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Middle East, incl. Arabian Gulf: History, Travels, Falconry and Horses
'Abd al-Basit ibn Musá `Almawi / Sauvaire, H[enri]. Description de damas. Traductions de l'Arabe. Paris, Imprimerie Nationale, 1895-1896. 8vo. 2 parts in 1 vol. (4), 318 pp. (4), 441, (1) pp. Modern red half morocco with giltstamped spine title; original blue printed wrappers bound within.
€ 1,500
| First edition in book form ("Extrait du Journal Asiatique, 9. sér., v. 3-7, 1894-96"). The French scholar Henri Sauvaire (1849-96), a leading photographer and numismatic collector, served as a Consul in Damascus and Casablanca. He spent the last years of his life writing on Arab culture. In 1864 he embarked on translating into French the "Description of Damascus" by Abd al-Basit al-Amawi, who lived in Damascus in the mid-16th century (d. 1573/4). - Rare and well-preserved. - OCLC 23427282. {BN#28985} (more) |
[A Horse's Pedigree]. 3 documents on the pedigree of a foal born to the royal stallion stud Pompadour (Corrèze). Limoges, 1848. Small 4to. Altogether 4 pp.
€ 1,500
1. Birth certificate of the foal Tulip, born of a thoroughbred mare "d'espèce de Selle" and a royal stud of the same stud farm Pompadour (document partly printed, signed by the domain administrator de Pompadour). 2. Certificate of Affiliation. 3. Document concerning the mare's sale. {BN#32055} (more)
Abd el-Kader, Algerian freedom fighter (1807-1883). Autograph letter. Istanbul, 30. XI. 1851. 8vo. ½ p. on double leaf.
€ 2,800
| A polite letter in Arabic to Alexandre Bellemare, interpreter to the Minister of Defense, informing him that he has arrived in Constantinople. - Together with a contemporary translation into French. {BN#31994} (more) |
Abu al-Barakat 'Abdallah b. Ahmad b. Mahmud al-Nasafi. Kanz al-Daqa'iq fil-Furu'. No place, Wednesday 17 Rabi` I 882 AH [1477 AD]. Large 4to (176 x 262 mm). Arabic ms. on oriental paper. 325 ff., expertly written naskh script, possibly in more than one hand, black ink with rubrics, usually 6-8 lines to the page, considerable interlinear and marginal glossing. Full-leather Islamic binding with fore-edge flap; original blind tooled ornamentation (medallion).
€ 12,000
| Manual on Islamic Law by Abu al-Barakat `Abdallah b. Ahmad b. Mahmud al-Nasafi (d. 710/1310), an important Hanafi legist and theologian, born in Nasaf in Sogdian, He taught in the Madrasa al-Kutbiya al-Sultaniya in Kirman, came to Baghdad in 710 and died in Rabi` I 710 (August 1310), apparently on his return journey to Idjadj (in Khuzistan), where he was buried. The Kanz al-Daqa'iq is an important text on Hanafite law and formed the basis for a great number of commentaries, especially in the 9th/14th and 10th/15th centuries (EI² VII, p. 96; Brockelmann, GAL II, pp. 250-53). Contains both the `Ibadat and the Mu`amalat. - Final 12 leaves (f. 313ff.) show edge damage with some loss of text. Copied by Khidr b. Shaykh `Ali (colophon in a chancery hand on f. 325v). - Cf. GAL S II, 265. {BN#30317} (more) |
Abu al-Barakat Hafiz al-din Abdallah b. Ahmad b. Mahmud al-Nasafi Kanz al-daqua'iq fi'l-furu (Treasure of Niceties in the Branches [of Jurisprudence]). N. p., 818 AH [1416 AD] Small folio (28 x 18 cm). 110 ff., manuscript on sturdy laid paper, written area 17,5 x 11 cm, 14 lines to the page, naskh script, black ink, captions in red, extensive marginal and interlinear glosses throughout. later Islamic leather binding with flap, covers cockled.
€ 6,500
| Early-15th-century manuscript of this famous manual on Islamic Law by Abu al-Barakat `Abdallah b. Ahmad b. Mahmud al-Nasafi (d. 710/1310), an important Hanafi legist and theologian, born in Nasaf in Sogdian (today's Qarshi in southern Uzbekistan). He taught in the Madrasa al-Kutbiya al-Sultaniya in Kirman, came to Baghdad in 710 and died in Rabi` I 710 (August 1310), apparently upon his return journey to Idjadj (in Khuzistan), where he was buried. The book was originally an abridgement of his "al-Wâfi" and proved an excellent contribution to the Islamic jurisprudence. "Kanz al-daqua'iq" has been one of the most reliable tracts on Hanafite law and was frequently consulted by fiqh scholars. It formed the basis of 27 commentaries (EI VII, p. 96; Brockelmann, GAL II, pp. 250-53). This mediaeval manuscript was calligraphed by Ahmad b. Amîr and is an extremely early specimen, written only a hundred years after the death of the author. - Upper margins browned; entries in Ottoman-Turkish on the first leaf. {BN#31746} (more) |
Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazzali. Mishkat al-Anwar fi Lata'if al-Akhbar lil-Tahdid ila Sunan al-Sayyid al-Mukhtar. N. p., 15th century. 4to (25 x 16 cm). 127 ff. on Arabic manuscript paper, naskh script with ta'liq features, black ink with rubrics. Rebacked full-leather Oriental binding.
