AA. VV. - Two Months in Palestine - 1871

WHAT Palestine was like in the 1800s – JERUSALEM, ARCHAEOLOGY, and the SUEZ CANAL in 1871
A fascinating illustrated journey through nineteenth-century Palestine, among sacred cities, ancient ruins, and great archaeological discoveries. A guide to the Holy Land published in London in 1871, when Jerusalem was still under Ottoman rule. The volume guides the reader through Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Damascus, and the monumental temples of Baalbek. Of particular interest are the descriptions of the archaeological excavations and the Suez Canal, opened just two years earlier. An elegant full-leather binding decorated in gold, enriched with views, topographical plans, and a color map of Palestine.

ABSTRACT
An interesting second edition of Two Months in Palestine: or, A Guide to a Rapid Journey to the Chief Places of Interest in the Holy Land, published in London by Nisbet and Co. in 1871. The work stands as a testimony to the birth of modern travel culture in the Middle East, blending personal narration with a practical guide aimed at travelers wishing to visit the Holy Land in a relatively short period. The author, who also presents himself as responsible for Two Months in Spain and The Merchant's Holiday, describes a route through the main Biblical and archaeological sites in Palestine and the surrounding regions. Notable are the observations on Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock, the Holy Sepulchre, the excavations near Robinson's Arch, the Golden Gate, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Damascus, and the imposing Roman monuments of Baalbek. The volume also pays attention to the Suez Canal, recently opened to international navigation. The illustrative material includes architectural views, topographic maps, archaeological diagrams, and a fine color map of Palestine at the end. A publication of notable interest for the history of travel, Biblical archaeology, and the transformations of the eastern Mediterranean in the nineteenth century.

WHY TO BUY
SECOND EDITION OF 1871 – Victorian edition published just two years after the opening of the Suez Canal, at a time of growing European interest in Palestine and the Near East. OTTOMAN JERUSALEM – Direct testimony of the city and its monuments before the major urban and political transformations of the 20th century. BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY – Particularly interesting are the descriptions of the excavations at Robinson's Arch, the ancient walls and underground structures of Jerusalem, accompanied by technical illustrations. HISTORICAL CARTOGRAPHY – Includes plans of Jerusalem, Port Said, and Suez, as well as the final color map of Palestine. ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS – Views of the Dome of the Rock, Hagia Sophia, the Golden Gate, and Baalbek's Roman temples, documenting the 19th-century appearance of these places. ELEGANT BINDING – Refined full calfskin in pale brown with rich gold decoration on the spine, a dark green inlay and gold-embossed borders on the boards. HISTORICAL AND COLLECTORIAL INTEREST – A work suitable for collections devoted to the Holy Land, Victorian travel, historical geography, archaeology, and the history of the Suez Canal.

MARKET VALUE
Illustrated guides and accounts of the Holy Land published in the nineteenth century form a consolidated collectible sector, with values depending on edition, rarity, presence of maps, quality of illustrations, and binding. This second edition of 1871 presents several favorable elements, including its iconographic apparatus, the color final map, and the fine gold-decorated binding. An approximate antiquarian valuation for this copy places it around €420–550.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Full pale brown leather binding, boards framed by thin gold borders, spine with richly ornamented raised bands and floral motifs impressed in gold, dark green inlay bearing the title in gold lettering. Decorative edges. The binding is solid and decoratively well preserved, with natural signs of use. Illustrated front matter, numerous illustrations and in-text plates, and a color-illustrated map of Palestine at the end. In old books with a centuries-long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI renderings. Refer to the original photographs to verify the object's actual condition. Images are part of the description. Pp. (2); 8; 238; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Two Months in Palestine.
London, Nisbet and Co., 1871.
S.A.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
In the second half of the 19th century Palestine became one of the main destinations for European religious, archaeological, and cultural travel. Improvements in maritime communications, expansion of trade routes, and the progressive development of infrastructure allowed an increasing number of travelers to reach regions that a few decades earlier required long, arduous expeditions. In this context, Two Months in Palestine represents an interesting example of modern practical travel guidance, intended not only for pilgrims but also for travelers interested in history, geography, and archaeology. Jerusalem plays a central role in the narrative: the author visits the major holy sites of the three great monotheistic religions, observes Islamic and Christian buildings, and pays particular attention to the excavations renewing knowledge of the city’s ancient topography. Among the most significant aspects are references to British archaeological explorations, especially the research conducted in the Temple Mount area and at Robinson’s Arch. The journey continues through other centers of Biblical geography, including Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, and Damascus, up to the monumental Roman remains of Baalbek. Also of notable historical interest is the section devoted to the Suez Canal, whose inauguration in November 1869 had radically changed communications between Europe and Asia. The volume thus testifies to the encounter between the tradition of pilgrimage in the Holy Land, nineteenth-century archaeological research, and the nascent modernity of large international linkages.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
The author published the volume without naming himself on the title page, presenting himself as the author of previous travel works, including Two Months in Spain and The Merchant's Holiday. From the preface emerges the profile of a seasoned British traveler, keen to make the main destinations of the Mediterranean and the Near East accessible through practical accounts, personal observations, and useful guidance. His approach combines geographic curiosity, historical interests, and attention to Christian sacred sites. Several chapters had already appeared in The Leisure Hour, a British magazine, before being collected and expanded into a full volume. The author explicitly states that his audience includes both travelers headed for the Holy Land and passengers on routes to India and Australia, suggesting the possibility of visiting Palestine and Syria during the voyage. This outlook places the work in the Victorian travel-writing tradition, where exploration, religious education, and international tourism began to intertwine more closely.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The work initially appeared as a series of contributions in The Leisure Hour, a British illustrated periodical aimed at a broad audience interested in culture, geography, travel, and religious education. The popularity of the stories led the author to collect them into a volume, supplementing them with practical information, more detailed descriptions, and guidance on routes. The copy presented here belongs to the second edition, published in London in 1871 by Nisbet and Co., at 21 Berners Street. Printing was carried out by R. R. Burt and Co., Wine Office Court, City, as noted at the end of the volume. The iconographic apparatus includes ten items listed in the illustrations index: the frontispiece with the Haram platform, the Hagia Sophia, Omar’s Mosque, the plan of Jerusalem, Robinson’s Arch excavations, the Golden Gate, the Temple of the Sun at Baalbek, plans of Port Said and Suez, and the color map of Palestine placed at the end of the volume. The presence of this cartographic and archaeological documentation testifies to the intention of offering a practically usable guide during travel. The second edition confirms subsequent editorial circulation of the work, though it does not allow establishing the extent of the print runs. The volume sits in a period of particular expansion of British literature devoted to the Holy Land, where descriptions of Biblical places accompanied new archaeological discoveries and advances in international communications.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Two Months in Palestine: or, A Guide to a Rapid Journey to the Chief Places of Interest in the Holy Land, London, Nisbet and Co., 1871, second edition. The Leisure Hour, the British periodical in which many chapters of the work originally appeared. Edward Robinson, Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea, London, 1841. Charles William Wilson, Ordnance Survey of Jerusalem, London, 1865. Charles Warren and Charles William Wilson, The Recovery of Jerusalem, London, 1871. Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, Sinai and Palestine in Connection with Their History, London, 1856. John Murray, A Handbook for Travellers in Syria and Palestine, nineteenth-century editions. British bibliographical references relating to Victorian travel literature, to Ottoman Palestine, and to the early archaeological explorations of Jerusalem."