A valuable work. 'A valuable work' (Ioannou). Shaw was chaplain to the English factory at Algiers from 1720 to 1733. During this period he visited Egypt, Sinai, Palestine, Cyprus and most of North Africa. This work is especially esteemed for its botanical and zoological plates, these are dedicated to prominent figures in the British cultural and social life of the period including Richard Mead, James Beauclerc, and Sir Robert Walpole. Shaw imparts much useful information on the antiquities, geology and geography of the areas he visited, as well as mentioning various British and European consuls in the Levant. The book is also of note for its handsome typography.

First edition, folio (35.5 x 23 cm. approx.), xv, [i], 442, [ii], 60, [viii], [ii], xvi, 112 pp., title-page printed in red and black with engraved vignette, 11 engraved maps and plans (incl. 6 folding, 2 double-page), 1 prospect, 20 engraved plates on 17 leaves (3 leaves have plates on rectos and versos), one folding table and one page of engraved music, other illustrations in text; contemporary calf gilt mottled in red and black, spine gilt with golden fleece motif, title with two small holes in vignette, rebacked retaining original spine, a very good example.