ARABIA DESERTA A Topographical Itinerary / American Geographical Society / Oriental Exploration and Studies No. 2 by MUSIL, Alois - 1927

New York City: American Geographical Soc.. Bound in the original grey cloth. 1927. 1st edition. hb. Royal 8vo, pp. xvii, 631. . Musil (1868-1944) was a Czech explorer, orientalist, and writer. In the years 1887-1891 he studied at the Theological faculty of Olomouc, and was consecrated a priest in 1891. He received his doctorate in theology in 1895. In the years 1895 to 1898, he studied at the Dominican Bible School in Jerusalem, and at the Jesuit University of St. Joseph in Beirut. He traveled extensively throughout the Arab world and kept coming back to it until 1917, collecting a huge body of scientific material. During World War I, he was sent to the Middle East to mitigate British attempts to instigate a revolution against Turkey, thus making him an opponent of T. E. Lawrence. After the war he became a professor at Charles University in Prague. In cooperation with the American industrialist Charles Richard Crane, he published his works in English (see Wikipedia). This copy with the signature on the front endpaper of the scholar and Arab Studies professor, Dr. Louise Sweet. A few of her pencilled notations to the contents. This is a heavy book, the text printed on coated paper. Rubbing to board edges and light general soiling to cloth. A good plus copy. .