A Series of Twenty-Four Views Illustrative of The Holy Scriptures. Selected from Sir Robert Ainslie's celebrated collection of drawings in Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Corinth, Ephesus, etc. with an historical account of each view

London: R. Bowyer & M. Parkes, 1833. First edition. Hardcover. f to g. Folio. 4pp (Text), [24] leaves (Plates). Modern olive cloth, with gold lettering on front cover. "A Series of Twenty-Four Views Illustrative of The Holy Scriptures" contains a selection of 24 b/w plates of views featured in three volumes of drawings previously published by the author: The first of these is entitled "Views in Egypt," with drawings taken during Ainslie's Embassy to Constantinople by Luigi Mayer; engraved by and under the direction of Thomas Milton; (1801). This was followed by two bilingual volumes, English and French, entitled "Views in the Ottoman Empire, chiefly in Caramania, &c.," (1803); and "Views in Palestine, &c.," (1804). The striking engravings depict views of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Corinth, Ephesos, Samos, Rhodes, Laodicea, Cnidos, Cyprus (colossal vase in Cyprus), Syria, Egypt etc. Plates marked 1830. Head and tail of spine partly frayed. Corners rubbed and bumped (not affecting pages throughout). Sporadic foxing throughout. Water-staining to lower inner margin of plates (not affecting images). Binding in overall good-, interior in fair to good condition. About the author: Sir Robert Ainslie, 1st Baronet (c. 1730-1812) was a Scottish ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (Ottoman Porte), orientalist and numismatist. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for the borough of Milborne Port in Somerset between 1796 and 1802.

Bibliographic notes: Plates [1]-[11], [20], [21] and [24] reduced from Luigi Mayer's plates in Bowyer's "Palestine', 1804. Plate [24] in particular has considerable additional detail. Plates [14]-[16] and [22] are similarly based on plates in the "Caramania", 1803. No. 12 on a plates in the "Egypt", 1801. Numbers [13], [17], [18], [19], and [23] on plates in the "Views of the Ottoman Dominions", 1810. - Cf. Abbey.