
| Scarce account of the author's experiences with Arab nobility in Egypt, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia in the 1940s. Bilainkin, a journalist and later friend of President John F. Kennedy, includes intimate details of daily life with sheiks, pashas, and other dignitaries as he travels from Egypt to Riyadh and back again. The territorial disputes with Britain of the 1940s occupy a prominent place in the narrative, as does the position of Palestine. In Riyadh Bilainkin has an audience with King Ibn Saud, who expresses his views on the problems facing Palestine in April of 1947. "The king said to me through an interpreter, 'The Zionists are fighting the British with British arms ... Let the British Government act. The fear of the Arabs is, the British will disarm the Arabs in Palestine and allow the Jews to arm'" (pp. 105-6). The present copy is noteworthy for its contemporary presentation inscription from Bilainkin himself. - Not in Macro. {BN#27396} (more) |
Biram, Arthur. Kitabu 'l-masa'il fi'l-hilaf bejn al-Basrijjin wa 'l-Bagdadijjin. Al-kalam fi'l gawahir. Die atomistische Substanzenlehre aus dem Buch der Streitfragen zwischen Basrensern und Bagdadensern. Inaugural-Dissertation der hohen philosophischen Fakultät der Universität Leipzig zur Erlangung der Doktorwürde. Berlin, H. Itzkowski, 1902. 8vo. 82, (2), 89, (1) pp. Papered spine (broken between the two parts).
€ 850
| Only edition of this study of Arabic atomism, tracing the dispute in mediaeval Arabic natural philosophy between the theologians of Basra and Baghdad. Includes the Arabic text. {BN#31435} (more) |
Bird, [John Alexander] Harington. Portrait of a grey Arab stallion in a desert landscape. London, W. F. Embleton, 1919. Coloured print of a watercolour. 326 x 398 mm. Signed in pencil by the artist.
€ 250
| The British artist Harington Bird (1846-1936) painted a great number of equestrian scenes, some for the Royal family, and many Arabian horse scenes. The sports he covered include foxhunting, coaching, dressage, pig-sticking, coursing and racing. - Matted. {BN#26739} (more) |
Bizzarri, Pietro. Rerum Persicarum historia, initia gentis, mores, instituta, resque gestas ad haec usque tempora complectens [...]. Frankfurt, Andreas Wechel / Claude de Marne & Erben Johann Aubrys, 1601. Folio (210:323 mm). (8), 644, (32) pp. With woodcut devices on t. p. (repeated at the end) and several pretty woodcut initials. Contemp. half calf with giltstamped label to gilt spine. Edges sprinkled in red.
€ 1,800
| Second edition (first printed in 1583). Important collection of previously published works about Persia, including the travels of the Venetians Giuseppe Barbaro (1436) and Ambrogio Contarini (1473), "together with several other tracts relating to the Turks, including works by Callimachus, Minadoi, [etc.]" (Sotheby's, Atabey sale, no. 117). - Somewhat browned due to paper, otherwise very clean. Binding rather rubbed; edges and corners bumped. Old bibliographic note on endpaper; bookplate of Eivind Hassler (1939-2009) on front pastedown. - VD 17, 23:231248Y. Atabey 112. Schwab 47. Graesse I, 433. Brunet I, 956 & VI, 28069. Cf. Adelung I, 139ff. Cicogna I, 360. Cox I, 258. Not in Blackmer. {BN#24610} (more) |
Bizzarri, Pietro. Persicarum rerum historia in XII libros descripta, totius gentis initia, mores, instituta, et rerum domi forisque gestarum veram atque dilucidam enarrationem continens. Antwerp, Christophe Plantin, 1583. Folio (228 x 334 mm). (12), 451, (25) pp. With woodcut printer's device to t. p. and full-page woodcut arms on reverse. (Bound with) II: Heuterus, Pontus. Rerum Burgundicarum libri sex. Ibid., 1584. With woodcut printer's device to t. p. (4), 192 pp. (wants the final 6 unnumbered ff. and the 99-page appendix). Contemp. blindstamped pigskin over wooden boards.
