8vo. xi, 434 pp., modern hard boards, lightly dented at spine extremities, original wrappers preserved, title printed on spine, index, paper slightly browned, occasional foxing, otherwise copy in good condition, Tipografia Fava E. Garagnani, Bologna, first edition, 1872.

Synopsis

A presentation copy by author inscribed on top title page. Extremely rare work Copac lists only one copy at the British Library. Not in any bibliography related to the Holy Land.
Carlo Claudio Camillo Guarmani ( 1828 – 1884 ) was a great horse expert and passionate Italian traveller . He travelled through the Arab countries and to the fact that he spoke well the Arabic language. In September 1863, he was commissioned by the general Fleury, aide-de-camp to Napoleon III and general manager of the Imperial Equine Breeds, and shortly thereafter Victor Emmanuel II to procure pure bred Arabian stallions for the cavalry of their respective armies.
To this end he went to various parts of the Arab world and, in particular, to Najd , after having touched other places on the Arabian Peninsula, including Taymā’ and Ḥā’il , which he described in the book Itinéraire de Jérusalem au Neged septentrional of 1865 (English version) Northern Najd, A Journey from Jerusalem to Anaiza in Qasim , 1938).
Guarmani was also the author of other publications, among which perhaps the best known was Al Kamsa: the pure blood Arabian horse: study of 16 years in Syria, Palestine, Egypt and in the deserts of Arabia (English version The Pure-Bred Arabian Horse , edited with a new Introduction by Angelo Pesce, translated from the Italian by Philip Ward, Immel Publishing, Jeddah , Saudi Arabia ). Ref; Rohrucht 494.