FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed by the author to "our dear old valued friend Lord Houghton with the author's affectionate regard, May 29 1875", 2 volumes, 8vo (212 x 132mm.), half-titles, photographic frontispiece portraits of the author and her husband, folding map, 2 chromolithographed plates, errata slip, later straight-grained brown half morocco gilt, pebbled boards, speckled edges, without advertisements, map with repair to verso, spotting, slightly rubbed

Richard Monckton Milnes, first Baron Houghton (1809-1885); his son Robert, Marquess of Crewe (1858-1945); his daughter Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe

cf. Blackmer 246 (second edition)

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Isabel Burton spent two years in the Levant, principally in Damascus where her husband, Richard Burton, had been appointed consul. The work is of particular interest for her account of social life among all classes of Arabs, Christians and Jews and of life in the harem.