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Cairo: Sketches of Its History, Monuments, and Social Life
By Stanley Lane-Poole
J. S. Virtue & Co., Limited, London
1895
Second edition, enlarged
Decorative cloth hardcover
xiv + 334 pages
No ISBN
An original Victorian study of Cairo’s history, mosques, monuments, Islamic art, streets, and social life. Stanley Lane-Poole was a British orientalist, archaeologist, and member of the Egyptian Commission for the Preservation of the Monuments of Arab Art.
This enlarged second edition contains many wood illustrations by G. L. Seymour, Harry Fenn, J. D. Woodward, and others. The pictorial cloth cover shows a gilt Nile sailing vessel.
This copy retains a period label from F. Diemer, a Cairo bookseller founded in 1892. The firm was later named bookseller to the Khedive. An early owner notation appears to read “Cairo, Feb. 95,” which suggests the book was already in Cairo during its year of publication. Later owner writing includes a 1968 San Diego notation. No notable named-owner provenance has been confirmed.
Best fit for collectors of Egypt, Cairo, Islamic architecture, Victorian travel, Middle Eastern history, and nineteenth-century illustrated books.
Major hook: Original 1895 enlarged edition with decorative gilt binding and a period Cairo bookseller label.
Condition: Acceptable / Fair. No dust jacket present. The cloth binding has heavy rubbing, fading, soiling, stains, edge wear, and corners worn through. The spine ends have major fraying and cloth loss. The front hinge is badly cracked, with binding material exposed at the patterned endpapers. The binding is weak and should be handled carefully. Pages have heavy age toning, foxing, spotting, and scattered marks. Several prior-owner inscriptions appear near the front. Page edges are rough and uneven. Pages shown remain attached, but the full book and illustration count have not been collated. See photos for full condition details.
Search terms: Cairo Egypt, Stanley Lane-Poole, 1895 second edition, J S Virtue, Victorian Egypt, Islamic architecture, Egyptian monuments, Cairo mosques, Mamluk history, F Diemer Cairo bookseller, decorative cloth, illustrated antique book.
