West Barbary, or, a Short Narrative of the Revolutions of the Kingdoms of Fez and Morocco. With an Account of the Present Customs, Sacred, Civil, and Domestick.

8vo. (24), 216 (misnumbered as 226), (8) pp. (pagination skips from pp. 80 to pp. 91 due to a printers' error, with no missing text). 18th century full leather ruled in blind and gilt, titled in gilt on red morocco spine label. Early English account of Muslim North Africa. An early example of notoriously difficult Arabic typesetting appears in the index of 'Moorish Words' at the rear, where Arabic terms are listed in both romanized and Arabic alphabets. - The Reverend Lancelot Addison (1632-1703), father of the essayist Joseph Addison, lived and worked as a chaplain in Tangier in northwest Morocco for seven years, which provided the basis for his historical accounts and gave him some knowledge of Arabic. Here he discusses, with some editorialising, the marital dramas of Moroccan dynastic struggles as well as the local traditions of cattle farming, and explains the camel to his European audience. - Leather rubbed and scuffed; spine, binding, and corners repaired; some offsetting to endpapers and half-title; light toning and foxing. Contemporary handwritten ownerships "Tho. Willughby" to front free endpaper and "T. Willughby" to title-page, probably belonging to the influential Tory politician Thomas Willoughby, 1st Baron Middleton (1672-1729), second son of the Warwickshire naturalist Francis Willughby (1635-72).