Alexandria: A History and a Guide. de FORSTER, E. M - 1938

Alexandria: Whitehead Morris,, 1938. Forster's Egypt Second and revised edition, signed limited issue, number 223 of 250 copies signed by the author. Forster's guide to Alexandria was first published in 1922, but "a very large proportion" of the first edition was destroyed by fire in the publisher's warehouse during the Blitz (Kirkpatrick, p. 39). In his review of this work, Lawrence Durrell writes: "The whole historical perspective of the city, in all its variety, has been captured and fixed in a series of short essays brightly starred with all the virtues of this fine artist. With a marvelous economy he brings the place to life - and gives life to the great personages who inhabited it: philosophers, poets, mathematicians, courtesans. Each portrait is a cameo. And the book despite its strictly utilitarian form and severely practical arrangement of matter is the work of a master essayist. It is in fact vintage Forster". This revised second edition was produced for the Royal Archaeological Society of Alexandria. Octavo. Original orange boards, spine and front cover lettered in black, Greek key border to front cover in black. With 8 photographic plates, 3 folding maps, 1 in colour, map plate, illustrations throughout. A little rubbed, spine and board edges slightly toned, contents clean. A very good copy. Kirkpatrick A8b.