KAYAT, Assaad Yakoob. A Voice from Lebanon with the Life and Travels of Assaad Y. Kayat. London, Madden & Co., 1847.
8vo. Contemporary green half-calf over marbled boards, spine ruled and lettered in gilt, ornamented in blind; pp. viii, 436; lithographic portrait frontispiece; extremities a little rubbed, very light occasional spotting initially, else an excellent copy.
First and only edition, very rare. Kayat, a Christian Arab from Beirut, as well as an ancestor of the well-known Beirut publishing dynasty, travelled throughout Europe and the Middle East, lecturing on Syria and the "existence and state of Eastern Christians". He also worked with the Syrian Society, a group that promoted the education of Arab youth. A Voice from Lebanon gives details of Kayat's early life in Beirut and later travels, as well as meetings with such figures as Selina Bracebridge. Among those whom he met in Britain was the Wheelton family of Meopham (Kent), mentioned on p. 359 of his account. The first 100 pages are purely autobiographical and Kayat's life was centred around Lebanon. One of the very few books of the mid-19th century written by a native Arabic speaker in a Western language.
Blackmer 900 (an "amusing work").
#2099330