London: John Murray, 1830. First edition. Twelvemo. Bound in modern handsome half calf gilt over marbled boards to style, twin red morocco title labels to spine. Engraved folding map as frontispiece of volume one, half-titles, publisher's advertisement leaf at rear of volume two. An additional 12 pp. catalogue for Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green dated December 1831 bound at front of volume one. A little fraying to top blank margin of folding map, neat 19th-century brown ink ownership inscriptions to head of front blanks, a little spotting and offsetting to preliminaries. An excellent, Near Fine set of a rare work.

Full title: Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Giovanni Finati Native of Ferrara; who, under the assumed name of Mahomet, made the campaign against the Wahabees for the recovery of Mecca and Medina; and since acted as interpreter to European travellers in some of the parts least visited of Asia and Africa. Translated from the Italian, as dictated by himself, and edited by William John Bankes, Esq.

A scarce, very early work on Saudi Arabia, Mecca and Medina, predating Burton's famous account by 25 years. Finati fought on the side of the Ottomans during the Ottoman-Wahabi war, a conflict he recounts in detail in this work, including the capture of Mecca and Medina as well as the siege of Diriyah. His account of Mecca include descriptions of the ceremonies of the Hajj. The work stands as an invaluable account of the Hejaz region through a period of great tumult. As an interpreter, Finati crossed paths with the greats of the day, including Byron, Buckingham, Hobhouse, Salt, Belzoni, and Lady Hester Stanhope. Near Fine (Item #8098)