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Forster, E.M.
Alexandria: A History and Guide.
Publisher: Whitehead Morris Limited; Alexandria,
Date of Publication: 1938
Stock Code: 14166
First Edition. Octavo, pp., x, 228. Complete with the three folding maps and plans, as called for. Original publisher’s buff paper boards, title printed in navy blue to upper board, and to spine. A shaken copy, but still holding well. Small loss to head of spine and minor scuffs to boards. Contents clean and free of inscriptions or annotations. A very good copy. Lawrence Durrell, author of ‘The Alexandrian Quartet’ wrote of this book: “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.” A scarce book, as according to Kirkpatrick ‘a very large proportion’ of the copies were destroyed in a fire at the publisher’s warehouse. In fact, after the fire and the insurance had been paid to Foster the books were discovered in tact in the cellar. The publishers decided to get around this embarrassment by burning the remaining copies. £300.00