LA ROQUE, Jean de. A Voyage to Arabia Foelix through the Eastern Ocean and the Streights of the Red-Sea, being the First made by the French in the Years 1708, 1709 and 1710. Together with a particular Account of a Journey from Mocha to Muab, or Mowahib,…

LA ROQUE, Jean de. A Voyage to Arabia Foelix through the Eastern Ocean and the Streights of the Red-Sea, being the First made by the French in the Years 1708, 1709 and 1710. Together with a particular Account of a Journey from Mocha to Muab, or Mowahib,…Including an early Account of the Coffee Trade LA ROQUE, Jean de. A Voyage to Arabia Foelix through the Eastern Ocean and the Streights of the Red Sea, being the First made by the French in the Years 1708, 1709 and 1710. Together with a particular Account of a Journey from Mocha to Muab, or Mowahib, the Court of the King of Yaman, in their Second Expedition, in the Years 1711, 1712, and 1713. Also a Narrative concerning the Tree and Fruit of Coffee.

Including an early Account of the Coffee Trade

LA ROQUE, Jean de. A Voyage to Arabia Foelix through the Eastern Ocean and the Streights of the Red-Sea, being the First made by the French in the Years 1708, 1709 and 1710. Together with a particular Account of a Journey from Mocha to Muab, or Mowahib, the Court of the King of Yaman, in their Second Expedition, in the Years 1711, 1712, and 1713. Also a Narrative concerning the Tree and Fruit of Coffee. Collected from the Observations of those who made the last Voyage; and an Historical Treatise of the Original and Progress of Coffee, both in Asia and Europe. Translated from the French. To which is added, an Account of the Captivity of Sir Henry Middleton at Mokha, by the Turks, in the Year 1612; and his Journey from thence to Zenan, or Sanaa, the Capital of the Kingdom of Yaman, with some Additions, particularly relating to that Country and the Red-Sea. London: printed for E. Symon, over-against the Royal-Exchange, in Cornhill. 1732.

8vo. Contemporary panelled calf with renewed spine, gilt supralibros of John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu (1689-1749) to covers, mid 20th-century restorations with cloth re-enforcement to inner hinges and wear to extremities; pp. [4], xvi, 372, two engraved folding plates, ornamental initials, woodcut head- and tail-pieces; internally a very good copy, complete with initial approbation leaf; contemporary Ditton Park bookplate inside front cover, ownership inscription of Henry St John Basil Armitage, dated "Aden, 5th May 1952", on opposite fly-leaf (see below).

Second edition in English of this important account of travel in and around Yemen, with several essays on coffee, its history, trade and spread through the Middle East and Europe, with a distinguised provenance.

The traveller and journalist Jean de la Roque's father had introduced coffee to Marseilles in 1644. First published in French in 1715 and in English in 1726 (as Arabia the Happy), this edition includes the first printing of An Account of the Captivity by Turks the at Mokha, by the Turks, of Sir Henry Middleton in the Year 1612. The anonymous translator added this to the text to make the point that the English travelled into the interior of Yemen a century before the French and penetrated further inland. Middleton, a sea captain, merchant and adventurer was the first British traveller in Yemen.

Provenance: From the library of Britain's leading Arabist Henry St John Basil Armitage Armitage (1924-2004). Armitage served in Transjordan under John Bagot Glubb in the Arab Legion and accompanied a mission to King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud. He trained the first generation of Saudi cadets at Sandhurst. Among his friends were Wilfrid Thesiger and the late ruler of Oman, Qaboos.

ESTC T149879.

SKU: 2123109