€ 6,500
| The still unedited book in both Arabic and Turkish is a manual of ethical advice based on verses of the Koran and the sayings of the prophet. This work on Islamic ethics is divided into 48 chapters. On ff. 125v-127v the main text is followed by notes in Turkish and Arabic. It does not mention the name of the author, but was ascribed to Ghazzali in Hajji Khalifa (II col. 1693). The text differs from Ghazzali's mystical work "Mishkat al-anwar wa-misfat al-anwar" (GAL S I 751 no. 34a); it was also mentioned (with additional mss.) in GAL S I 751 no.34c and is identical with Ms. Berlin 8745. {BN#31734} (more) |
Aga Khan, Andrée Joséphine, wife of Aga Khan III (1898–1976). Autograph quotation signed. [Antibes], 22. I. 1930. Large 4to. 1 p.
€ 1,500
| "La santé est le seul et unique principe de vie pour le corps humain: pour un peuple c'est l'union avec l'accord et non la guerre qui le fera vivre [...]". - Mounted on cardboard. {BN#31953} (more) |
Ahdab ar-Rammah, Nagm-ad-Din Aiyub al-. Al- Furusiya wa'l-manasib al-harbiya. Baghdad, Dairat as-Suun at-Taqafiya wa'n-Nasr, 1984. 4to. 182, (2) pp. With several facsimile illustrations. Publisher's illustrated wrappers.
€ 800
| Late-13th-century Arabic treatise on "horsemanship and the strategems of war", edited by `Id Daif al-`Ibadi. "This treatise exists in two Paris Arabic manuscripts, BN ancient fonds 2825 (old 1128) and fonds Asselin 643. The introduction says that the book contains "all that is necessary for the masters, men of war, gallants, and artificers, in fact of military operations, the different ways of using the lance, the mace, and the arrow: ways of mixing materials, constructing machines, communication of fire, etc., naval combats, and other things no less curious", all for the advancement of Islam. Pyrotechnics, however, play the most important role. The manuscript says: "The second part treats of machines of fire to be used for amusement or for a useful purpose, machines of fire required in war on land or sea, for the defence of fortresses, in sieges, when a place is to be set on fire, in saps when doors covered with iron are to be burnt, when pots are to be thrown by mangonels, pots with narrow necks, clubs, fire-lances, instruments for distillation, the proportions (recipes), smokes, flying fire or rockets, flowers (fireworks), lance-heads, cups, birds, and moons" (A. Rahman Zaky, "Gunpowder and Arab Firearms in the Middle Ages", in: Gladius, VI [1967], pp. 45-58, here: p. 48). - In excellent consition. - OCLC 318028765. Silsilat kutub at-turat 222. {BN#31218} (more) |
Ahmed Ali Khan, Afghan diplomat. Autograph Quotation signed ("Ahmed Ali"). In French. Paris, 18. IV. 1930. Folio. 1 page. On uncut wove paper, bearing the Schoellers-Parole blind embossed seal, margins uncut.
€ 800
| The original autograph contribution of Ahmed Ali Khan 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 finest ideal for humanity is a peace based on justice and the integral independence of all nations. [Signed] Ahmed Ali". - 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#25291} (more) |
Ahmed Hassan, Hafiz. Pilgrimage to the Caaba and Charing Cross. London, W. H. Allen & Co., [1871]. 8vo. VIII, 174, 8, (2) pp. With mounted photoportrait frontispiece. Original elaborately giltstamped forest green cloth. All edges red.
€ 2,800
| First and only edition; inscribed copy. The author worked in the service of the Nawab (sovereign) of Tonk, in Hindustan. A muslim, the Nawab in January 1870 received permission to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. Ahmed Hassan accompanied him, and his account includes details of the crossing from Bombay to Jeddah, of the visits to Mecca and Medina, and of the continuation of his journey to England. The account is uncommon. - Occasional minute foxing to interior, otherwise a very fine copy in well-preserved original binding. Inscribed by the author on t. p.: "With the author's compliments". - Not in Macro, Bibliography of the Arabian Peninsula. {BN#30334} (more) |
[Algeria]. - Bou Kandoura, Mohammed. Letter signed. Alger, 18. XII. 1828. Large 4to. 2 pp. Together with a contemporary transcription into French.
