1887, Keane, Six month in the Hejaz.

Condition : fair, rubbed, ends of spine and corners slightly dulled, hinges cracked, a few small stains, 4 leaves with small tears in the upper margin. Overall a good clean copy.
Binding : publisher's green cloth with gilt vignette of a camel carrying a palanquin.
Volume : 1 volume.
Format : In-8.
Pages : XI, 307 pp.
Publisher : London, Ward and Downey.
Date : 1887.

Edition combining two previous works: Six months in Meccah and My journey to Medinah (1877 - 1878).

A gifted writer with a beautiful turn of phrase, John F. Keane (1854 - 1937) is very adept at evoking the life around him in the holy cities. On the one hand, he can make us laugh out loud at the eccentric variety of dress in Mecca, and on the other move us to the great spectacle of faith at the climax of the pilgrimage to 'Arafat. He is never short of an opinion, expressed in a trenchant manner, such as his insightful view of the institution of slavery in Islam. Particularly noteworthy are the descriptions of the Haram and the Ka'bah, Id al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan, the view of Mecca from the top of Jabal Qubais and the different types of pilgrims found there.