Nineveh and its Remains:

London: John Murray,, 1850. A fearless, and independently minded explorer Fifth edition, published a year after the first, of this important narrative of archaeological digs at Nimrud and Kouyunjik. This copy is bound with a two-page autograph letter signed (dated 1883), from Layard to an unknown recipient, mentioning a matter concerning Lord John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (1792-1878), who, like Layard, was a member of the Athenaeum Club. Layard (1817–1894) turned his back on steady employ in his uncle's solicitor's office and set off overland to join another uncle in Ceylon. Side-tracked by adventure he set aside his original itinerary, learned Persian and Arabic, and lived for some time in the Bakhtiari mountains. Whilst returning to Baghdad via Mosul he became convinced that he had discovered the location of Nineveh, persuading Sir Stafford Canning to support his excavations at Nimrud. After his return to England, and the publication of this work, he realized that Kouyunjik was in fact the correct location of Nineveh. In April 1849, Layard was appointed attaché at Constantinople, and he conducted major excavations at Kouyunjik later that year. This led to his second book, Nineveh and Babylon (1853), which yielded "further important trophies and discoveries, including the cuneiform library of Sennacherib's grandson Ashurbanipal, on which most modern knowledge of Assyrian culture is founded" (ODNB). Two volumes, octavo (210 x 135 mm). Near-contemporary red half morocco, pebble-grain orange boards, raised bands, compartments decorated in gilt, gilt lettered direct, marbled edges and endpapers. With tinted lithographic frontispiece in each volume, and 20 engraved plates (one double folding, one double-page), 5 folding maps and plans, numerous illustrations in the text. Ink stamp of one "T.W.", on recto of front free endpaper in each volume. Slightly rubbed, minor repairs to joints and corners, vol. II also with repaired tear to cloth of front cover, text block in vol. II cracked between title and frontispiece, map facing p. 332 in vol. I supplied, occasional foxing or offsetting from plates. A very good copy. Atabey 685, and Blackmer 968 for the first edition.