€ 1,500
| To the Crown prosecutor of Algeria, describing a case of child murder under the law of Sharia. {BN#31996} (more) |
Alisi, Antonio, art historian (1876-1954). Majoliche e Vetri Arabi. Cairo, 1916. Folio (330 x 250 mm). Autograph manuscript with 108 original watercolours. Contemp. blue cloth with gilt stamped label to title.
€ 6,800
The present manuscript, assembled during the author's visit to Egypt in 1916, documents Islamic ceramics of all kinds (vases, lamps, figurines, plates, glasses, etc.), mostly from archaeological excavations in Fostat near Cairo. Antonio Alisi was a renowed expert on Islamic art, director of the Capodistria Museum and later appointed head of the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza. - Title and most watercolours signed by Alisi. Includes somes correspondence and manuscript material by the author. - Well preserved. {BN#32128} (more)
Al-Mutanabbi, Abul-Tajjib / Hammer[-Purgstall], Joseph von (transl.). Motenebbi, der größte arabische Dichter. Zum ersten Mahle ganz übersetzt. Vienna, Heubner, 1824. 8vo. LVI, (2), 427 pp. Contemp. half cloth with giltstamped spine title.
€ 850
| First German edition of the highly influential poems of al-Mutanabbî (915-965). - Ms. library shelfmark and stamp on t.p. (withdrawn). - Goedeke VII, 764, 68. Wurzbach VII, 276, 44. {BN#28040} (more) |
Al-Shanti, Ahmad M. S. Oolitic Iron Ore Deposits in Wadi Fatima Between Jeddah and Mecca Saudi Arabia. Mineral Resources Bulletin 2. Jeddah, Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, 1966. V, (1), 51, (1), l. bl. f. With portrait frontispiece (HRH King Faisal) and 13 folding maps in pocket. Original printed green cloth binding.
€ 850
| 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. {BN#26073} (more) |
American Racing Manual. The American Racing Manual. 1942 to 1990. A reference on Thoroughbred Racing, With Special Exclusive Features and Other Comprehensive and Authoritative Information on all Turf Subjects. Chicago, New York and and Los Angeles, Triangle Publications, 1942-1990. 47 volumes. Original illsutrated cloth with gilt title to spine.
€ 5,000
| A continous run, lacking only the volume for 1975. The Manual was first published in 1906. The work was continuously published until 1994, when its format was changed to an abbreviated form. Content of the work covers the previous years racing performances for the United States. Also included are histories of major stakes races, race records of the year-end champions, a section giving all Hall of Fame horses, information on the Breeder's Cup races, and some information on non-American racing. Statistics on the year's record of every racehorse, racehorse owner, racehorse trainer, and racehorse breeder are also part of the content along with track speed records and world records. Articles about subjects connected with the racing industry as well as analyzing trends and developments from the year are also included. {BN#29001} (more) |
American Stud Book. The American Stud Book, Containing Full Pedigrees of all Imported Thorough-Bred Stallions and Mares. With their Produce. Including Arabs, Barbs and Spanish Horses. Volumes 1-29. From the Earliest Record to 1983. New York, Sanders D. Bruce [and from 1896:] The Jockey Club, 1873-1984. 29 vols. bound in 38. Uniformly bound in half calf with brown cloth covers and giltstamped spine labels in two colors. Marbled endpapers. Later volumes (from 1964) in original cloth with gilt spine.
€ 12,000
| The complete run of the stud book for the Thoroughbred horses in the United States. It was founded by Sanders Bruce, with assistance from his brother B. G. Bruce. In 1896, The Jockey Club bought out Bruce and assumed publication of the book, which it has continued to the present. - The American Stud Book includes all Thoroughbred horses foaled in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also includes any Thoroughbreds imported into those places from other countries, as long as those countries' Thoroughbred stud books are approved by The Jockey Club. {BN#28998} (more) |
Amico da Gallipoli, Bernadino. Trattato delle piante & immagini de sacri edifizi di Terra Santa. Florence, Pietro Cecconcelli, (1619)-1620. Folio (205 x 295 mm). (8), 65, (1) pp. With engr. title page, large woodcut printer's device on reverse of final f., and 34 double-page-sized etchings by Jacques Callot, printed from 38 plates, with 46 numbered illustrations. Contemp. limp vellum with ms. title "Amico" to spine. All edges red.
