Mahomet and His Successors
Chicago: Donohue Brothers, [c. 1900]. Reprint. Publisher's maroon cloth, spine titled in gilt. Pages toned, mild shelf wear, spine faded, still very good or better. Item #240159
TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY IRVING
A circa 1900 reprint of Mahomet and His Successors preserves, in modest form, one of Washington Irving’s more ambitious ventures into historical biography. First published in 1849–50, the work reflects Irving’s attempt to synthesize Islamic history for a Western audience, blending narrative grace with the orientalist assumptions of his era. Issued here in plain publisher’s cloth, this later printing signals the text’s transition from a substantial literary undertaking to a steady, popular historical work. Such editions, unpretentious in appearance, nonetheless attest to the continued circulation of Irving’s interpretive vision, carrying his account of early Islam into the hands of a broad, turn-of-the-century readership.
Price: $20.00