Travels in Arabia Deserta

Travels in Arabia Deserta by C. M. Doughty. London: The Folio Society, [2013].

"The most comprehensive encyclopaedia of anthropology, geology, archaeology, religion, and history of the people of Northern Saudi that could be imagined."

The following text is from the original Folio Society brochure for this particular edition: "This collector's edition features 48 pages of contemporary photographs from the Fine Arts Library at Harvard University, many of which have never before been reproduced. Many were the work of the Bonfils family, who set up a studio in Beirut in the 1860s and produced hundreds of photographs capturing people, landscapes, townscapes and monuments. These images, originally glass plate negatives, illustrate many aspects of Travels in Arabia Deserta, as they would have looked in the author's time. The landscape of the desert interior, however, is left to our imagination, fuelled by Doughty's powerful prose, for unlike the author, the photographers did not venture there. We have also included the 93 line and tone drawings that the author created for the first edition. They reflect his far-ranging interests, showing everything from tomb inscriptions to geological features.

• Preface by Rory Stewart
• Introduction by T. E. Lawrence 
• Text printed on wove; plates printed duotone on silk art paper, endpapers on Fabriano paper.
• 1,328 pages in total

Each volume is half-bound in Indian goatskin with blocked leather corners and paper sides hand-marbled by Jemma Lewis.

The spines feature gold-blocked ornaments; there are gilded top edges and a ribbon marker in each volume.

The map, which Doughty drafted on his travels and presented to the Royal Geographical Society upon his return, has been printed on toned paper, mounted in panels on book cloth and fixed separately into a binding case to allow for easy cross reference with text.

The books and map are presented together in a buckram-bound slipcase with a leather label, blocked in matt gold."

Condition

The two books are in wonderful, near-fine condition. The only thing separating these from new copies are some incredibly-faded, barely noticeable (and that in the best of lights!) marks on the fore edge, likely from touching the gilded top and then thumbing through the book. Both volumes feel unread with pages tightly bound and immaculate within. Uncommon for such heavy books, there is no noticeable forward lean to the spines; this means that the set has likely been stored horizontally. All in all, they feel pristine. The map is in immaculate condition with no faults. The slipcase is in fine condition with no dents and barely any shelf-wear marks to the bottom.