Ramsay, Sir William Mitchell

THE AUTHOR'S CORRECTED PROOF COPY, volume 1, part I only (of II), 8vo (240 x 155mm.), half-title, folding coloured map of South-western Phyrgia, and map of Laodiceia, extensive corrections, additions and deletions in ink and pencil throughout by the author, publisher's dated ink stamps from 8 November 1894 to 16 March 1895, near contemporary green half calf by the Education Society's Press, Byculla (Bombay), uncut, scattered light spotting

TOGETHER WITH:
[IBID.] The cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia. Being an essay of the local history of Phyrgia from the earliest times to the Turkish conquest. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1895 and 1897
FIRST EDITION, 2 volumes: volume 1 parts I and II (ALL PUBLISHED), half-titles, part I: folding colour map, colour plan, errata slip; part II: 3 colour maps, 2 folding (one in pocket), and 3 plates, errata slip, advertisement leaf, publisher's cream cloth, scattered light spotting, bindings slightly soiled

Proof volume: Presented by the author to W.R. Macdonell on 3 July 1895 (pencil note on preliminary blank); David B. Adam, Westminster College, Cambridge

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."

THE AUTHOR'S CORRECTED PROOF OF THE FIRST PART OF HIS RAREST AND ARGUABLY MOST IMPORTANT BOOK, TOGETHER WITH FIRST EDITION OF THE PUBLISHED WORK. Ramsay's manuscript alterations and notes in the proof help underline the points he was making in his finished text.

"In 1880 Ramsay was elected to an Oxford studentship for travel and research in Greek lands. At Smyrna he met Sir Charles Wilson, then British consul-general in Anatolia, who advised him to explore the unknown inland regions of the country and in whose company he made two long journeys in 1881-1882... Ramsay's enduring claim to distinction is the immense advance, based upon a rich harvest of new evidence, which he achieved in the knowledge of the geography and topography of Asia Minor and of its political, social, and cultural (including religious) history... Topography and history are combined in his local history of Phrygia, uncompleted for lack of adequate evidence." (ODNB)

A contemporary review of part one of Ramsay's study considered that it would be ''the most important work of the kind that has been published in recent times.'' (Geographical Review, February, 1896).