Guarmani, Carlo

FIRST ENGLISH EDITION, 8vo (240 x 158mm.), ONE OF 100 COPIES, THE TRANSLATOR'S ANNOTATED COPY, half-title, folding lithographed map, original blue cloth, spotting to map

Douglas Carruthers FRGS (1882-1962), book label, signature, and annotations; labels of Royal Central Asian Society

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."

RARE (NOT IN BRITISH LIBRARY). DOUGLAS CARRUTHERS'S COPY, WITH HIS EXTENSIVE MANUSCRIPT ANNOTATIONS AND EMENDATIONS THROUGHOUT IN PENCIL AND INK FOR A NEW EDITION, IN WHICH HE REFERS TO LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, PHILBY, GERTRUDE BELL and other Arabian explorers. We can trace only one other copy of this edition sold at auction in the past 40 years (sale in these rooms 15 October 1998, lot 71).

This is a translation from the original Italian text of 1866, with explanatory notes by Carruthers and published by the Arab Bureau in Cairo, for official use only. Guarmani was one of the earliest European travellers to visit Central Arabia, having been commissioned to buy stallions for the French Government and the King of Italy. His work provides an interesting record of conditions in the Desert Peninsula at a moment when the rival Rashid and Saudi dynasties were still struggling for dominance. "The most valuable part of Guarmani's book for immediate Intelligence purposes is, perhaps, that which deals with the trans-Jordanic districts" (Prefatory note).

During the First World War Carruthers was employed mainly at the War Office compiling maps of the Middle East, and he corresponded with T.E. Lawrence; his later career consisted largely of map making and working with explorers and travellers. Carruthers was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 1909, awarded the Gill Memorial in 1910, and in 1912 the Patron's Gold Medal of the Society, and served as Honorary Secretary from 1916 to 1921. In 1956 Carruthers was awarded the Sykes Medal of the Royal Central Asian Society.