€ 3,500
| First edition. "The first 11 books recount the history up to 1578; book 12, with a historico-cultural focus, contains excerpts from classical authors on ancient Persia" (cf. Fueter). Bound with the first edition of Pontus de Heuter's history of Burgundy in the late Middle Ages. - Some brownstaining throughout. Bound around 1618 by the Stuttgart master M.S. for Duke Ludwig Friedrich von Württemberg (1586-1631) with his arms and those of his wife Elisabeth Magdalena von Hessen-Darmstadt (Haebler I, 423 I & 424 III). Later in the library of the Princes' School in Grimma; then transferred and ultimately deaccessioned from the library of the Dept. of Cultural and Universal History at Leipzig University. - BM-STC Dutch 35. Adams B 2088. IA 119.711. Ruelens/de Backer 258, 21. Degeorge 110. Voet 727. Atabey 112 (note). Fueter 123. - II: BM-STC Dutch 94. Adams H 525. Ruelens/de Backer 270, 34. Degeorge 114. Voet 1325. Sorgeloos 245. {BN#28029} (more) |
Bizzarri, Pietro. Pannonicum bellum sub Maximiliano II. Rom. et Solimano Turcar. imperatoribus gestum. Cumque Arcis Sigethi expugnatione, iampridem magna cura & studio, descriptum [...]. Basel, Sebastian Henricpetri, (February 1573). 8vo. (70) pp., 1 bl. f., 322, (4) pp. With woodcut printer's device on last page. Modern blindstamped calf in contemporary style.
€ 2,500
| First Latin edition of Pietro Bizzarri's "Historia della guerra fatta in Ungheria dall' intuitissimo imperatore dei Christiani contro quello deui Turchi" (Lyons, Roville, 1568/69). Contains interesting accounts of the Turkish wars in Hungary during 1564-68, of the siege of Malta, and about the French conquests in Florida and Canada. Also contains passages on Transylvania: "Caeterum paucae urbes, oppida vero complura, non obscuri nominis, in quibus Cibinium, Brassovia, Colosium, Bistricia, & plura alia a Germanis, quos nos Saxones appellamus, condita, & habita, nec rara passim, aedificia cernuntur. Eius solum variis in locis auriferos surculos, & glebulas aureas passim gignit [...] Hanc duae cingunt Walachiae, Transalpina, & Moldavia, illa Danubio, haec mari Euxino admota" (p. 8). "Other passages show that Bizzarri also considered the problem of the meaning of history [...] The second part is a checkered conglomerate of various notes, not without historical value. Bizzarri was especially interested in more or less credible reports of celestial phenomena" (cf. Göllner). - The Italian historian Pietro Bizzarri (1530-83) from Sassoferrato lived in France and England for a time, served the Elector August of Saxony for ten years, and spent most of his life in Antwerp (cf. Jöcher). - Occasional brownstaining (especially to title). Modern binding using old stamp material (fleuronnée stamps forming a border and a central ornament). - VD 16, B 5658. Adams B 2087. BM-STC German 128. IA 119.707. Atabey 110. Göllner 1613. BNHCat B 665. Graesse I, 433. Brunet U, 935. Apponyi 455. Schottenloher 43.474. Cf. Jöcher I, 1110. Not in Blackmer. {BN#19149} (more) |
Blanche. Syrie. Sites et Paysages. Paris, L. Boulanger, [c. 1900]. Oblong folio. (4) pp., 8 printed illustrations in colour after photographs. Original printed wrappers.
€ 150
| Fascicule 16 from the "Autour de Monde. Aquarelles, Souvenirs, Voyages", showing eight views from Syria. Depicts mosques, resting camels, etc. - Well preserved. {BN#25002} (more) |
[Bloodstock Breeders' Review]. The Bloodstock Breeders' Review. A Quarterly Devoted to the British Thoroughbred. [Later: The Bloodstock Breeders' Annual Review]. London, Bloodstock Agency/Review Publications, 1912-1982. 8vo, 4to and folio. 69 vols. Illustrated throughout in black and white. Uniformly bound annual volumes in half calf with red cloth covers and giltstamped red spine labels. Marbled endpapers.
€ 8,500
Complete run of this specialist journal devoted to the British thoroughbred, first published quarterly in 1912. Together with Weatherby's "Racing Calendar" and "General Stud Book", the "Bloodstock Breeders' Review" provides the background about pedigrees and racing success over different distances which breeders require. Contains a wealth of photograph illustrations showing famous horses and their owners. Several volumes showing slight spine defects but overall in fine condition. An exceptionally complete set: while the periodical was apparently not discontinued until 1981, most sets held in libraries internationally run only to the 1950s or 1960s. - ZDB-ID 976443-4. {BN#28995} (more)
Blundeville, Thomas. The Foure Chiefest Offices Belonging to Horsemanship: That is to Say, the Office of the Breeder, of the Rider, of the Keeper, and of the Ferrer. London, Humfrey Lownes, 1609. 4to. 2 pts. in 1 volume. (232) pp., including two title pages with fine woodcut borders. With 50 nearly full-page woodcut illustrations in the text. Bound to style in modern blindstamped brown calf with giltstamped red spine label and sparsely gilt spine.
€ 8,500
Early edition of the first comprehensive book in the English language regarding the care, breeding, and riding of horses. The "Four Offices" are those of the breeder, rider, keeper, and ferrer: this volume contains the first two offices. Among the illustrations are 43 full-page examples of bits and bridles. Some 17th- or 18th-c. ink annotations. Blundevill(e) (1522-1606) was, according to the Arabian Jockey Club, "one of the founders of the thoroughbred industry." He originally translated Gisone's "Gli Ordini di Cavalcare" (1550) as "The Art of Rydynge" (1560) which was the first modern treatise on classical dressage later incorporated as one of the chapters of this tome. First published in 1565/66; all editions published prior to 1650 are considered uncommon. - DNB V, 271. {BN#32016} (more)
Blunt, Lady Anne. Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates. Edited, with a preface and some account of the Arabs and their horses, by W[ilfrid] S[cawen] B[lunt]. London, John Murray, 1879. 8vo. 2 vols. XVII, (3), 346 pp. VII, (3), 283, (1) pp. With 2 frontispieces, 10 plates, 1 folding colour map and 1 folding pedigree. Contemp. half calf, spines finely giltstamped, with marbled endpapers; edges marbled to match.
€ 1,800
| First edition. - Standard work on Mesopotamia, its tribes, and the Arabian horse, including the much-sought folding chart of Arabian thoroughbred stock. Lady Anne, granddaughter of Lord Byron, and her poet husband were accepted and trusted by the tribal leaders, as she was living like a bedouin, riding from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf in Arab costume (cf. Jane Robinson, "Wayward Women", who terms her a keen observer and cool, level-headed traveler). - Some foxing throughout, but complete and well-preserved copy from the New South Wales parliament library. {BN#31451} (more) |
Blunt, Wilfred Scawen. A Visit to Jebel Shammar (Nejd). New Routes through Northern and Central Arabia. [London], 1880. 8vo. pp. 81-102. With 2 folding colour maps. Modern wrappers.
