Description: Author: De Forest, J[ohn] W[illiam]. Title: ORIENTAL ACQUAINTANCE; OR, LETTERS FROM SYRIA. Publication: New York: Dix, Edwards, & Co., 1856. Description: 12mo. [viii], 285 pages plus [8] pages publisher's ads at rear dated Sept. 1, 1856. Original embossed dark purple cloth with gilt-stamped spine. [18.5 cm.] Spine sun-faded and with shallow chips to ends, light spotting to cloth, wear to corners with small areas of the boards showing. Light scattered foxing. Good plus. FIRST EDITION. The author's second book. Scarce in the trade. A sometimes humorous account of De Forest's travels in Ottoman Syria in the 1850's. Unlike many contemporary Western accounts of the Holy Land, the book emphasizes realistic descriptions of daily life, rather than observations of ancient relics, and the author is plainly critical of pilgrims and their reverence for sacred monuments. De Forest first visited Syria for health reasons in the 1840's and later returned to spend several years with his brother, a missionary. He includes descriptions of Smyrna, Rhodes, Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and Jerusalem. "One of the more entertaining nineteenth-century American treatments of the Middle East." --Brian Yothers, Romance of the Holy Land in American Travel Writing, p. 88. "A pleasantly written book descriptive of persons and scenes encountered in his travels." --Smith, American Travelers Abroad, D36. John William De Forest (1826-1906), a native of Connecticut, wrote several novels, of which the best remembered is "Miss Ravenel's Conversion from Secession to Loyalty" (1867). He also published a history, one other travelogue, and contributed extensively to periodicals. His articles on the Civil War and Reconstruction, based on his Union service and his work for the Freedman's Bureau, were posthumously published in two books. BAL 4600. Eilenberger Rare Books, LLCDurham, North Carolina About us:Eilenberger Rare Books is an online shop specializing in Americana, particularly books about the Southeastern U.S., and we offer rare, scholarly, and antiquarian books on a variety of other subjects. David J. Eilenberger established the firm in 2010. Before that, he worked for over ten years at respected firms in the A.B.A.A., including Chapel Hill Rare Books. A native of Pennsylvania and a graduate of Colgate University, he has called North Carolina home for over twenty-five years. He attended the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS) in 2019. Member I.O.B.A. (Independent Online Booksellers Association) since 2017.Terms:PayPal is preferred. Orders shipped within two business days. Standard shipping is USPS Media Mail, which includes tracking. Expedited and international shipping are available on request; please inquire for a price quote.All items are guaranteed as described. Returns are accepted within 30 days of delivery provided all items are returned in the condition in which they were received. Please notify us before shipping. Return postage is the buyer's responsibility. Your satisfaction is our prime concern. If you are unhappy with any part of your experience with Eilenberger Rare Books, please let us know immediately and we will do everything we can to make it right.
Price: 110 USD
Location: Durham, North Carolina
End Time: 2024-03-10T17:49:35.000Z
Shipping Cost: 3.95 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Year Printed: 1856
Topic: Middle East
Binding: Hardcover, cloth
Region: Middle East
Author: De Forest, J[ohn] W[illiam]
Subject: Exploration & Travel
Original/Facsimile: Original
Special Attributes: 1st Edition
