8vo. Volume I: viii, [2], 360 pp., 1 folding coloured map of Northern Syria, Lacking frontispiece / Volume II: vi, [1], 400 pp., half-titles, 25 lithographed plates of which 11 are folding, numerous illustrations and engravings in text, original mustard cloth, upper covers ruled in black but not lettered, spine ends rubbed, occasional light spotting and soiling mainly to end leaves, small ink library stamp on title and end pages, small hole puncture on front endpaper of volume 2, few pencil markings and pencil note on end fly leaves, otherwise an unopened copy in overall good condition, Tinsley Brothers, London, first edition, 1872.

Synopsis

Burton was consul at Damascus from October 1865 to August 1871. During that period Drake went to Syria as a representative of the Palestine Exploration Fund, but for some reason he left the Fund, and he and Burton continued the exploration of Syria and Lebanon on their own. This work is not a continuous narrative of their travels but consists of articles by Burton, Drake, Mrs Burton and others. The plates include shells, plants, and Burton’s collection of anthropological materials from the Holy Land (skulls etc.). The text contains catalogues of these materials. The work also includes a chapter on Arabic proverbs.
Bibliographic references: Blackmer 247; Casada 68; Penzer 85-88.