antiquarian bookseller - Peter Harrington

Peter Harrington Antiquarian Bookseller
52. [LA ROQUE, Jean de]
A Voyage to Arabia the Happy, by
way of the Eastern Ocean, and the
Streights of the Red Sea: Perform’d
by the French for the First Time,
A.D. 1708, 1709, 1710. Together
with a Particular Relation of a
Journey from the Port of Moka to
the Court of the King of Yemen …
Also an Account of the Coffee Tree
and its Fruit …
London, G. Strahan, 1726 [39898] £2500
8vo (163 × 98mm.) 19th-century ox-blood calf on marbled
boards. Folding map of Yemen and 3 folding plates of the
coffee plant. Somewhat foxed and browned, as usual, binding
a little rubbed at the extremities, but overall a very good
copy.
FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH, no copy at auction in the last
twenty years. La Roque’s father, a Marseilles merchant, had
travelled with Jean de la Haye’s Turkish embassy of 1639–
41, then on to the Levant bringing back coffee and coffeemaking
equipment, “which he kept for his own use in Turkey
[and which] passed then for a real curiosity in France.”
“The drink remained something of a local curiosity until
1699 when emissaries of Sultan Mohammed IV came to
Paris bringing with them sacks of the curious bean. By
the time the ambassadors departed in May 1670 coffeedrinking
had become widespread…” (Howgego). La
Roque had made an extensive study of oriental languages,
but had never travelled further than the Levant, however
he saw an article in “the new Mercury printed at Trevoux”
which gave an account of a voyage of 1708–10 to Arabia,
and “desirous to be better informed of that country” made
contact with the commander of the voyage, Godefroy de
la Merveille. The present account is worked up from de
Merveille’s letters and papers and those of Major de la
Grelaudière and M. Barbier, the ship’s surgeon, relating to
the subsequent voyage. The intention of these missions
was “to intercept the trade in coffee before the
beans reached the markets of Egypt and Turkey.”
The latter part of the book is taken up with La Roque’s
extensively-researched essay on the botany and
cultivation of coffee and his historical overview of the
spread of the beverage, which is widely seen as the first
scholarly treatise on the subject, and was from La Roque’s
standpoint an excellent promotional ploy.
Howgego I, L30.
53. LABORDE, Léon
Emmanuel Simon
Joseph, marquis de.
Journey Through Arabia Pretæa
to Mount Sinai, and the excavated
city of Petra, the Edom of the
prophecies.
London: John Murray, 1836 [34267] £500
8vo. Contemporary calf, titles and decoration to spine gilt,
red morocco label, raised bands, covers ruled in gilt, marbled
endpapers. With a folding map and numerous black and white
illustrations throughout by the author. Head and tail slightly
rubbed, small dark spots to headcap, some minor spotting
to boards, occasional foxing and browning to edges, very
attractive binding in good condition .
FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH.
54. LANDER, Richard &
John.
Journal of an Expedition to
explore the Course and Termination
of the Niger; with a Narrative of
a Voyage down that River to its
Termination …
London, John Murray, 1832 [39379] £650
3 volumes, small 8vo (150 × 95 mm). Contemporary pale
green half calf on marbled boards, red morocco title pieces,
fourth compartment stained a little darker and with author
and volume number, marbled edges. Contemporary armorial
bookplates of T.B.M Baskerville, sometime High Sheriff of
Wiltshire. Engraved portraits of the authors as frontispieces
to vols. I and II, frontispiece to vol. II and 4 other plates in all,
2 maps, one of them folding, illustrations to the text, one of
them full-page. Some light browning, but overall very good
indeed, half-titles present in all, bindings sunned on the
spines. An extremely attractive set.
FIRST EDITION. Richard attended Clapperton on his last
expedition, and with his brother John produced an edited
version of his journals. Unhappy with his menial job in the
Customs House, and at the insistence of Lord Bathurst,
Richard set out with John to trace the source and course
of the Niger. From Bussa they progressed 100 miles up
the river to Yelwa before returning whence they came
and heading downstream in canoes, “with no idea where
they would end up” (ODNB). After many misadventures
including imprisonment by the king at Igbo Ora, they
passed down the Nun distributary and debouched into
the Gulf of Guinea, “This settled the vexed question of the
course and outlet of the Niger which many had thought
flowed inland to Lake Chad.” On their return they were
greeted with “much enthusiasm”, Richard becoming the
Catalogue 57: Travel Section 2: Africa and the Middle East to Persia
first RGS gold medallist, and John Murray paying 100
guineas for these journals. Two years later Richard died on
an expedition with Macgregor Laird to open the Niger as a
trade route to the interior.
55. LAWRENCE, T. E. &
WOOLEY, C. Leonard.
Carchemish Report on the
excavations at Djerabis on behalf
of the British Museum. Part I
Introductory by D. G. Hogarth.
Printed by Order of the Trustees, London, 1914 [35309] £550
4to. Original grey boards, titles to upper board and spine
in black. Many photographic plates and maps. Endpapers
renewed, upper board a little marked, lower board with a
light crease. Very good.
FIRST EDITION, First Impression. This publication
represents Lawrence’s first contribution to a book. From
the library of Sir Michael Newton with his bookplates to
the front pastedown.
3 3
O’Brien A001.
56. LAWRENCE, T. E. &
WOOLEY, C. Leonard.
Palestine Exploration Fund,
1914. The Wilderness of Zin
(Archaeological Report.) With a
Chapter on the Greek Inscriptions
by M. N. Tod.
Order of the Committee, London, 1915 [33475] £500
4to. Original grey boards with blue cloth spine. Together with
the original flyer to promote the publication. Folding plan and
37 plates. Very minor browning to the endpapers, edges of
boards a little rubbed but a nice copy.
FIRST EDITION, Sole Printing. First Issue binding with the
requisite full stops on the spine.
O’Brien A004.