Five Years in Damascus: Including an Account of the History, Topography, and Antiquities of that City; with Travels and Researches in Palmyra, Lebanon, and the Hauran. (2 Vol)

A work valued for itshistorical, geographical, and cultural insightsinto 19th-century Damascus and the Levant. It combinesfirst-hand observations from the author (who lived in Syria for five years), biblical references, and scholarly research. It is a much more in-depth exploration of Syria and the Levant than a typical travel book of the period. As the author notes this is 'not a work of travels penned during a summer's ramble.'. Condition: Good SET INFO Published in 1855 in London by John Murray. First edition, first printing. Complete in two volumes. Bound in its original orange-brown blind-stamped publisher's cloth with gilt embossed front cover decoration and gilt spine lettering. Deckled edges. Brown endpapers. Octavo, 8 1/16" x 5 1/8". Collated, complete and original, including ads, plates and maps: x, [2], 395, [1] pp.; vi, [2], 372, 32 (ads) pp., 1 large folding, partly hand-colored, engraved map, 6 plans (2 folding), 4 plates & 20 within text illustrations. The work covers a wide range of topics: 1. Geography and Natural Features: Porter describes the valley and fountain of the Barada, the ancient Abana, Mount Hermon, and the sources of the Pharpar and Jordan rivers; 2. Historical and Biblical Sites: The book includes detailed observations of Helbon, the eastern slopes of Antilibanus, and the plain of Damascus, often referencing biblical history and local traditions; 3. Journeys and Exploration: Porter documents his travels along the borders of the desert to Jebel Hauran, northern sections of Jebel Hauran, and towns such as Busrah, Suweideh, and Nejran; .4. Lebanon and Surrounding Regions: The book also covers tours in Lebanon, including visits to the Cedars and Baalbek, and excursions to Homs and the northern end of Antilibanus. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Josias Leslie Porter (1823 - 1889) was an Irish Presbyterian minister, missionary, traveler and academic administrator. He was Moderator of the Irish General Assembly in 1875. In 1855, Porter published his first book on the Middle East, Five Years in Damascus, in which he related his life there, and journeys to destinations in the Ottoman Empire, including Palmyra, the Hauran, and Lebanon. The plans and woodcuts were engraved from his drawings. Porter also published a Pew and Study Bible in 1876. He contributed extensively to the edition of John Kitto's Cyclopædia of Biblical Literature which was begun in 1862; nearly all the geographical articles on places in Palestine were by him. He also wrote for Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and Kitto's Pictorial Bible; and contributed to the Bibliotheca Sacra (New York), to Kitto's Journal of Sacred Literature, and to other periodicals. CONDITON REPORT GOOD. Heavy rubbing and soiling to boards else VERY GOOD. Complete. Exterior and binding: firmly bound, heavily worn and bumped corners, multiple over-opened pages. Sun-darkened spines. Quite a bit of dust and soiling to cloth. Rubbed extremities. Top edge darkened, per usual. Interior: Pages are generally clean, bright and a creamy white, with some sections gently toned. Blank preceding frontispiece in Vol I heavily toned. Endpapers show rubbing and fading. Front pastedown of each volume with former bookseller stamp. Rear pastedown of each volume with a bindery sticker. Some light signs of handling: a few creases and bent corners, occasional marginal finger soiling, a few smudges. A few leaves with small chips to a deckled edge. A larger chip to head of Vol 2" title page and first contents leaf along gutter margin. A 3" tear from a misfold on the large folding map at rear of Vol 2. Other fold-out plates in very nice condition. An infrequent very light spot of foxing. Former owner name in pen on a front blank.…