First Arabic Edition of 1,001 Nights to be Printed in the Arab World

The 100-strong collection of rare books, maps, manuscripts, photographs, and accounts offer a fascinating window into a number of highly engrossing subjects, conversations, collaborations and conflicts that document life in the Gulf region from its earliest nation-building days, alongside storied titles from the Western canon – many of which have not been brought to the region before. 

Leading London rare book dealer Peter Harrington presents an exceptional collection of 100 titles curated for collectors from the Arabian Gulf in its newest catalogue entitled Sharjah 2021.

Compiled for the Sharjah International Book Fair which takes place in the United Arab Emirates from November 3 – November 13, the selection includes several early foundational texts on subjects as varied as agriculture and horse breeding in the Arab world, alongside lavishly illustrated copies of iconic literary works such as the Rubaiyat and 1,001 Arabian Nights. The selection also includes rare and highly sought-after titles from the Western canon – many of which are exceptional association copies, or sole copies that are rarely commercially traded.

A selection of scarce regional maps, monographs, sketches and written journals additionally provide a fascinating glimpse of life in the Gulf and the Levant in the early and mid-20th century, documenting the Arab nations’ interactions with the rest of the world.

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:  

• An exceptionally rare first complete edition in Arabic, and the first edition printed in the Arab World, of Alf Layla Wa-Layla (One Thousand and One Nights) - formerly owned by the distinguished French oriental scholar Barbier de Meynard - £250,000

• The final edition of Frederick Fraser Hunter’s landmark Map of Arabia, a milestone in map-making of Arabia - £37,500

• A unique manuscript of the first modern translation of Ismael Abulfeda’s Life of Mahomet; commissioned and signed on the title page by the orientalist Nicolas Perron, who has been described as “the ferryman of Arab cultures” - £8,750

• The finest American edition of the Rubaiyat, one of just 100 copies signed by the illustrator, Elihu Vedder, and presented here in the original lavish full morocco binding - £12,500
  
  
• An original pilot’s plotting map depicting the RAF’s “Arabian Coast Air Route” from Basra to Karachi, emphasizing the critical importance of Sharjah: no other example of this map can be traced - £2,250

• A first printing of an uncommon and highly detailed map from 1957, covering much of the present-day United Arab Emirates from Jezirat Abu Musa (NW) - Al Ima Island (NE) - Khor Kalba (SE) - Jabal Ali with an arrow pointing in the direction of Abu Dhabi (SW), published by the War Office and Air Ministry in 1957 - £2,000

• A collection of 7 pioneering Gulf Arabic language handbooks published between the 1940s and 1960s, the production of which was spearheaded by Aramco, the Kuwait Oil Company and Bapco in support of their rapidly growing operations in the region after the Second World War - £6,500

• An elusive first edition of this handsomely produced first-hand account of a journey from Cairo through northern Mesopotamia, conducted by Max Oppenheim, “the Kaiser’s Spy in the Gulf”, ostensibly an expedition sponsored by Deutsche Bank to establish the route of the Baghdad Railway but in fact a covert operation on behalf of the Kaiser - £8,750

According to Pom Harrington, owner of Peter Harrington, “Our new Sharjah catalogue includes a number of titles previously unseen in this region. From detailed records of landmark arbitration cases, to rare aviation maps issued for use by the RAF, medieval primers, albums, accounts of Western spies operating in the Middle East and observational sketchbooks, the selection we’ve compiled for the Sharjah International Book Fair this year includes books and manuscripts that offer a fascinating window into a number of highly engrossing subjects, conversations, collaborations and conflicts that document life in the Gulf region from its earliest nation-building days.”

“We have exhibited at SIBF three years in a row now. It is a wonderful opportunity to connect with our clients from the GCC who regularly buy from us both online as well as through direct recommendations from our cataloguers and booksellers. We have sourced and delivered both well and lesser known titles to private and institutional libraries in the region. It’s always a pleasure to be back in the UAE to take the pulse of the rare book world and understand what subjects are gaining interest with new and existing collectors,” says Ben Houston, Sales Director at Peter Harrington.

“Early records of the region have always commanded curiosity – in written, photographic and illustrative form – but we have seen an increasing interest in recent months in cartography of the Arabian peninsula. We have brought with us several fascinating inclusions – including rare aeronautical maps of the region and the final edition of the Hunter map – a real milestone in map making in the Arab region,” adds Ben.