€ 5,000
| Second edition, the first to be illustrated by Callot. All etchings are in their first state, with typographical text on the reverse. Colophone dated "M.DC.XIX". The etchings are numbered 1-41 and 43-47. "Mariette parle de cette série dans ses 'Notes Manuscrites' (Paris, Cabinet des Estampes). Ces planches, dit-il, sont gravée d'une manière très ferme et le peu de figures qui s'y rencontrent sont des mieux qu'ait faites Callot" (Lieure). Includes a view and a plan of Jerusalem, views of buildings with many details and ground plans unsurpassed for centuries, according to Tobler. - A good copy with slight foxing to margins. Top spine end slightly bumped; modern endpapers. Loss of upper corner to p. 53 (fig. 41), remargined using the respective page of another copy without illustrations on verso (slight loss to etched border; some gluestaining). Several contemp. marginalia; ms. notes to endpapers; ms. index et the end. Bound first is a large, folding engraved map of the eastern Mediterranean with insets of Palestine and Jerusalem, engraved by Nicolas Sanson: "Iesu Christi Salvatoris Nostri et Apostolorum Petri, et Pauli Mansiones, Itinera, Peregrinationes &c. per Galilaeam, Samariam, Iudaeam; et per Aegyptum, Asiam, Europam" (from: Sanson, Geographia Sacra. Paris, Mariette, 1665). Ms. ownership "Mompre et Moucheron" on reverse. - BM-STC (17th c. Italian) 29. Cicognara 3932. Atabey 20. Kat. der Ornamentstichslg. Berlin 2782. Pollen I, 24. Fowler 19. Röhricht 837. Tobler 87. Navari 31 (incomplete). Laor 940 & 941. Plan 220-254. Meaume 4455-4489. Lieure 306-352. Sanson's map: Laor 697. {BN#26642} (more) |
[Anatomy of the Horse]. Explication des proportions géométrales du cheval vu dans ses principaux aspects suivant les principes établis dans les Ecoles Royales Vétérinaires. N. p., [1769]. 480:680 mm.
€ 4,500
Fine handwritten, calligraphic description of a perfect horse's anatomy, explaining its ideal proportions. Located in the center, there is a printed horse-study taken from Bourgelat's "Treatise on the choice and care of horses they require" ("Traité du choix des chevaux et des soins qu'ils exigent", 1769). - The founder of veterinary colleges at Lyon in 1761, Claude Bourgelat, was as an authority on horse management, and often consulted on the matter. - Small defects to edges; some dust-staining on reverse. {BN#32053} (more)
Anouchirevan Khan Sepahbodi, Persian Minister in Berne. Autograph Quotation signed. In Arabic. No place or date. Folio. 1 page. On uncut wove paper, bearing the Schoellers-Parole blind embossed seal, margins uncut.
€ 1,500
| The original autograph contribution of Anouchirevan Khan Sepahbodi 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. "Peace is the foundation for the prosperity of the world. [Signed] Anouchirevan Khan Sepahbodi". Sepahbodi was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Persia at Berne. - 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#25303} (more) |
Anville, [Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d']. L'Euphrate et le Tigre. Paris, Imprimerie Royale, 1779. 4to. 148, XII pp. With engr. folding map (535 x 448 mm) with borders in contemp. colour. Early 19th-c. brown calf; giltstamped spine rebacked.
€ 2,500
| Very rare topographical work about Mesopotamia and Babylonia, written by one of the greatest cartographers and geographical writers of his age. The large-format map was also sold separately and is almost never encountered with the book it was meant to accompany. It shows the area from Kayseri in Anatolia to Tabriz and Basra and "offre les noms anciens et modernes placés comparativemente" (Notice, no. 54). The supplement on Basra announced at the end of the books is not bound with any known copy and was probably never published; the Anville bibliography states "160 pages" (i.e., 148+12). - Covers somewhat rubbed; spine, corbers and inner hinges restored in early 20th c. Comewhat foxed, but wide-margined copy. Covers bear giltstamped arms of the "Society of Writers to the Signet", one of the oldest British legal associations (founded in 1594); their shelfmarks on pastedown; their contemp. ms. ownership note on t. p. The Burrell copy (described as "without the supplement on Basra") fetched £632 in 1999. - OCLC 558160044. Notice des ouvrages de M. d'Anville (1802), no. 54 (cartes) & 36 (ouvr. impr.). {BN#25447} (more) |
Arab Cavaliers. Original photogravure taken from the painting of A. Schreyer. Paris, [1867]. 300 x 430 mm.
€ 150
| {BN#23317} (more) |
[Arab Revolt in Palestine]. British soldiers at Bab-al-Amud. Jerusalem, 2. XI. 1938. Original gelatin silver print (265 x 220 mm).
€ 500
| British soldiers installing a barbed wire fence at Sha'ar Shechem after Arabic rebels had seized the Old City of Jerusalem and barricaded the gates on 15 October 1938. Soldiers of the Coldstream Guards, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers and Black Watch under the command of District General Richard O'Connor recaptured the Old City, killing 19 Arabs. The 1936-39 Great Arab Revolt opposed British colonial rule and mass Jewish immigration to Mandate Palestine. - Blue pencil caption on reverse: "Barbed wire fences around Damascus Gate to prevent escape of Arabs who terrorized area for 4 days". {BN#26298} (more) |
[Arabia - photo album]. Collection of vintage prints of the Middle East. Oman, Iraq, and other places, 1919/early1920s. 99 b/w prints. Various sizes, 65 x 105 to 145 x 205 mm. Mounted on black cardboard; captioned throughout in white. Dark blue calf album (extremeties rubbed and bumped), cord-bound, with marbled endpapers. Small oblong folio (335 x 247 mm).
€ 8,500
Curious album of original photographs taken throughout the Middle East. The set includes views of camels and boats in Mascat, river scenes and oases in Iraq (Ashar Creek; Euphrates), portraits of an Arab lady and sheikh (possibly a sometime Iraqi associate of Jack Philby, and member of his troop of Arabian franctireurs), a religious procession in Basra (Muharrah), street scenes and mosques in Baghdad, the ruins of Chesiphon, Jebel al-Tarik, etc. Further images include Suez, Karachi, the Pacific islands of the South Seas, etc. - Well-preserved; from a Swedish collection. The first photograph is dated 19 Oct. 1919. {BN#31892} (more)
Arabian American Oil Company. Report of Operations to the Saudi Arab Government by the Arabian American Oil Company. 1956. Dharan, The Company, (1957). Folio. IV, 44, 44, IV pp. Colour illustrations throughout. Original illustrated colour wrappers.
€ 300
| 1956 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. The annual journal issued by ARAMCO reported on the year's work and activities in the form of essays, statistical figues, and profuse illustrations. - Insignificant duststains and foxing to covers, otherwise perfectly preserved. - OCLC 2416997. ZDB-ID 875410-x. {BN#26191} (more) |
Arabian American Oil Company. Report of Operations to the Saudi Arab Government by the Arabian American Oil Company. 1953. Dharan, The Company, (1954). Folio. VI, 59, (2), 59, VI pp. Colour illustrations throughout. Original illustrated colour wrappers.
€ 200
| 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. The annual journal issued by ARAMCO reported on the year's work and activities in the form of essays, statistical figues, and profuse illustrations. This issue mourns the passing of HRH King Abd al-Aziz on November 9, 1953. - Slight damage to spine, otherwise perfectly preserved. Includes a publicity article on the ARAMCO Report reprinted from the Sept. 1954 issue of Oil World and a letter from the ARAMCO publicity department to a Missouri schoolteacher who had previously requested informational material. - OCLC 2416997. ZDB-ID 875410-x. {BN#26190} (more) |
Arabian American Oil Company. Report of Operations to the Saudi Arab Government by the Arabian American Oil Company. 1955. Dharan, The Company, (1956). Folio. VI, (2), 48, (8), 48 pp. Colour illustrations throughout. Original illustrated colour wrappers.
€ 350
| 1955 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. The annual journal issued by ARAMCO reported on the year's work and activities in the form of essays, statistical figues, and profuse illustrations. A few years previously, ARAMCO had moved their headquarters from New York to Dharan, jointly with King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud managing to negotiate a larger share of the profits for the Saudi Arab Government. Principal oilfield at the time were Ghawar and Safaniya, soon to be confirmed the largest onshore and the largest offshore field in the world, respectively. - English cover chipped at edge, otherwise perfectly preserved. - OCLC 2416997. ZDB-ID 875410-x. {BN#26072} (more) |
[Arabian Gulf - Shatt Al Arab]. Persian Gulf. Mouth of the Euphrates. Shatt Al Arab and Bahmanshir River. From surveys by the Port Directorate, Basra, 1926-38. Khor Abdullah surveyed by Commr. H. E. F. Paine RIN, 1941-1942. London, 1944. 670 x 980 mm. Lights and beacons highlighted in purple.
€ 1,500
| No. 1235. Wartime reprint, "reproduced by the U.S. Hydrographic Office from British Admiralty Chart". First issued in 1921, with changes in 1923, 1928, 1931, 1936, 1940, and 1943. {BN#31874} (more) |
[Arabian Gulf]. Das Eyland Ormus oder Jerun. No place, mid-18th c. Engraving, 252 x 308 mm. Matted.
€ 400
| Hormuz Island, near Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf. - Cf. Al-Quasimi 175. {BN#18536} (more) |
[Arabian Gulf]. Persian Gulf and Adjacent Countries. London, War Office, Topographical Section, 1908. Colour map, 72 x 57 cm. Scale 1:4 055 040 or 1 inch to 64 miles; (E 42°-E 69°/N 40°-N 15°).
€ 1,500
| Map of the Arabian Gulf region showing international boundaries, zones by the Anglo-Russian Convention 31st Aug. 1907, transportation, telegraphs, water features and populated places. Relief shown by spot heights. - A crisp copy in perfect condition. OCLC locates only three copies (British Library, Univ. of Connecticut, Nat. Library of Australia). - OCLC 221059917. {BN#30096} (more) |
[Arabian Gulf]. Stürken, Alfred. Reisebriefe aus dem Persischen Golf und Persien. In: Mitteilungen der Geographischen Gesellschaft in Hamburg. Bd. XII. Hamburg, L. Friederichsen & Co., 1907. 8vo. (4), 244 pp., Reisebriefe: pp. (69)-124. With 28 illustrations on 20 plates. 5 folding maps. Original printed wrappers.
