History·Travel
Winston Churchill
Wayward Women
Aviation
Maritime
Military
Polar
Voyages
Africa
Britain
Europe
Latin America
North America
Middle East
Scotland
Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Meccah -
Sir Richard Francis Burton
1855-56 - Longman, London - First Edition
First edition of ‘one of the greatest works of travel ever published’ [Penzler], by the magnificent Sir Richard Francis Burton who was ‘the first English Christian to enter Mecca of his own free will as a true Mohammedan pilgrim, and not as a convert’.
Finely bound and illustrated throughout with with five colour and eight tinted lithograph plates, one black and white plate, and four maps and plans (three of which are folding).
‘A most remarkable work of the highest value’ – T.E. Lawrence.
‘Neither Koran or Sultan enjoin the death of Jew or Christian intruding within the columns that note the sanctuary limits, nothing could save a European detected by the populace, or one who after pilgrimage declared himself an unbeliever.’
Seven years in India gave Burton a familiarity with the customs and behaviour of Muslims. He planned his journey whilst travelling disguised among Sindhi Muslims, and prepared and studied extensively for the Hajj, even getting circumcised to further prevent discovery.
More details
Price HK$ 50,000
1855-56 - Longman, London - First Edition
First edition of ‘one of the greatest works of travel ever published’ [Penzler], by the magnificent Sir Richard Francis Burton who was ‘the first English Christian to enter Mecca of his own free will as a true Mohammedan pilgrim, and not as a convert’.Finely bound and illustrated throughout with with five colour and eight tinted lithograph plates, one black and white plate, and four maps and plans (three of which are folding).
‘A most remarkable work of the highest value’ – T.E. Lawrence.
‘Neither Koran or Sultan enjoin the death of Jew or Christian intruding within the columns that note the sanctuary limits, nothing could save a European detected by the populace, or one who after pilgrimage declared himself an unbeliever.’
Seven years in India gave Burton a familiarity with the customs and behaviour of Muslims. He planned his journey whilst travelling disguised among Sindhi Muslims, and prepared and studied extensively for the Hajj, even getting circumcised to further prevent discovery.
More details
Price HK$ 50,000
Crusader Castles - I. The Thesis & II. The Letters -
T. E. Lawrence
1936 - The Golden Cockerel Press, London - Number 924 of 1000 copies
‘I will have such difficulty in becoming English again: here I am Arab in habits, and slip in talking from English to French and Arabic unnoticing.'
T. E. Lawrence travelled through Britain, France, Syria and Palestine to research his undergraduate thesis on ‘The Influence of the Crusades on European Military Architecture to the End of the Twelfth Century’. Lawrence’s brilliant observations have since been confirmed by modern research. Moreover, the thesis and correspondence that make up Crusader Castles give us an insight into both Lawrence’s fascination with the Crusades and his origins as an adventurer.
After visiting the major sites in England and Wales, Lawrence crossed Ottoman-controlled Syria on foot and by bicycle. He wanted to prove that, contrary to the received wisdom of the time, the castles built by the Normans during their campaigns were not influenced by Byzantine architecture, but conformed to a purely Western model. In 1909, Syria and the Holy Land were remote and dangerous destinations, and few historians had actually seen a crusader castle. His 1,100-mile journey was arduous in the extreme, but Lawrence succeeded in seeing 36 of the 50 castles on his itinerary.
Finely bound first editions, number 924 of a limited 1,000 copies, illustrated throughout with numerous plates, and facsimiles, maps and plans, including two large loose maps in separate sleeve.
More details
Price HK$ 20,000
1936 - The Golden Cockerel Press, London - Number 924 of 1000 copies
‘I will have such difficulty in becoming English again: here I am Arab in habits, and slip in talking from English to French and Arabic unnoticing.'T. E. Lawrence travelled through Britain, France, Syria and Palestine to research his undergraduate thesis on ‘The Influence of the Crusades on European Military Architecture to the End of the Twelfth Century’. Lawrence’s brilliant observations have since been confirmed by modern research. Moreover, the thesis and correspondence that make up Crusader Castles give us an insight into both Lawrence’s fascination with the Crusades and his origins as an adventurer.
