PERSONAL NARRATIVE OF A PILGRIMAGE TO EL- MEDINAH AND MECCAH ... by [James, Henry - His Copy]: Burton, Richard F - 1855

London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans, 1855. Three volumes. xiv,[2],388,[24]pp. plus tinted frontis, folding map, and 2 colored plates; iv,426pp. plus two plans (one folding), a color frontis, and 3 tinted plates; x,[2],448pp. plus color frontis and plate, five plain plates (4 tinted), and a folding plan. Large octavo. Deep blue cloth, decorated in black, lettered in gilt, edges rough trimmed. A somewhat weary set, the first volume rebacked with the original backstrip laid down, the second and third with wear and fraying to spine extremities and somewhat shaken; internally the first two volumes are rather sporadically foxed, the third somewhat less so; the margins of the plates are tanned; an early ink name appears on a prelim or the title of each volume, and a somewhat later, larger ownership inscription appears on the verso of the front free endsheet of the first volume. An unlovely, but sound set, with interesting association import (see below). First edition of Burton's most famous early travel narrative, based on his own visits, in disguise, to the Arab holy cities. A second edition followed in 1857, and it assumed some stature as one of the most considerable works of travel literature of the latter half of the 19th century. This is a rather interesting association copy, bearing in the first volume, on the verso of the free endsheet, the ownership signature of Henry James, dated 1903. It is unclear what, if any, impression reading Burton's narrative might have had on James, and it seems unlikely, at best, that their paths ever crossed in Italy or elsewhere during Burton's later years. Edel and Tintner record James' ownership of this book -- the only title by Burton they record in James' library -- noting its existence based on the Hodgson list and Fabes catalogues, but it is among those titles that were, at the time of their work (preceding 1987), "whereabouts unknown." EDEL & TINTNER (JAMES LIBRARY), p.24. PENZER, p.49 ff.