€ 950
| First edition. - In 1905 the Hamburg merchant Alfred Stürken (1868-1925) undertook a voyage to India. The following year, his return route led him through the Arabian Gulf, to Oman, Bahrein and Kuwait. He published the diary of this return journey, amply illustrated by photographs, in the Proceedings of the Hamburg Geographical Society. - Wrapper somewhat dusty and frayed. An uncut, untrimmed copy; well preserved. {BN#30175} (more) |
[Arabian Nights]. Burton, Richard Francis. A plain and literal translation of the Arabian Nights' entertainments, now entituled the book of the Thousand Nights and a Night. (Including: Supplemental nights). [London?], Richard Burton Club, [c. 1910]. 17 vols. Royal 8vo (24 x 16 cm). With numerous illustrations (including the series by Albert Letchford), repeated on laid paper; the 17 frontispieces repeated in colour. Contemporary three quarter olive green morocco, gold-tooled spine, tops gilt.
€ 10,000
| A handsome edition of Burton's "Arabian Nights", finely illustrated and printed in a limited edition of 100 hand-numbered copies. Bold to a fault, Richard Burton travelled to Mecca, explored the African Great Lakes, shocked his readers with his candid travel accounts, and gained fame and riches with his translation of the Arabian Nights. The first edition was published in 1885-88 and re-issued by the Burton Club shortly thereafter. The present edition is a reprint of the first Burton Club edition, illustrated with, among others, Albert Letchford's famous plates. - Spines slightly faded. Fine set, uncut and partly unopened. {BN#29795} (more) |
[Arabian Peninsula]. Laila. North F-38. Second edition. Army/Air Style. [London], War Office, 1944. 707:601 mm. Photolithographed in 3 colours. Scale 1:1,000,000.
€ 850
| Rare RAF map of central Arabia, showing Jebal Tuwaiq, the desert west, and Wadi ad-Dawasir south. Compiled by the R.G.S., drawn by the War Office, and photolithographed by the O.S. in 1943 for the Royal Air Force. The first edition was published in 1925. - Slightly wrinkled, but in good condition. - OCLC 634949403. {BN#25575} (more) |
[Arabian Peninsula]. - Cox, Percy. Some Excursions in Oman. In: The Geographical Journal. Vol. LXVI No. 3 (September 1925). London, The Royal Geographical Society, 1925. 8vo. pp. 193-227 (entire volume: viii, 193-288 pp., with 22 photographic illustrations and a folding colour map). Original printed blue wrappers.
€ 800
Extensive account of an expedition in the hinterlands of Oman (much of which is now territory of the United Arab Emirates) undertaken by Major-General Cox: from Abu Dhabi to Baraimi and onwards to Jabal Akhdhar (or Green Mountains) and back to Muscat by the Wadi Samail, and from Ras-al-Khaima to Baraimi, then directly onwards to the coast at Shinas and on by the shore to Sohar. The illustrations show Fort Jalali in Muscat, Beni Habib Village in Jabal Akhdhar, the entrance to Elphinstone Inlet, Idaiyeh, the Masaikin Plain, the fort at Nejwah, Tanuf, Jabal Khidr: a peak of the Jabal Akhdhar, a view of the Wadi Mi'aidin towards Birkat al Moz in Sharaija, and Muti, at the base of Jabal Akhdhar. The folding double map shows the travel route (with a highly detailed plan of the area between Ras-al-Kahimah in the North and the Baraimi Oasis in the South). - Sir Percy Cox (1864-1937), longtime Acting Political Resident in the Gulf, is regarded as one of the major figures in the creation of modern Iraq. He was to serve as president of the Royal Geographic Society from 1933 to 1936. {BN#31516} (more)
[Arabian Peninsula]. - Craufurd, C[harles Edward Vereker]. The Dhofar District. In: The Geographical Journal. Vol. LXIII No. 2 (February 1919). London, The Royal Geographical Society, 1919. 8vo. pp. 97-105 (entire volume: iv, 65-128 pp., with 18 photographic illustrations and a folding colour map). Original printed blue wrappers.
€ 650
Early account of a visit to the seaport of Dhofar (Oman) on the southern coast of the Peninsula, including an interesting account of the local boats and the sailing skills of their owners. The illustrations show Makalla in Hadramaut, a camel drawing water in Dhofar, and the ruins of the temple of al-Bilad. {BN#31509} (more)
[Arabian Peninsula]. - Thesiger, Wilfred. Desert Borderlands of Oman. In: The Geographical Journal. Vol. CXVI Nos. 4-6 (December 1950). London, The Royal Geographical Society, 1950. 8vo. pp. 137-171 (entire volume: x, 137-262, (6) pp., with 28 photographic illustrations, numerous sketch maps in the text, and two folding maps, one in colour, loosely inserted). Original printed blue wrappers.