“Cornerstone socio-economic works from the Western canon and modern classics also tend to be sought-after by highly discerning collectors based in this region and we have brought a strong offering with us this year – everything from first editions of Ptolemaues’ Cosmographia, Mao’s Little Red Book, pre-publication sheets of Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Darwin’s Origin of Species find a place in this catalogue.”

According to the company, the Middle East region currently accounts for between 15-20 per cent of Peter Harrington’s international sales, with institutional buyers for libraries, sovereign wealth funds and private patrons of the arts and culture forming the core buyer profile, all of whom consult Peter Harrington for a range of services including library curation, appraisals and filling gaps in existing collections on a wide range of subjects. The average cost for the acquisition of individual titles ranges from a few thousand dirhams to over a million.

OTHER NOTABLE FAIR INCLUSIONS:

• A scarce and highly regarded early scientific Western treatise on the Arab horse by Carlo Guarmani, a fascinating figure: explorer, orientalist, horse expert and dealer, who travelled incognito and learnt at first hand from local people - £4,500
  
  
• Rare first printed edition of “one of the most complete medieval encyclopaedias of science”, comprising 52 treatises composed sometime between the 10th and 11th centuries by a remarkable and enigmatic group of anonymous authors based in Basra known collectively as Ikhwan al-Safa' or Brethren of Purity - £9,500
  
  
• A rare first edition of Gertrude Bell’s monograph on the palace of Ukhaidir (the “little green palace”) in Iraq based on the findings of her 1911 expedition – described as “her most important contribution to archaeology”. - £12,500.
  
  
• A pair of very rare coloured Middle Eastern aeronautical maps, primarily used for private recreational club flying, but also clearly stepping into the colonial military sphere - £2,500.
  
  
• A superbly provenanced pairing of the first editions of Breeding of Pure Bred Arab Horses by Prince Mohammed Ali Tewfik, along with Dr Abdel Alim Ashoub’s History of the Royal Agricultural Society's Stud of Authentic Arabian Horses - £2,750

• A first edition of Mao Zedong’s “Little Red Book” in its most collectable state - £20,000
  
  
• A limited edition of The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs, William Morris’s own version of the Icelandic epic and one of the rarest of the Kelmscott Press books - £12,000
  
  
• One of two pre-publication sets of sheets of The Hobbit, presented by J.R.R Tolkien to his friend Russell Meiggs, remarkably bound in this specially-commissioned fine art binding, featuring an abstract overbinding design taken from the Lonely Mountain sketch on the map endpapers by Tolkien, with the jewels representing Smaug’s treasure hoard hidden inside - £150,000.

Peter Harrington will exhibit at Sharjah International Book Fair Hall#6, International Section.

NOTE ON INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY: Items in this catalogue are available for sale at www.peterharrington.co.uk

We offer free standard international delivery on all book orders.

Our specialists are also available to give consultations by Zoom video chat or FaceTime – buyers can email mail@peterharrington.co.uk to set up an appointment.

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www.peterharrington.co.uk 

ABOUT PETER HARRINGTON

Since its establishment in 1969, Peter Harrington has specialised in sourcing, selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets.

One of the leading rare book dealers in the world and the largest antiquarian book dealer in Europe, Peter Harrington has, for over half a century, dealt with a stock of thousands of fine books from rare seventeenth-century Shakespeare folios to highly sought-after contemporary classics such as signed and inscribed first editions of the Harry Potter series.

Peter Harrington operates two stores in London – a flagship double-fronted store in Chelsea with more than 20,000 volumes and 6,000 works on paper displayed over four floors, and a store on Dover Street in the West End of London which offers a carefully curated selection of its best stock in a gallery-style environment. As highly respected authorities in their fields, its team of rare book specialists are regularly called upon to advise individual and institutional collectors around the world seeking to enhance their collections and build specialist libraries on niche topics ranging from everything from jazz, climate change and feminist writers, to early travel literature from the Middle East, the Far East, Central Asia and the Pacific as well as landmark literary, economic and philosophical works.

Peter Harrington Rare Books is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association and offers an unconditional guarantee for each item it sells on its authenticity and completeness, as described in the Editor’s Notes. The company has been named on the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 (2021), Sunday Times SME Export Track 100 (2015) and Business Hot 100 (2015)

© Press Release 2021