From Cairo to Siwa Across the Libyan Desert with Armoured Cars - Signed and Inscribed -
Major T. I. Dun, D.S.O., M.C., R.A.M..
1933 - Messrs E. & R. Schindler, Cairo - First Edition, number 26 of 75 De Luxe Morocco bound volumes
Scarce first edition of this magnificently illustrated large and luxuriously presented account of this 1,100 mile reconnaissance trek from Cairo to Siwa across the Libyan desert with the XIIth Royal Lancers and their ten Rolls Royce armoured cars commanded by Major J.R.C. Rawnsley in October of 1932. To add to the challenge, it had only been three years since the regiment had switched from Horses to armoured cars (left to them by the Royal Tank Corps in 1929).
Number 26 of only 75 deluxe quarter morocco bound volumes, housed in bespoke black illustrated slipcase, present here. Signed and then inscribed twice by the author, Major Dun, to ’my friend E.S. Millar, March 1939’, both on the fabulous bookplate and to the limitation page.
Illustrations and decorations by N. Strekalowsky, together with many other artists as well as students of the School of Fine Art, Egypt. Sixteen pages of photographs, 1 full-page illustration printed in gold, 1 tipped-in plate printed in silver and another in gold, folding map of Egypt showing the route taken, and a coloured plan of Cairo; text printed in red and black, numerous substantial marginal woodcut illustrations in a variety of colours, decorative gold endpapers.
After the delightful and thoroughly British foreword by Field Marshal Sir William Birdwood, Bt., G.C.B, G.C.S.I., G.C.M.G., C.I.E., D.S.O., LL.D., Indian Army, Colonel, XIIth Royal Lancers, the book is divided into four parts. The first is a narrative of the journey from Cairo to Siwa and back; the second is a short history of the customs and superstitions of the Siwa Oasis and adjacent Libyan Desert. Then come photographic pages and lastly a map drawn by J. H. Rowntree, supplementing the sketch map in the text. The remaining vehicles included a Leyland, three Austin Seven cars and six motorcycles, and additional support lorries.
Provenance: Inscribed by the author to ‘To my friend E. S.. Millar’ ‘March 1939’, on the limitation page, and also to the bookplate. E. S. Millar was most likely known to Dun during the first world war, he was based in Burma in 1934, and later worked for The Attock Oil Co, Ltd, in Rawalpindi. According to the writing on the bookplate, the book was then passed to Richard and Fiona Hudson Walker ‘Pindi 1943’ ‘because of our associations with Egypt’ [’Pindi was a common shortening of Rawalpindi in the Punjab, current day Pakistan].
Quarto (book size 34.2x26.2cm), pp. [4] viii 111 [2] [16 (photographs)] [4]. Bound in the publisher’s deluxe quarter burgundy morocco over illustrated boards impressed with gold tissue, spine lettered in gilt, housed in the De Luxe ‘finely decorated pochette’. Condition: Near fine, usual oxidation to the gold and silver plates, one of which shows the remnants of the tissue guard, few creases to the folding map, in very good binding, with wear to morocco spine, in near fine Ref: 112342 Price: HK$ 15,000
Number 26 of only 75 deluxe quarter morocco bound volumes, housed in bespoke black illustrated slipcase, present here. Signed and then inscribed twice by the author, Major Dun, to ’my friend E.S. Millar, March 1939’, both on the fabulous bookplate and to the limitation page.
Illustrations and decorations by N. Strekalowsky, together with many other artists as well as students of the School of Fine Art, Egypt. Sixteen pages of photographs, 1 full-page illustration printed in gold, 1 tipped-in plate printed in silver and another in gold, folding map of Egypt showing the route taken, and a coloured plan of Cairo; text printed in red and black, numerous substantial marginal woodcut illustrations in a variety of colours, decorative gold endpapers.
After the delightful and thoroughly British foreword by Field Marshal Sir William Birdwood, Bt., G.C.B, G.C.S.I., G.C.M.G., C.I.E., D.S.O., LL.D., Indian Army, Colonel, XIIth Royal Lancers, the book is divided into four parts. The first is a narrative of the journey from Cairo to Siwa and back; the second is a short history of the customs and superstitions of the Siwa Oasis and adjacent Libyan Desert. Then come photographic pages and lastly a map drawn by J. H. Rowntree, supplementing the sketch map in the text. The remaining vehicles included a Leyland, three Austin Seven cars and six motorcycles, and additional support lorries.
Provenance: Inscribed by the author to ‘To my friend E. S.. Millar’ ‘March 1939’, on the limitation page, and also to the bookplate. E. S. Millar was most likely known to Dun during the first world war, he was based in Burma in 1934, and later worked for The Attock Oil Co, Ltd, in Rawalpindi. According to the writing on the bookplate, the book was then passed to Richard and Fiona Hudson Walker ‘Pindi 1943’ ‘because of our associations with Egypt’ [’Pindi was a common shortening of Rawalpindi in the Punjab, current day Pakistan].
Quarto (book size 34.2x26.2cm), pp. [4] viii 111 [2] [16 (photographs)] [4]. Bound in the publisher’s deluxe quarter burgundy morocco over illustrated boards impressed with gold tissue, spine lettered in gilt, housed in the De Luxe ‘finely decorated pochette’. Condition: Near fine, usual oxidation to the gold and silver plates, one of which shows the remnants of the tissue guard, few creases to the folding map, in very good binding, with wear to morocco spine, in near fine Ref: 112342 Price: HK$ 15,000