€ 1,300
| Extract from the Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society, No. II (Feb. 1880). An account of a journey made by Blunt and his wife, Lady Anne, in the winter of 1878. The Blunts travelled in the company of Mohammed Ibn Aruk, a friend they had made in Palmyra whose family descended from a Nejd tribe. Mohammed wished to return to Nejd in order to find a wife and the Blunts seized the opportunity of accompanying him. The description of their journey is highly detailed, with details of villages they visited, careful topographical description, observations on local custom, descriptions of wildlife and an account the stud of Arab horses belonging to ibn Rashid, the reigning Emir of Hail. The account is followed by a transcript of a discussion that followed Blunt's presentation to the Royal Geographical Society. It includes observations by Sir Lewis Pelly, Mr Blanford and Sir H. Rawlinson. - The maps show Northern and Central Arabia (with the travel route taken by the Blunts) and a detailed sketch map of Jebel Shammar. A copy in modern cloth, with library stamps of the Chelsea Public library, was sold for GBP 999 at Sotheby's Travel Sale (Mediterranean & Middle East) in 2001. - Macro, Bibliography of the Arabian Peninsula, 560. {BN#24985} (more) |
Blunt, Wilfred Scawen. A Visit to Jebel Shammar (Nejd). New Routes through Northern and Central Arabia. [London], William Clowes & Son for Edward Stanford, 1880. 8vo. pp. 81-144. With 3 folding colour maps. In complete journal issue.
€ 1,500
| Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society, No. II (Feb. 1880). Contains the account of a journey made by Blunt and his wife, Lady Anne, in the winter of 1878. The Blunts travelled in the company of Mohammed Ibn Aruk, a friend they had made in Palmyra whose family descended from a Nejd tribe. Mohammed wished to return to Nejd in order to find a wife and the Blunts seized the opportunity of accompanying him. The description of their journey is highly detailed, with details of villages they visited, careful topographical description, observations on local custom, descriptions of wildlife and an account the stud of Arab horses belonging to ibn Rashid, the reigning Emir of Hail. The account is followed by a transcript of a discussion that followed Blunt's presentation to the Royal Geographical Society. It includes observations by Sir Lewis Pelly, Mr Blanford and Sir H. Rawlinson. - The maps show Northern and Central Arabia (with the travel route taken by the Blunts) and a detailed sketch map of Jebel Shammar, as well as a sketch map of the route of the RGS East African Expedition from Dar-Es-Salaam to Lake Nyassa in 1879 (to accompany Joseph Thomson's article about that route, also here contained). - Spine broken before p. 143; wants back wrapper cover. A copy in modern cloth, with library stamps of the Chelsea Public library, was sold for GBP 999 at Sotheby's Travel Sale (Mediterranean & Middle East) in 2001. - Macro, Bibliography of the Arabian Peninsula, 560. {BN#27444} (more) |
Blunt, Wilfrid Scawen. The Forthcoming Arab Race at Newmarket. , 1884. 8vo. 753-764 (= 12) pp. Modern marbled wrappers.
€ 250
Offprint from "The Nineteenth Century and After" vol. XV, No. 87. Blunt's important essay praises the advantages of the Arabian horse over the British thoroughbred of the time, arguing that the Arab had "courage, beauty, and above all, soundness of constitution", and their professional breeding in England would provide both the racetrack and the studs with a much-needed injection of fresh blood. He describes the forthcoming Newmarket race and his own entries there (Hadramaut, Shiraz, Damascene, as well as Jeroboam, Purple Ibis, and Nebuchadnezzar), and recommends the breeding of Arabian horses to all equestrian-minded squires, as "the possession of noble horses ennobles man". Reprinted in George H. Conn, "The Arabian Horse in Fact, Fantasy, and Fiction" New York, 1973), p. 371. {BN#28987} (more)
Bode, Baron C[lement] A[ugustus] de. Travels in Luristan and Arabistan. London, J. Madden and Co., 1845. Octavo, 2 vols. xx, 404; xii, 398, [1] pp. With 15 lithographed and wood engraved plates (two folding) and 2 folding engraved maps. Recent period style brown gilt tooled half calf with marbled boards and black gilt morocco labels. A very good set.
