Mid East History & Literature from Quercus Rare Books

London and New York: Macmillan and Co., 1895. The British diplomat James Justinian Morier (1780-1849) wrote several polular novels set in Iran. First published by Murray in 1824, this Persion tale remained quite popular throughout the 19th Century. Usually seen in three volumes, this is a one-volume version in a better-than-usual decorative cloth binding. Not common. Red cloth, with floral… Read more about this item

London: No Publisher, 1884. Probably of Persian origin, the Thousand Nights have entertained the reader [or listener] for a thousand years. Victorian England had a particular fasination for the Tale. The two unexpurgated translations, by the poet John Payne (1842-1916) and Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890) were published "For Subscribers Only" to evade the censorship regulations. Here are six volumes… Read more about this item

New York: George H. Doran Company, 1927. Written by Lawrence in 1919, this is an abridged version of less than half of the original manuscript. It remains one of the greatest wartime adventures of the Twentieth Century. This is a Very Good Plus to Near Fine copy of the First American Edition [stated "First Printing in America, March 1927"]. This… Read more about this item

London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2002. Lewis (1916-2018) was recognized as a premier scholar of Islam and its interaction with the West prior to later demonization for conservative political views. [Trigger Warning: considered opinion] Many detractors have never actually read the books condemned. This is a Fine copy of the First English Edition [stated "First published in Great Britain in 2002"].… Read more about this item

London: C. Kegan Paul & Co., 1878. Burton's first gold-seeking expedition was a financial disappointment, and he ultimately failed in his attempts to enlist the Khediv of Egypt as his sponsor. But his typical keen (and opinionated) observations are always worthwhile. His note to the reader allows that he considers this book to be a "sequel and continution" of his… Read more about this item

London: C. Kegan Paul & Co., 1879. Burton's gold-hunting in Midian and his attempts to enlist the Khediv of Egypt as his partner were a failure, but he produced another fascinating account, filled with keen observation. Here are the two volumes of the First Edition, in a contemporary rebind. [Penzer, pp 96-97; Casada #45]. Red cloth boards with tips and… Read more about this item

None: The Burton Club, 1903. Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton is a fascinating, erudite, and verbose personality. Self-taught in perhaps forty languages, his translation of the "Thousand Nights" is still considered to be one of the best. First published in 1886; this is his six-volume expansion on the work. All are in Fine (unread) condition. Black cloth bindings, with titling… Read more about this item

New York: G.P. Putnam & Co., 1856. This is a Very Good copy of the First American Edition of Burton's classic incursion on the Haj. Originally three volumes when first published in England; here reduced to a one-volume condensation for America. Bound in brown cloth withdecorative stampings; titling on the spine and a crescent moon on the front cover in… Read more about this item

London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1964. This is a Fine copy of the First Edition ["Not for sale inthe United States of America"]. Not common. Dark gray cloth binding, with titling in gilt on the spine. Clean text; vii, then 9 to 160 pages. The dustwrapper is complete; shows edgewear, with a darkening spine. In an archival plastic protector.. First Edition.… Read more about this item

New York, London, Toronto, Sydney. Auckland: Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 1996. A definitive biography of the fascinating Gertrude [Margaret Lowthian] Bell (1868-1926), writer, archaeologist, and Middle East political player This is a Fine copy of the First Edition (stated). Cream-coloured paper boards; black cloth binding with titling in gilt. Clean text; 419 pages. Indexed. The dustjacket is Fine, unclipped. In… Read more about this item

London: The Folio Society, 2005. First published in 1967, this is a typically attractive printing by the Folio Society "on gorgeous wove paper...and bound...in full-backed cloth." First Edition Thus, due to emendations and corrections by Lewis. Bright red cloth binding with an illustration of an assassin attack in black, green, and gold. Clean text; 242 pages. With Notes and Index.… Read more about this item

London: T.Fisher Unwin, 1907. Although an American, Dodge (1869-1931) was born in Syria. Like Burton, he was a Fellow of a the Royal Geographic Society. First published in June, 1907. This is a Very Good (Plus) copy of a later printing, in an unusual "Edition for America Imported by A. Wessels Company." Penzer (p. 323) thought highly of this work.… Read more about this item

London: Trubner and Co., 1871. Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890) was famous not only for his African and Arabian explorations; he was considered one of the finest linguists of his day, commanding some 40 languages and dialects. This issue (#5, May 1871) of the "Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society" is notable for Article XVI, Burton's exposition on Arabic… Read more about this item

London: Williams and Norgate Ltd., 1939. An important text in the Lawrence canon, including his diary from 1911 when surveying Crusader Castles in Syria (and spying for HM) and the suppressed first chapter of "Seven Pillars of Wisdom." This is a Near Fine copy of the Second Printing (stated "Reprint May 1939) from the same month as the First… Read more about this item

London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd., 1926. First published in 1855, Burton's visit to the holy cities of Arabia, in disguise, remains a fascinating tale today. First reprinted in Bohn's Standard Library in 1898; here redone again as part of Bohn's "Popular Library." Not common. Two small volumes bound in green cloth with ruling and a stamped bell on the… Read more about this item

London: The Burton Club, 1907. Burton's translation remains the gold standard and is always a rewarding read. This is a Fine copy of Volume One only of the "Medina Edition" in a modern rebind. Gray cloth binding titled in gilt on the front cover and spine. Clean text; 362 pages; indexed. Top-edge is gilt, others rough-cut. The Burton Club… Read more about this item

London: The Burton Club, 1917. Burton's translation from the Arabic first appeared in 1885 and remains one of the the most popular. This is a Very Good (minus) copy of Volume Eight (of 17) in the urton Club series of reprints. There is no publication date but Penzer places the series start as 1903-1905, with a new issue arriving every… Read more about this item

London: The Burton Club, 1907. Burton's translation, first published in 1885-1888, remains one of the most popular. This is a Very Good copy of Volume Seven only of the "Medina Edition" privately printed by the Burton Club "for subscribers only" and which was LIMITED to one-thousand sets, this being #186. While there is no publication date, Penzer notes this as… Read more about this item

Benares: The Kama Shastra Society, 1888. A famous work by the Persian poet Sheikh Muslih-uddin Sa'di Shirazi (1193-1291) in a famous translation by Edward Rehatsek, even more famed due its publication by the Kama Shastra Society, a fictitious organization formed by Sir Richard Francis Burton and Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot in 1883 to avoid the censorship Obscene Publications Act of 1857.… Read more about this item

Denver: The Burton Society, 1899. One of the most famous translations of clasic Arabic literature, first published in 1885. This is a Very Good (Plus) copy of the posthumous facsimile published by The Burton Society, which was LIMITED to 1000 copies. Penzer considered this the "first and best" of the reprints, although he noted it as a financial failure. This… Read more about this item