Description

First edition. Let’s start with the bad. It’s in poor shape. No longer bound together, boards are there but no leather from cover, and it’s been in a fire. Fire damage to the edges of most pages. Could be cut down and rebound, but to do it right wouldn’t be cheap. But it is a really old book. It has a lot of cool fold out maps and some nice prints. Which, with The overall condition of the book, actually look pretty good. See the photos. For the details. TRAVELS or Observations Relating to Several Parts of Barbary and the Levant Illustrated with Cuts by Thomas Shaw D.D. F.R.S, London These Travels have been universally esteemed, not only for their accuracy and fidelity, but on account of the illustrations they contain of natural history, of the classic authors, and especially of the Scriptures" (Lowndes 2372-3); "For his time, his geological views are enlightened, while his conjectures on the subject of the pyramids have been fully confirmed by Belzoni and other investigators; his scrupulous fidelity was vindicated by James Bruce and by later African explorers." (DNB Cox I, 377; Weber 498. Blackmer Sale 307: "His work is valuable for its accurate descriptions of antiquities, geography & natural history he observed". Gibbon praised him and excepts him from the crowed of "blind" travelers.' His scrupulous fidelity was vindicated by James Bruce and by later African explorers. . . a noble example of typography' (D.N.B., vol 17, p 1384). Shaw presented his collection of specimens, ancient medals and busts to Oxford, where he was appointed principal of St. Edmund Hall, and held the chair of regius professor of Greek until his death in 1751. Lowndes 2372: A handsomely printed work, the best description of North Africa of the period. The author visited Egypt, Sinai, Palestine, Cyprus and most of North Africa, and provides much material on Tunis and Algeria.