A Description of the East, And Some other Countries.

London: W. Bowyer. , 1743-5.. Mild uniform browning, otherwise very good. . Binding: recent ¼ Morocco over matching brown cloth, title in gilt on flat spine, spine with gilt horizontally ruled compartments, red speckled side and bottom edges, dark edges on top.

, Notes: Richard Pococke (1704–1765) was an English prelate and anthropologist. He was the Bishop of Ossory (1756–65) and Meath (1765), both dioceses of the Church of Ireland. However, he is best known for his travel writings and diaries. He seems to have spent far more time travelling than attending to his duties as a churchman and from 1733 to 1741 undertook two Grand Tours with his cousin, Jeremiah Milles. The first (1733–34) was to France and Italy and the second (1736–37) was to the Low Countries, Germany, Austria, Poland and Hungary. Milles was recalled in 1737 to attend his uncle, the Bishop of Waterford & Lismore, leaving Pococke to continue his voyage to the East. Detailed accounts of their travels survive in a collection of letters written to Pococke's mother and their mutual uncle, the bishop, as well as in a number of note-books (British Library, Add. Ms. 19939, 15779, 22998, etc.). The earlier manuscripts, recently edited and published by Rachel Finnegan, include probably the most detailed description of Venice's "Marriage to the Sea" ceremony as well as precious information on contemporary music, especially opera. From 1737–41 he visited the Near East, visiting Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon & Syria, Asia Minor, and Greece. These travels were later published in his Description of the East of 1743 and 1745, works which were praised by Edward Gibbon. The complete collection of correspondence written to his mother from his Eastern voyage is now in print (2013), thus completing the publication of all his known travels. Among other things, he was one of the European travellers to give an account of the origins of the medieval Arabic document, the Achtiname of Muhammad, which claims that Muhammad had personally confirmed a grant of protection and other privileges to the monks of Saint Catherine's Monastery in Egypt., Size: Folio (400 x 245 mm), , Illustration: Illustrated with 178 full page plates and folding engraved plates, engraved title-vignettes by H. Gravelot and C. Grinion after Gravelot, engraved dedication and engraved headpiece by and after Gravelot. Vol. 1. Observations on Egypt; Vol 2. pt. 1. Observations on Palestine or the Holy Land, Syria, Mesopotamia, Cyprus, and Candia; Vol 2. pt. 2. Observations on the islands of the Archipelago, Asia Minor, Thrace, Greece, and some other parts of Europe.

, Volume: 3 parts in 2 volumes. , Category: Book Africa Egypt; Book Voyages General; Book Asia Middle East General;