After visiting the major sites in England and Wales, Lawrence crossed Ottoman-controlled Syria on foot and by bicycle. He wanted to prove that, contrary to the received wisdom of the time, the castles built by the Normans during their campaigns were not influenced by Byzantine architecture, but conformed to a purely Western model. In 1909, Syria and the Holy Land were remote and dangerous destinations, and few historians had actually seen a crusader castle. His 1,100-mile journey was arduous in the extreme, but Lawrence succeeded in seeing 36 of the 50 castles on his itinerary.
Finely bound first editions, number 924 of a limited 1,000 copies, illustrated throughout with numerous plates, and facsimiles, maps and plans, including two large loose maps in separate sleeve.
More details
Price HK$ 20,000
The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan - with - The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan in England -
James J. Morier
1824 - John Murray, London - First Editions
This is the first edition of two satyrical books considered the most popular ‘Oriental’ novels in the English language – two hundred years old yet so famous the U.S. Airforce named an airlift after them and they inspired a Hollywood movie.
The first book follows the fictional Hajji Baba, the son of a barber from Isfahan, a likeable rogue who, in various guises including robber, doctor and executioner, is caught up in a series of extraordinary and farcical adventures.
‘Hajji Baba, the barber’s son, entered his native place, as Mirza Hajji Baba, the Shah’s deputy. Need I say more?’
The second book follows Hajji Baba to England as an emissary of the shah of Persia, and then as he is called back in shame – possibly to his own execution.
More details
Price HK$ 9,000
1824 - John Murray, London - First Editions
This is the first edition of two satyrical books considered the most popular ‘Oriental’ novels in the English language – two hundred years old yet so famous the U.S. Airforce named an airlift after them and they inspired a Hollywood movie.The first book follows the fictional Hajji Baba, the son of a barber from Isfahan, a likeable rogue who, in various guises including robber, doctor and executioner, is caught up in a series of extraordinary and farcical adventures.
‘Hajji Baba, the barber’s son, entered his native place, as Mirza Hajji Baba, the Shah’s deputy. Need I say more?’
The second book follows Hajji Baba to England as an emissary of the shah of Persia, and then as he is called back in shame – possibly to his own execution.
More details
Price HK$ 9,000
Traveller’s Prelude, Beyond Euphrates, The Coast of Incense, Dust in the Lion's Paw -
Freya Stark
1950 - John Murray, London - First Editions
A complete four volume first edition set of the autobiographies by the ‘Grande Old Lady’ of travellers, the intrepid and pioneering Freya Stark (1893-1993). Each volume with a green sketch-map and numerous black and white photographic plates.
Dame Freya Stark’s ‘figure has become the image for an archetypal British eccentric abroad – comfortable and regal, colourfully draped, and invariably topped with an elaborate titfer, perhaps astride a camel (’always so obliging’) or bobbing up-river on an inflated goatskin waving serenely to passers-by – but there is a far more serious side to her career. In all her journeys she has been able to distil and communicate a rich philosophy of travel and to illustrate the art of travelling in time as well as place. She carries the past with her, whether discovering long-buried fortresses in the Valley of the Assassins in Luristan, or tracing the footsteps of the ancient incense traders of Arabia, always teaching and learning at the same time. She is, quite simply, a classic.’ – Jane Robinson, Wayward Women.
More details
Price HK$ 12,000
1950 - John Murray, London - First Editions
A complete four volume first edition set of the autobiographies by the ‘Grande Old Lady’ of travellers, the intrepid and pioneering Freya Stark (1893-1993). Each volume with a green sketch-map and numerous black and white photographic plates.Dame Freya Stark’s ‘figure has become the image for an archetypal British eccentric abroad – comfortable and regal, colourfully draped, and invariably topped with an elaborate titfer, perhaps astride a camel (’always so obliging’) or bobbing up-river on an inflated goatskin waving serenely to passers-by – but there is a far more serious side to her career. In all her journeys she has been able to distil and communicate a rich philosophy of travel and to illustrate the art of travelling in time as well as place. She carries the past with her, whether discovering long-buried fortresses in the Valley of the Assassins in Luristan, or tracing the footsteps of the ancient incense traders of Arabia, always teaching and learning at the same time. She is, quite simply, a classic.’ – Jane Robinson, Wayward Women.
More details
Price HK$ 12,000