Travels, or Observations Relating to Several Parts of Barbary and the Levant.

AUCTION 58 | Thursday, May 02nd, 2013 at 1:00

Fine Judaica: Printed Books, Manuscripts and Autograph Letters

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Lot 339

SHAW, THOMAS.

Travels, or Observations Relating to Several Parts of Barbary and the Levant.

<<FIRST EDITION.>> English interspersed with Hebrew. 37 copper engraved plates including illustrations, views and 12 maps of which 5 are fold-out and one Rabbinical, two double-page plates and 1 page of sheet music. On p. 357, “Rabbinical” map of the Holy Land with locations in Hebrew and English, based upon the map of R. Elia Mizrachi in his Commentary to the Pentateuch. Title printed in red and black with large engraved vignette of the Oxford Theatre, engraved head- and tail-pieces and initials. pp. (4), xv, 442, (1), 60, (8). Recent endpapers (soiled). Later mottled calf, scuffed, neatly rehinged. Folio. Blackmer Catalogue 307; Lowndes II, 2372; Röhricht 1352; Tobler p. 123; Laor, 725-6.

Oxford: Printed at the Theatre 1738

Est: $3,000 - $5,000

Shaw travelled to Egypt, Palestine, Cyprus and around North Africa. The present work of his is most valuable for its accurate descriptions of antiquties, geography and natural history specimens observed. As Lowndes notes, “These travels have been universally esteemed, not only for their accuracy and fidelity, but on account of the illustrations they contain of natural history, of the classic authors, and especially of the Scriptures.” “A noble example of typography.” (DNB)