€ 8,500
| First edition. - An important account on Persia with detailed descriptions of the antiquities, archaeological sites and the ancient history of the country. De Bode travelled from Tehran to Isfahan, Persepolis, Shiraz, Kazeroun, Shushtar, Susa, Khorramabad and back to Tehran. "Luristan" (modern "Loristan"), or the land of the Luri people, is a western province of Persia and the main city is Khorramabad. "Arabistan" (modern "Khuzestan") is located in the Eastern Persia and the main city is Ahwaz. - De Bode gives a detailed account of the ancient cities of Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Ahaemenid Empire, and Susa which used to be the capital of the legendary civilisation Elam, mentioned in the Bible. In his narrative he describes numerous archaeological sites, lists the names of settlements, describes the history of the local tribes and their manners and customs. As a supplement he published his observations on the routes of Timur and Alexander the Great who crossed south-western Persia during their conquering marches. "It is with the view of rescuing from a second oblivion this once classical ground that the Author has endeavoured to draw aside a corner of the veil which still covers this mysterious region" (Preface). One of Bode's advisors whom he acknowledges in the Preface, was the renowned Assyriologist Sir Henry Rawlinson (1810-1895), an expert in Persian and Indian vernacular languages who explored Susiana and Persian Kurdistan and was called by Budge, in The Rise and Progress of Assyriology (1925), "the father of Assyriology" (Oxford DNB). - "Clement Augustus de Bode, a member of the Russian legation in Tehran, filled some empty spaces in existing maps" (Howgego 1800-1850, G2); "The author travelled in 1841 from Tehran to Esfahan, Persepolis, Shiraz, Kazeroun, Shushtar, Dezful, Susa, Khorramabad, Boroujerd and back to Tehran. It is mostly a travel book, however, the author gives a good picture of tribal life and especially the political situation in Fars; principally the hostility between the Qashqai tribe which controlled Shiraz. There is also descriptions of historical sites and monuments along the way" (Ghani, p. 93) {BN#31440} (more) |
Bogolubow, Andrei. Tapis de l'Asie Centrale. St. Petersburg and Leipzig, Karl W. Hiersemann, 1908. Large folio (680 x 500 mm). 43 plates (36 of which are in colour), 2 double-page coloured maps. XXVI, (2) pp. Original wrappers. German text in wrappers and loose plates in original grey cloth portfolio with giltstamped titles.
€ 5,000
| First edition of "the first great book on turkoman rugs" (Arntzen/Rainwater). The magnificent plates in full colour printed on special paper, each sheet bearing the label of the St. Petersburg "Manufacture des Papiers de l'État". - Title page of the text volume with closed tear, otherwise fine. - Cf. Arntzen/Rainwater P618 (the 1973 reprint only). {BN#28933} (more) |
Boha-Eddin (Yusuf ibn Rafi’ Ibn Shaddad al-Mausili) / Albert Schultens (ed.). [Sirat al-Sultan al-alik al-Nasr Salih al-Din]. Vita et res gestae Sultani, Almalichi Alnasiri, Saladini [...]. Grandiore cothurno conscripta ab Amadoddino Ispahanensi ex mss. Arabicis [...] Editit et latine vertit Albertus Schultens. Leiden, Samuel Luchtmans, 1732. Folio. Four pts. in 1 vol. (30), 278 pp. (2), 64 pp. 26, (88, index) pp. T. p. printed in red and black, Arabic and Latin text in two columns. Contemp. blindstamped vellum on seven raised bands with faded ms. title to spine.
