Middle East & Islamic World / Turkey & Ottoman Empire

[LETTERS]. ALVAREZ DE TOLEDO, Pedro and Maria OSORIO Y PIMENTEL. [Three letters to Ferrante Gonzaga, Viceroy of Sicily, two from Pedro Alvarez de Toledo and one from his wife Maria Osorio y Pimentel].
Andria (in the Kingdom of Naples), 13 August to 10 September 1539. Folio (21.5 x 30 cm).
(1) Letter in Italian, signed, from Pedro Alvarez de Toledo in Andria to Ferrante Gonzaga, 13 August 1539, with a 23 mm seal bearing Alvarez de Toledo's coat of arms (with a chain of flags) stamped on a slip of paper attached with red wax.
(2) Letter in Spanish, signed, from Pedro Alvarez de Toledo in Andria to Ferrante Gonzaga, 3 September 1539, with the 45 mm imperial armorial seal stamped on a slip of paper attached with red wax.
(3) Letter in Italian, signed, from Maria Osorio y Pimentel [in Andria] to Ferrante Gonzaga, 10 September 1539, with the remains of what appears to be her husband's 23 mm red wax seal.
Each letter, in brown ink, occupies one page, with the last page containing the address and the sender's seal. The two inside pages of the second and third letter are blank. Each formerly folded for posting, so that the address would have appeared on one side and the seal on the other. [4]; [4]; [2] pp. including blanks. Full description

[ARABIC-SCRIPT PRINTER’S WOODBLOCK]. Hand-cut woodblock bearing the text "Safr Nishd al-nishad li-Süleyman ..." (Book of the Song of songs of Solomon) in naskh Arabic script.
[Probably Ottoman provinces, mid-18th century (ca. 1750)]. A single hand-cut woodblock (17 x 9 x 2.2 cm, with protrusions to the left and right making it wider - 11 cm - near the head to accommodate the wider 2nd line) intended for use as printing block, with 6 lines of text, together with an inked impression on 18th century paper (16.5 x 10.5 cm). Full description

ARIF PACHA, Muchir. Les Anciens Costumes de l'Empire Ottoman, depuis l'origine de la monarchie jusqu'a la reforme du Sultan Mahmoud ... Tome 1er [all published].
Paris, Lemercier, 1863. Folio (54.8 x 40 cm). With lithographic portrait of Arif Pacha, drawn on stone by M. Julien, printed on India paper, with caption and imprint lithographed directly on the leaf, 16 tinted lithographic plates after Arif Pacha (image size 24.5 x 34 cm), coloured and finished by hand. Modern cloth. 24 ll. printed both sides, plus plates. Full description

[ARIF PACHA, Muchir]. [Les anciens costumes de l'empire Ottoman, depuis l'origine de la monarchie jusqu'a la reforme du Sultan Mahmoud. Volume I = all published].
[Paris, Lemercier, 1863]. 1mo (54.5 x 40 cm). With lithographic portrait of Arif Pacha, drawn on stone by M. Julien, printed on India paper, cut in an oval and mounted on a leaf of stiff paper, with caption and imprint lithographed directly on the leaf, 16 tinted lithographic plates after Arif Pacha (image size 24.5 x 34 cm). Lacking lithographed title-page. Contemporary black half morocco. 24 ll. printed both sides, plus plates Full description

[ATLAS - HISTORICAL]. Atlas historique. - Souvenirs historiques. - Tableaux et cartes.
[Montpellier?], [date on spine of vol. 1:] 1851. 3 volumes. Folio (vol. 1) and large 4to (vols. 2-3). Neatly written manuscripts on paper with 23 graphically vibrant maps, coloured in outline with subtly shaded washes in grey (for the coasts) and numerous bright colours (for political boundaries), and with calligraphic headings. Contemporary bindings: vol. 1 red half goatskin; vol. 2 black half goatskin; vol. 3 black sheepskin. [1], [26 double]; [1], [22 double]; [1], 30 double, [1] ll. Full description

AZPEITIA DE MOROS, Luis. En busca del caballo Árabe. Comisión á Oriente. Turquía, Siria, Mesopotamia, Palestina. Memorias del viaje.
Madrid, Tip. "Sucesores de Rivadeneyra" 1915. Large 8vo. With photographic illustrations printed from halftone relief blocks in the text throughout and a lithographed map showing the sailing route in blue. Original publisher's printed and illustrated paper wrappers. 297, [1 blank], [1], [1 blank], [2], [2 blank] pp. Full description

[BALIGOT DE BEYNE, Arthur]. Constantinople et le Bosphore.
Paris, A. François et Ce, Décembre 1845. 8vo. Original green printed wrappers. 64 pp. Full description

BAUDIER, Michel. Histoire generale de la religion des Turcs. Avec la naissance, la vie, & la mort, de leur prophete Mahomet; et les actions des quatre premiers caliphes qui l'ont suivy.
Paris, Jean Guignard, 1632. 8vo. With the controversial half-page engraved portrait of Muhammad. 17th-century(?) vellum, later endpapers. [70], [2 blank], 726, [50] pp. Full description

[BEAUGRAND, Felix]. Relation fidele du voyage de la Terre Sainte dans laquelle se voit tout ce qu' il y a de remarquable, tant par mer que par terre, depuis le départ de Marseille jusqu' au retour de ce saint voyage.
Paris, Gabriel Valleyre, 1760. 8vo. With a small woodcut vignette on title, several woodcut head- and tailpieces. Contemporary mottled calf, gold-tooled spine, with yellow morocco title label, gold-tooled binding edges, red edges. [4], 248, [10] pp. Full description

BELON, Pierre. Les observations de plusieurs singularitez et choses memorables, trouvées en Grece, Asie, Judée, Egypte, Arabie et autres pays estranges.
Paris, Guillaume Cavellat (colophon: printed by Benoist Prévost for Gilles Corozet, Guillaume Cavellat), 1555. 3 parts in 1 volume. 4to. With title in woodcut border with Cavellet's device and initials at the foot, each part-title with Cavellet's woodcut device, 1 folding woodcut map (31.5 x 35 cm) showing Mount Sinai, 44 woodcuts in the text (including a portrait of the author by Geoffroy Tory), and numerous fine decorated initials. Overlapping vellum (ca. 1600?). [12], 212, [1] ll. Full description