CHEESMAN, R.E. In Unknown Arabia. London, Macmillan and Co., 1926.
8vo. Original grey-green cloth, gilt vignette of camel-rider to upper cover, lettered in gilt to spine, top edge gilt; pp. xx, 447; photographic plates, 3 maps including one large folding and in colour; very light rubbing; a little brown-spotting to endpapers, otherwise very good.
First edition. An important account of travels in the Arabian peninsula. Cheesman had known Boyd Alexander (author of From the Niger to the Nile) and became fascinated with the idea to travel through the Arabian desert. Following Alexander's death, and with the encouragement of Percy Cox, Cheesman made a journey in 1923-4 from Oqair on the coast of the Gulf of Bahrain to the oases of Jabrin and Hufuf in the Arabian interior. Cheesman was the first man to map the Arabian coast from the Gulf of Salwa to Uqair. In 1924 he fixed the position of Hofuf and identified the site of ancient Gerrha. He presented his findings to Ibn Sa'ud at his court in Hofuf. - The present account of that journey has become rather uncommon, especially in such good condition.
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