The Natural History of Aleppo, and Parts Adjacent; Containing a Description of the City, and the Principal Natural Productions in Its Neighbourhood, Russell, Alexander. Published by London, Printed for G. G. and J. Robinson, 1794. Second revised and enlarged edition. Two volumes. 4to – over 9¾” – 12″ tall. Volume I: xxiv, 446 pp., xxiii appendix, errata, 3 plates, 2 of which are foldouts. Volume II: vii, 430 pp., + xxxiv appendix, index, errata, 6 plates, 3 of which are foldouts. Rebound in three quartered speckled leather boards over marbled paper; ornate gilt spine. Contents are in very nice condition with light occasional foxing. A beautiful set despite missing several plates.
A seminal 18th-century, two-volume account by Scottish physician Alexander Russell detailing the city of Aleppo, its, climate, inhabitants, and, significantly, the plague, based on his years of experience living and working in Ottoman Syria. It remains a key historical and scientific record. Described by John Pinkerton as “one of the most complete pictures of Eastern manners extant”; reviewed by Samuel Johnson in The Literary Magazine.