€ 800
The famous British explorer's extensive account of his expedition in the interior of Oman; much of the territory crossed now is part of the United Arab Emirates. Thesiger (1910-2003) set out from Abu Dhabi in 1948; the large and detailed colour map shows his journeys from 1945 to 1950; Thesiger later expanded on the subject to produce his classic travelogue, "Arabian Sands" (1959). Thesiger's highly regarded photographs depict the desert of the Empty Quarter, a settlement at Liwa, sand vegetation after heavy rain, a falconer mounted on a camel, a peregrine falcon with a caught hare, peregrine falcons on the blocks, Sheikh Wahiba of Yahahif and a young Wahiba girl, a thoroughbred Batina camel, the Farai well in Wahib country, portraits of Musallim bin al-Kamam and Salim bin Kabina, and a view of Jabal Kaur from the wadi Saifam. The paper was read in the presence of the Second Secretary at the Saudi Arabian Embassy, H.E. Abdul Rahman Halassie. {BN#31519} (more)
[Arabic Manuscript]. Collection of texts in Arabic. Istanbul, 908 AH [1502/03 AD]. 8vo (18 x 13 cm). 78 ff., naskh script with features of ta'liq, in several different hands. Half-leather Oriental binding with a flap and pasted boards.
€ 2,500
| A collective volume with texts in Arabic on Arabic manuscript paper (for ff. 43-45 and from f. 73 onwards European paper is used). It was copied by Ahmad b. 'Uthman al-Arzan al-Rumi in the city of Qustantiniyya (Istanbul) in one of the eight madrasas (colophon in a later hand on f. 78a). - 1) ff. 1v-13v. Fragment without beginning or end, and possibly misbound, of a gloss on logic (Qala-aqulu structure). Possibly this is the commentary by Qutb al-Din al-Razi al-Tahtani (d. 766/1364) on al-Risala al-Shamsiyya fi al-Quawa 'id al-Maniqiyya, by Nagm al-Din 'Ali b. 'Umar al-Quazwini al-Katibi (d. 675/1276 or 693/1294), Gal G I, 466. Outb al-Din is mentioned on f. 1v. Heavy interlinear and marginal glossing. - 2) ff. 14b-59b. Gloss on logic (Qala-aqulu structure), apparently by al-Sayyid al-Sharif, whose name is mentioned variously. This is the gloss by al-Sayyid al-Sharif al-Gurgani (d. 816/1413), GAL G II, 216, on the commentary by Muhammad b. Qutb al-Din Muhammad al-Razi al-Tahtani (d. 766/1364), GAL G II, 209, on al-Risala al-Shamsiyya fi al-Qawa 'id al-Mantiqiyya, by Magm al-Din 'Ali b. 'Umar al-Qazwini al-Katibi (d. 675/1276, or 693/1294), GAL G I, 466, as confirmed by comparison with MS Berlin Mq. 63 (= Ahlwardt 5260). - 3) ff. 60a-78b. Acephalous fragment of a gloss on logic (Qala-aqulu structure). In the margin of f. 60a is the name "'Sayyid Tasdiqat'", which may indicate that his is another gloss by al-Sayyid al-Sharif al-Gurgani. {BN#31739} (more) |
[Arabic Manuscript]. A miscellany of curriculum texts on Arabic morphology. N. p., 1206 AH [1791 AD]. 121 ff. on Arabic manuscript paper, Ottoman naskh script, illuminated headings (sar lawh) at the beginning of each text, all texts set in a frame. Full-leather Oriental binding with flap, blind-tooled ornamentation.
€ 2,000
| A miscellany of curriculum texts on Arabic morphology with texts in Arabic, copied by Ali al K... (colophon at the end of text no. 5, where a more precise date is given: 16 Rabi I 1206 [1791]). Contents: 1) pp. 2-99. Marah al-Arwah, by Ahmad b. `Ali b. Mas`ud (fl. beginning 8/14th cent.), GAL G II, 21. - 2) al-Tasrif al-`Izzi by `Izz al-Din `Abd al-Wahhab b. Ibrahim al-Zangani (655/1257), GAL G I, 283. - 3) al-Maqsud fil-Tasrif, anonymous, though sometimes ascribed to Abu Hanifa al-Nu`man b. Thabit (d. 150/767), GAL S I, 287. - 4) Bana´ al-Af`al. Anonymous work on the morphology of the Arabic verb. - 5) Amthila. Paradigm of the Arabic verb. Text in gadwal. - 6) Shorter notes, prayers, quotations, etc., in Arabic and Turkish. {BN#31733} (more) |
Arabic postcard album. Collection of 29 postcards, original photographs and stereo photographs. Mostly Algeria, Egypt, Yemen, Arabia, compiled c. 1950. In cloth postcard album (c. 1910) with Austrian owner's stamp.
