Lot 45
  • 45

Curtsetjee, Cursetjee Manockjee.

Estimate
2,500 - 3,500 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • The Land of the Date. A recent Voyage from Bombay to Basra and back, fully descriptive of the ports and peoples of the Persian Gulf and the Shat'-el-Arab, their conditions, history and customs. Bombay: Commercial Printing Press, 1918
First edition, 8vo (210 x 133mm.), original blue cloth-backed printed boards, slightly rubbed

Condition

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

A very good copy of a rare work on the Persian Gulf. At the end of 1916 despite the war in Mesopotamia and nearing the age of 70, the author, a retired judge, set out from Bombay. He provides vivid descriptions of  Bandar Abbas, Hormuz, Kuwait, Dubai, Bahrain and Basra, together with descriptions of loading ships, fisheries, the pearl-trade, bazaars, architecture and the cultivation of dates and other food. Cursetjee (1847-1935) was the first Indian to be admitted as an undergraduate to the Unversity of Oxford in 1864 and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn.