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22 BYRON, Robert. The Road to Oxiana. London: Macmillan & Co. Ltd, 1937 “Wishaw’s cigars have cheered us all up” – presented to his host at Isfahan First edition, first impression, presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To H. A. Wishaw, my host in Isfahan and chaperone to the Chihil Sutun, in gratitude, from Robert Byron”. Wishaw was Isfahan branch manager of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, described affectionately by Byron as “captain of oil” (p. 190). Wishaw hosted Byron at Isfahan in March and April 1934 and is mentioned several times here, his hospitality noted with enthusiasm: “three bottles of Shahi wine, an orange salad, and Wishaw’s cigars have cheered us all up” (p. 235). The Chihil Sutun (or Chehel Sotoun) of Byron’s inscription is the beautiful 17th- century pavilion built for Shah Abbas II. The Road to Oxiana is “an enquiry into the origins of Islamic art presented in the form of one of the most entertaining travel books of modern times” ( ODNB ). In his introduction to the 1981 re-issue, Bruce Chatwin called it “a work of genius” which he had elevated to the status of “sacred text”. He stressed that it remained an important book, as in between the “bravura passages” Byron
expounds a serious thesis about the significance of Afghan influence on Persian civilization. This copy is in the first issue binding of gilt-lettered royal blue cloth. Octavo. Original blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt, top edge blue. With dust jacket. Half-tone frontispiece and 15 similar plates from photographs by the author. Spine lightly toned, rubbing at edges, faint offsetting to endpapers else contents clean and bright, a very good copy in like lightly foxed jacket, not price-clipped, spine browned, faint soiling to rear panel, nicks at fold ends, short closed tear to head of rear flap fold. £7,500 [155673] 23 CALVINO, Italo. If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1981 Inscribed in Rome First edition in English, first printing, inscribed by the author on the half-title, “For Ken & Lee Auchincloss, happy to find very good readers Italo Calvino Rome June 12th 1981”, with Ken’s bookplate on the front pastedown. Kenneth Auchincloss (1937–2003) was a journalist, author, and collector of fine printing and private press books. He and his wife Lee “played host to memorable gatherings of printers, artists, and wood-engravers from both sides of the Atlantic” ( Independent ).
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