€ 9,500
| First edition (reprinted in 1755). The eminent Arabian writer and statesman Bohaddin, better known in the East as Ibn-Sjeddad, "wrote several works on Jurisprudence and Moslem Divinity; but the only one that can be interesting to us is his 'Life and Actions of Saladin', which, with other pieces connected with the same subject, was published by Albert Schultens, at Leyden, in 1732, accompanied by a somewhat inelegant Latin translation, also by notes, and a Geographical Index. This work affords a favourable specimen of the historical compositions of the Arabs [...] The enthusiasm with which every thing about [Saladin] is narrated, and the anecdotes which the author, from his own personal knowledge, is able to communicate respecting that extraordinary character, give his work a great degree of interest" (Enc. Britannica, Suppl. II [1824], p. 352f). - An appealing copy in Dutch blindstamped vellum from the Berne Abbey, home of the Premonstratensians of Heeswijk, North Brabant, and the oldest extant religious community in the Netherlands (their stamp on t. p.). Modern protective flyleaves (but original pastedowns). Slight wrinkling to final pages; otherwise clean and unbrowned. - Schnurrer 148, no. 175. Gay 2238. Cf. Fück 107. Not in Smitskamp. {BN#25140} (more) |
[Bongars, Jacques]. [Orientalium expeditionum historia.] Gesta Dei per Francos, sive Orientalium expeditionum, et regni Francorum Hierosolimitani historia [...]. Hanau, typis Wechelianis, apud heredes Joan. Aubry, 1611. Folio (230 x 354 mm). (56), 621, (1), 625-1207, (1) pp. With 2 double-page-sized engr. folding plates and 2 engr. plans; woodcut printer's device at end. (Bound with:) Sanudo, Marino. Liber secretorum fidelium crucis super Terrae Sanctae recuperatione et conservatione [...] Orientalis historiae tomus secundus. Ibid., 1611. (12), 361 pp. (a double-page-sized folding plate numbered as 283f.). Engr. printer's device to both titles. Contemp. vellum with giltstamped spine title.
€ 15,000
| Only edition of this early, important source book for the history of the crusades and the Kingdom of Jerusalem and its vassal states. The much-sought maps, usually found in the second part, are here bound after the preliminary matter of pt. 1. "Four of the maps from Marino Sanudo's early fourteenth-century manuscript atlas were reprinted by Johann Bongars in 1611. Sanudo's planisphere [...] is one of the few examples of medieval maps based on portolano sources in printed form. It is a circular map centered on Jerusalem with the Mediterranean relatively well defined. The ocean surrounds the whole of the known world, the outer parts of which are represented by conjecture. The authorship of Marino Sanudo is not definitely established and the original manuscript has also been attributed to Pietro Vesconte" (Shirley). - Slight paper defect in last text leaf but one of vol. 2, otherwise an excellent and complete copy showing only minor browning. A copy in modern half vellum (severely browned, with some worming) commanded 13,000 Euros at Reiss's spring 2009 auction. - Shirley 276 (and plate 217). Tooley I, 162. Laor 783, 1145f. Nordenskiöld 51 (and plate 28). VD 17, 1:069728C & 23:231141Q. Brunet I, 1098. Cioranescu (16e siècle) 4305. Rep. font. hist. med. aevi I, 105. Lex. Kart. 576 & 860f. Cf. Tobler 12. {BN#29958} (more) |
Bosworth, Clarence E. Breeding Your Own. How to Raise and Train Colts for Pleasure and Profit. New York, The Derrydale Press, 1939. 8vo. X, (2), 245 pp. Publisher's original half cloth with giltstamped cover title. In custom-made half calf slipcase with giltstamped spine.
€ 1,000
| First edition. One of 1250 copies labeled "This is an unnumbered copy for review purposes only." - The Derrydale Press was founded by Eugene V. Connett, III, after his family’s beaver hat-making company was liquidated in 1925. He soon became an expert printer, and produced his first publication, Magic Hours, the first book to bear The Derrydale Press imprint (estimate: 20,000-30,000). For the next fourteen years, The Derrydale Press would publish 169 titles, most in limited editions, written by the best sporting authors and illustrated by the best sporting artists of the day. With the outset of World War II, Connett was forced to close the business due to the unavailability of quality materials during wartime and the firm’s increasing debts. - Frazier B13a. Siegel 144. {BN#31259} (more) |
Bourgoin, Jules. Les Arts Arabes. Architecture - Menuiserie - Bronzes - Plafonds - Revêtements - Marbres - Pavements - Vitraux - etc. Paris, A. Morel & Cie., 1873. Folio (360 x 454 mm). (4), 3, (1), 4, (4), VIII, 28 pp. With 51 engr. plates and 41 chromolithographic plates. Contemp. half calf on 5 raised bands and giltstamped title to spine. Marbled endpapers.
