The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia, […] from drawings made on the spot by David Roberts, R.A., with historical descriptions by the Rev. George Croly, LL.D. / William Brockedon. London: Day & Son, 1855-1856. Six volumes. English. First quarto edition.
Six volumes containing 248 tinted lithographs after paintings by David Roberts and two engraved maps presenting the route of Roberts' travels throughout the Near East. The lithographs show structures, ruins, churches, mosques, towns, landscapes and sites holy to the different religions throughout Palestine, Syria and Lebanon, the Transjordan and Egypt. The descriptions in the first three volumes were written by George Croly; the rest – by William Brockedon.
Six volumes in half-leather bindings (with the title "Roberts' Sketches in the Holy Land" embossed on the spines).
Volume 1: [2] leaves, 35 pp, [23] leaves + 44 plates. Volume 2: [1] leaf, 3 pp, [22] leaves + 45-87 plates. Volume 3: [1] leaf, 3 pp, [19] leaves + 88-125 plates. Volume 4: [1] leaf, 9 pp, [22] leaves + 126-168 plates. Volume 5: [23] leaves + 169-212 plates. Volume 6: [20] leaves + 213-250 plates. 28.5 cm. Good overall condition. Stains. Tears, open tears and minor blemishes to margins of several leaves and plates. Wear and blemishes to bindings.

Memoirs of the Lady Hester Stanhope as Related by Herself in Conversations with her Physician. London: Henry Colburn, 1845. English. Three volumes. First edition.
A memoir by Lady Hester Stanhope, one of the first travelers to the Near East in the 19th century, considered the "first archaeologist" in Palestine. At the end of the first volume, seven handwritten letters have been bound: three from the author (from the years 1841-1842) and four sent in her name by her secretary (from the years 1818-1820). Preceding these letters are two bound leaves, typewritten (French), noting that the letters were sent to the grandmother of the book's owner, with a reference written by hand: "see reference to my grandmother on page 58" (French).
A few lines of text are marked on p. 58: "Should a little Jewish woman find you out, she will tell you she has seen me… Excellent little woman! - sweet-tempered and resigned in misfortune, and her star pleased me". According to a footnote printed on the same page, this refers to an English lady by the name of Messiah, who sold all her property to move with her husband to Jerusalem. Mrs. Messiah met the author in Sidon.
The letters are written in English and on most of them appear ink-stamps, wax seals and paper labels.
Each volume has a frontispiece; one of them (a print in color) portrays Stanhope riding astride a horse, dressed in men's garments.
Hester Lucy Stanhope (1776-1839) was a British socialite and adventurer. In 1810 she travelled throughout the Near East, riding astride, dressed in men's garments; she visited Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon – where she finally settled. When she came across an ancient manuscript with a treasure map, she turned to the Sultan asking him to excavate at the spot – the town of Ashkelon, and in 1815 she was the first person who excavated in Palestine looking for antiquities. Her excavation unearthed columns, pottery and even a large marble sculpture from the Roman period, but she never found the treasure. Since Stanhope was allowed to search for gold only, she considered her findings as a violation of her promise to the Sultan and she ordered to destroy the sculpture as a symbol of loyalty. Her book of memoirs was published shortly after her death, edited by the personal physician, Charles Lewis Marion, who accompanied her through all her travels.
Vol. I: XVII, [1], 394 pp + [1] plate and [1] folded plan. Vol. II: VI, 384, 8 pp + [1] plate. Vol. III: VII, 361, [1], 2, 8 pp + [1] plate, approx. 20 cm. Good overall condition. Stains, tears and open tears at margins (small). Bookplates and embossed stamps at the beginning of each of the volumes. Pieces of paper with printed text are pasted on glued to inside front binding of the first volume. Worn bindings, slightly damaged, with rubbings, tears and open tears (mostly at corners and spines). The letters are in fair condition, with folding marks, stains, blemishes, tears and open tears (some reinforced with adhesive tape).

Jerusalem Explored, Being a Description of the Ancient and Modern City, with Numerous Illustrations Consisting of Views, Ground plans, and Sections, by Ermete Pierotti… Translated by Thomas George Bonney. London: Bell and Daldy, 1864. English. Two volumes.
English translation of a survey of Jerusalem by Italian engineer and archaeologist Ermete Pierotti. Volume I: text; Volume II: 63 plates, some folded, with lithographic prints of Pierotti's photographs and drawings depicting Mount Zion, David's Tomb, the Jewish Hospital Misgav Ladach, the Tomb of Absalom and other sites; includes a large panorama of Jerusalem as seen from the Mount of Olives.
Pierotti came to Jerusalem in 1854, having been chosen to serve as a consultant on the renovations of the Temple Mount. He participated in various construction projects in Jerusalem and was appointed Jerusalem's municipal engineer within a short time. This position enabled him to visit sites which were closed to Western scholars, in particular the Temple Mount and the Mosques. "Jerusalem Explored" is the result of a long historical and archaeological study of Jerusalem.
A promotional booklet (4 pp) from the publisher is bound at the end of the first volume.
Vol. I: XII, [1], 339, [1] pp. Vol. II: [8], [63] pp + LXIII plates. 38 cm. Vol. I: Good condition. Some stains and creases. Leather spine. Stains and blemishes to binding. Vol. II: Good-fair condition. Stains. Handwritten inscription on one of the pages and a marking in colored pencil on one of the plates. A number of detached leaves. Some tears at margins (tear to front endpaper, reinforced with adhesive tape). Parts of the panorama are reinforced with a cloth strip. Half leather binding. Stains and blemishes to binding. Cloth strips are pasted on the top and bottom of the spine, and on the joints between the binding and endpapers.