€ 600
| Interesting collection of postcards and photographs, depicting Bedouins on horseback (2), Muslims at prayer (5), camels (13, with 2 original photographs and 3 stereoscopic views), falconers with their birds (3), and other views and scenes of cultural and ethnographic interest (Hajjis on their way to Mecca, Friday at the cemetery of El-Kettar, an old Arabic city, Arabs in the desert, an Arabic festival in Cairo, and a stereoscopic image of a camel market in Gizeh). Also included is an engraved view of a caravan cavalcade on its way to Mecca (from vol. 2 of Paul Lucas's "Voyage", Amsterdam 1720). Stereocopic images and engraving stored loosely in the album; other photographs and postcards inserted into slotted album leaves. {BN#23659} (more) |
[Arvieux, Laurent d']. Voyage dans la Palestine, vers le Grand Emir, Chef des Princes Arabes du Desert, connus sous le nom de Bedouins, ou d'Arabes Scenites, qui se disent la vraie posterité d'Ismael fils d'Abraham [...]. Avec la description générale de l'Arabie, faite par Ismael Abulfeda, traduite en François [...] par M. [Jean] de la Roque. Amsterdam, Steenhouwer und Uytwerf, 1718. 8vo. (46), 342, (6) pp. With engr. frontispiece and 4 engr. plates (1 folding). Contemp. calf with giltstamped red label to gilt spine. Marbled pastedowns.
€ 2,000
| Second edition of this travelogue, first published from the author's posthumous papers by La Roque in 1717. D'Arvieux (1635-1702) lived in the Levant for a long time, spending six years at Aleppo as French consul, and collected these important observations on the Arabic Bedouins of the area. "His observations, which departed greatly from what had been formerly reported about the Bedouins, were received with doubt, but were confirmed by later travellers such as Niebuhr" (cf. Henze I, 101). The plates show costumes and the Bedouin camp on Mt. Carmel (with a view of Haifa). - Binding rubbed and slightly bumped. Old catalogue entry mounted on front pastedown; t. p. has ms. ownership of the library of St. Lambert (dated 1749). Slight worming to beginning and end. Browned throughout due to paper. - Tobler 108. Röhricht 1112 & 1207. Hage Chahine 180. Gay 3452. Henze I, 101. {BN#26643} (more) |
Attar, Farid al-Din. Tezkereh-i-evliâ. Manuscrit ouigour de la Bibliothèque Nationale. Reproduit par l'héliogravure typographique. Paris, Imprimerie Nationale, 1890. Folio. (4), 392 pp. Original printed boards with later cloth spine.
€ 350
| First edition of this Uyghur work ("Mémorial des Saints") by Farid al-Din `Attar (d. ca. 1230), preserved in a ms. in the Bibliothèque Nationale. Printed in the language's characteristic Arabic-derived alphabet. - Edges rubbed and bumped; covers stained. Interior foxed throughout. An uncut, untrimmed copy. Collection orientale, tome 16: 2me série, tome II (wants the first volume containing the French translation). - OCLC 7524145. {BN#25008} (more) |
Australian Stud Book. The Australian Stud Book, Containing Pedigrees of Racehorses etc., From the Earliest Accounts from the earliest accounts to the year 1877[-1993] inclusive. Vol. 1- 39. Melbourne and Sidney, Walker, May and Co., 1878-1993. 39 volumes, bound in 41. Black cloth with gilt titles to spine.
€ 12,500
| The complete run from the first volume to 1993, all volumens in their original first edition. The Australian Stud Book began in 1878 as a private venture by A. & William C. Yuille, Melbourne bloodstock agents who published nine volumes. New Zealand horses were included in the ASB until Volume VII appeared in 1900. The copyright was sold in 1910 to the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and the Victoria Racing Club (VRC), who since then administer matters concerning the breeding of Thoroughbred racehorses. Vols. 1-25 rebound in matching cloth. - Rare. {BN#28999} (more) |
Avicenna. Zusammengesetzte Heilmittel der Araber. Nach dem fünften Buch des Canons von Ebn Sina aus dem Arabischen übersetzt von Dr. Sontheimer. Freiburg/Br., Herder, 1845. 8vo. (4), 288, (2), VIII pp. Contemp. half calf with giltstamped spine. Blue endpapers. All edges gilt.
€ 850
A collection of medical recipes from book five of Avicenna's famous "Qanun". The compendium, written in Arabic, was widely translated throughout the Middle Ages and remained the basis of medical training in the West as late as the mid-17th century. It continues in use to this day in parts of the Arab world. Through this encyclopedic work, the author exterted "perhaps a wider influence in the eastern and western hemispheres than any other Islamic thinker" (PMM). "The 'Qanun' [...] contains some of the most illuminating thoughts pertaining to distinction of mediastinitis from pleurisy; contagious nature of phthisis; distribution of diseases by water and soil; careful description of skin troubles; of sexual diseases and perversions; of nervous ailments" (Sarton, Introduction to the History of Science). - Extremeties rubbed and bumped. Some browning and foxing throughout; contemporary ownership to title page. {BN#31844} (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]. 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]. 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 - 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) |
