MIDDLE EAST from Downtown Brown Books, ABAA

New York: Pantheon, 2003. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. The first US edition of Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel (originally published as two volumes in France) about her childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Persepolis is widely considered one of the most important graphic novels, pairing simple but distinctive graphics with a beguiling narrative from a child's perspective. The… Read more about this item

Istanbul: Saye-i Sahane-i Humayûn, 1844. First Edition. The first edition of the first Turkish cookbook, which was the foundation of Turkish cuisine through (at least) nine 19th century editions. Türabi Efendi's Turkish Cookery Book, which had two 19th century editions, was a translation that didn't credit Kamil's book. Kamil provides the first printed recipes for well-known Turkish dishes like… Read more about this item

London: Arthur Barker, 1934. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. A classic biography of the founder of modern Saudi Arabia. The book is still in print and the current publisher describes the book in the following terms: "Lord of Arabia is the famous biography of Ibn Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, who continues to cast a… Read more about this item

Wooster and Ashland, Ohio: Teeple, 1880. Ephemera. Near fine. A carte de visite image of a man and a woman, possibly Egyptian, possibly a pregnant woman and her husband. The woman wears a long white veil that extends almost to the ground. Her hands are crossed over her stomach. The man, wearing a fez, stands next to her,… Read more about this item

Tel Aviv, Palestine: Hotsa'at Sefarim Tel Aviv, 1930. First Edition. Very good. In the summer of 1929 a dispute between Muslims and Jews over access to the Western Wall in Jerusalem escalated and erupted into a series of violent demonstrations and riots in late August. The violence spread throughout British-controlled Palestine (now Israel), ending in massacres in Hebron.… Read more about this item

[Constantinople (Istanbul)]: [Probably Sébah and Joaillier], 1890. Perhaps the most well-known image from the photographer Pascal Sébah or his son Jean, a view outside a Turkish coffee shop of a group of men drinking coffee and smoking. At the center of the image is a seated man with a white beard holding a cup in one hand… Read more about this item