8vo. lviii, 560 pp., [32 pp. Murray’s list of publications], folding diagram colour frontispiece, 6 colour maps of which 3 are folding, 5 woodcuts, hard back binding, title gilt on spine, previous owner’s inscription on front fly leaf, biblio, appendix, indexes, small smudge on lower outer edges, otherwise copy inside in very good condition, John Murray, London, new edition, 1896.

Synopsis

This best-selling account of Stanley’s travels in Egypt and Palestine in 1852 was widely reprinted into the early 20th century. Arthur Penrhyn Stanley (1815-81), Dean of Westminster, was a particularly enlightened and progressive clergyman who questioned the literal truth of the creation in the Book of Genesis. Recognising the great need for topographical study of the Holy Land and the identification of biblical place names, he collaborated with Sir George Grove in the founding of the Palestine Exploration Fund in 1865. Perhaps the most significant aspect of Dean Stanley’s contribution to the Palestine Exploration Fund and its work, aside from his role in its foundation, was his commitment to a scientific approach. He also insisted that it be non-religious and non-political, and brought into the founding committee not only representatives of all three branches of the Church of England, but representatives of the Catholic and Jewish churches as well. Full brown calf binding by C. Cross.