€ 15,000
| Only edition of this rare collection of stunning ornamental plates, showing Islamic architectural designs and decorative details thereof. With accompanying text by Bourgoin (1838-1908), who had spent years in Egypt as an architect and made extensive travels to Syria and Palestine. This monumental work, with a preface by E. Viollet-le-Duc, first made Arabic art widely known in Europe and was immediately recognized as a classic. Included with this set are three original pen-and-ink sketches of the geometrical mosaic designs in the Alcazar of Sevilla, as well as a sketch of Western gothic architecture. - Some foxing throughout as usual, but mainly confined to margins. Binding slightly rubbed and bumped at extremeties; still an excellent copy. - Blackmer 185. {BN#31699} (more) |
Bourgoin, J[ules]. Les Élements De L'Art Arabe: le Trait Des Entrelacs. Paris, Librairie de Firmin-Didot & Cie., 1879. 4to. 48 pp. With 190 numbered lithogr. plates (some with red patterns) of geometrical patterns and 10 numbered chromolithogr. plates (some with gold), with a door decorated in Arabic style, decorative woodwork, mosaics, an elaborately decorated ceiling, etc. Stored loosely in contemp. green half calf portfolio with green marbled boards, spine with title lettered in gilt, green ties.
€ 4,500
| First edition of this important art-historical work with detailed geometrical plates on Arabic art by Jules Bourgoin (1838-1908), architect and lecturer in the history and theory of ornaments at the Paris École des Beaux Arts. A preface and description of the plates is followed by the detailed plates of intricate geometrical patterns common in Arabic art. - Some minor browning. Fine, partly uncut copy. {BN#25159} (more) |
Bowarowski, Carl, painter (1853-1927). Horse Race. No place, [c. 1900]. Grey wash on paper, signed. 15.3 x 31.7 cm.
€ 800
| Anton Carl Bowarowski (1853-1927) began his studies at the Viennese Academy under Carl von Blaas, Eduard von Engerth, and Johann Nepomuk Geiger, then proceeded to study in Munich (where he later settled) under Ludwig von Loefftz and Wilhelm Duerr. He began as a painter of small historical scenes; from 1893 onwards, Bowarowski was also active as an illustrator for various magazines and publishing houses. {BN#23343} (more) |
Brandel, R[obert] A[lbin]. Om och Ur den arabiske geografen ´Idrîsî. Akademisk afhandling [...]. Uppsala, Akademiska Boktryckeriet Edv. Berling, 1894. 8vo. Pt. 1 only. V, (1), 40 pp. Original printed wrappers (wanting back cover).
€ 75
| First part only (wants parts 2-3 [32, 114 pp.]). Dissertation about the Andalusian geographer, cartographer, Egyptologist and traveller Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Sharif al-Idrisi (1099-1165?; known as "Dreses" in the Latin tradition), who lived in Sicily at the court of King Roger II. and drew the famous "Tabula Rogeriana" (or "Kitab Rudjdjar"). - Front cover somewhat duststained. Untrimmed and uncut copy. - OCLC 7535251. Dinse (Kat. der Bibl. der Ges. für Erdkunde zu Berlin) A 1370. {BN#24989} (more) |
Brown, William Robinson. The Horse of the Desert. New York, The Derrydale Press, 1929. Folio. XXVII, (3), 218 pp. Illustrated throughout, including 4 colour plates. Original giltstamped blue cloth. In custom-made half calf slipcase with giltstamped spine.
€ 2,500
| First edition, second state, one of 750 unnumbered copies. - The Derrydale Press was founded by Eugene V. Connett, III, after his family’s beaver hat-making company was liquidated in 1925. He soon became an expert printer, and produced his first publication, Magic Hours, the first book to bear The Derrydale Press imprint (estimate: 20,000-30,000). For the next fourteen years, The Derrydale Press would publish 169 titles, most in limited editions, written by the best sporting authors and illustrated by the best sporting artists of the day. With the outset of World War II, Connett was forced to close the business due to the unavailability of quality materials during wartime and the firm’s increasing debts. - Frazier B19A. Siegel 25. {BN#31239} (more) |
