1857 Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to El Medinah and Meccah

Description

Colour Plates, Early Edition, Folding Maps, Publishers' Original Binding

First published in three volumes between 1855 and 1856, this is the two volume second edition of the work.

In the very scarce publisher's original cloth binding, with both volumes bound together. 

Collated, illustrated with a chromolithograph frontispiece to each volume.

With two further chromolithographs to volume I, and one folding map (detached and loosely inserted). With the final plate of volume I bound in following the index of volume II. Volume I is lacking one plate, 'Plan of the Haram'.

Volume II illustrated with a further chromolithograph, and six further plates. One folding map, and one plate, are provided in facsimile.

Pages 119-122 provided in facsimile.

Retaining both half titles.

This is Richard F. Burton's famous account of his journey to the Islamic holy cities of Al Medinah and Mecca, undertaken in disguise as a Muslim at a time when non-Muslims were strictly forbidden. This is widely regarded as Burton's most famous work, and although he was not the first non-Muslim European to undertake the Hajj pilgrimage, his account is the most famous and best documented.

With the bookplate of F.W. Amsden to the front pastedown, and the inscription 'in memory of "my" Middle East 1976' to the front pastedown. 

Richard Francis Burton was a British explorer, writer, orientalist scholar and soldier, who wrote numerous publications regarding languages and cultures around the world. He was a Captain for the East India Company, and an active member of the Royal Geographical Society, where he became the first European to see Lake Tanganyika in Africa.