Badia y Leblich | Travels of Ali Bey in Morocco, Tripoli, Cyprus, Egypt, Arabia, Syria, and Turkey. 1816, 2 volumes

[Domingo Badia y Leblich]

Travels of Ali Bey in Morocco, Tripoli, Cyprus, Egypt, Arabia, Syria, and Turkey, between the years 1803 and 1807. Written by himself. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1816.

FIRST ENGLISH EDITION, 2 volumes, 4to (268 x 212 mm.), frontispiece portrait, 4 folding engraved maps of Morocco, engraved Arabic text on p. 1, 85 engraved plates (of which 3 double-page, 6 folding), letterpress sheet of Greek printing between pp. 304 and 305, contemporary half calf, red edges, marbled endpapers, lacking half-titles and advertisement leaf at end of vol.2 present in some copies, vol.1 with marginal worming, spotting and browning, extremities slightly rubbed

The first English edition of Badia y Leblich's account of his travels across the Muslim world, from Morocco to Mecca, disguised as an a Arab called Ali Bey el Abbassi. His disguise (he was even circumcised) enabled him to access places forbidden to non-believers, including Mecca, though his real identity was suspected by the time he reached Constantinople. His expedition was supported by the Spanish authorities, to whom he made reports on his travels.

PROVENANCE:

Viscount Gage, armorial bookplate

LITERATURE:

Blackmer 62