33
34
Excursion up the Arabian Gulf First edition, from the library of British Arabist Colonel Samuel Barrett Miles. It is scarce, with ESTC citing just seven locations among institutional holdings; eight copies only appear on auction records in the last sixty years. James was a cabin-boy on Commander Johnstone’s abortive expedition to seize the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch in 1781. After being ambushed by the French in the Cape Verde Islands, and subsequently failing to take the Cape, Johnstone gained a consolation victory at Saldanha. Johnstone himself then returned to England, but sent a detachment to the East Indies station under Captain James Alms. The detachment sailed along the Arabian coast from Bab al-Mandab to a bay near Mocha, where a landing-party acquired provisions from local Arabs. The ships then anchored off Ra’s Marbat near Mukalla to carry out repairs before sailing for India, encountering heavy winds at the mouth of the Arabian Gulf which drove them towards the Persian coast. There was a variant imprint the same year, with an undated title page and a list of subscribers. Octavo in half-sheets (211 × 120 mm). Late 19th-century tan calf by Riviere, spine richly gilt in compartments, morocco twin labels, rolled floral border gilt to covers, marbled endpapers, yellow edges, bound red silk bookmarker. Lithographed portrait frontispiece of the author by W. Newman. From the library of British Arabist and colonial agent Colonel Samuel Barrett Miles (1838–1914), with printed bookplate noting his widow’s bequest of the collection to Bath Public Library in 1920, and associated manuscript shelfmarks and blind stamps as usual. Front joint repaired, rear joint and tips a little rubbed, contents tanned, occasional pale spotting, title page slightly marked, and with an effaced ownership inscription to upper outer corner, repaired tear to pp. v/vi, and a small hole just costing half a letter recto, similar repair to lower outer sig. S2, the text unaffected, still a very good copy, bound with the half-title. ¶ Arcadian Library 10515; Brunet 20015, 20645; ESTC 139720 (BL, Glasgow, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. Cleveland, Newberry, LoC, Stellenbosch); Gay 3579; Macro 1304; SABIB II, 668. £3,000 [117608]
cocked and bumped at ends, edges foxed, light offsetting to front free endpaper, occasional light foxing to contents. A very good copy in like jacket, unclipped, rubbed, extremities nicked and chipped, spine sunned, otherwise bright. £1,500 [158925] 33 INGRAMS, Harold & Doreen. The Hadhramaut in Time of War. London: Royal Geographical Society, 1945 Rare offprint, with just one copy located, at the University of Manchester. Although related to the Ingrams’s official duties, this work also serves as a travelogue for a wider audience. Ingrams describes his journey through the Sultanate of Bir Ali, across mostly unexplored country, to Shabwa, combining events with keenly observed descriptions of people and places, which even includes a recipe. He describes the Hadhrami encountered during a visit to Singapore and Java in 1939; administrative arrangements; and relief work for the famine which resulted from a drought worsened by the fall in expat remittances. Doreen describes her journey accompanying the first Hadhrami Bedouin Legion patrol on a 500 mile round trip in April 1943 (the purpose of which was to maintain relations between the government and the Bedouin); and welfare work among women and children. Octavo. Original blue wrappers, lettered in black. With neat accession inscription to front wrapper. A near-fine copy, extremities nicked, rear wrapper slightly creased, otherwise bright and sharp with plates clear. £750 [159133] 34 JAMES, Silas. A Narrative of a Voyage to Arabia, India . . . with Remarks on the Genious and Disposition of the Natives of Arabia Felix. London: printed for the author and sold by W. Baynes, 1797
All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
29
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter maker