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UAE: Rare photograph from Attack on the Hejaz railway on display at Sharjah International Book Fair

Visitors to the fair can view a collection of more than 100 significant books from the time, including high quality first editions, fine bindings, and antiquarian books

A rare photograph taken by British soldiers in the famous Attack on the Hejaz (Makkah and Madinah) Railway is, along with a collection of more than 100 significant books, manuscripts and archives from 100 AH to the current century, is on display at the 41st edition of Sharjah international book Fair (SIBF).

The collection of over 100 AH significant books, manuscripts and archives is displayed at Peter Harrington, specialised in sourcing, selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets.

The collection covers a vast range of fascinating material – from a page from a rare 9th-century Qur’an executed in a distinctive and unusual Kufic script, to the first work to collect of the earliest photographs of Makkah and Medina. It also includes scarce guides from the 1970s promoting Saudi Arabia and Sharjah as tourist and investment destinations.

Ben Houston, Sales Director at Peter Harrington, said they will bring to the SIBF this year rare photos taken by British soldiers in the Arab peninsula. The rare archive of material includes original photographs assembled by Lieutenant Samuel H. Brodie, a British soldier who accompanied T.E. Lawrence in the famous attacks on the Hejaz Railway, along with a copy of the subscriber’s edition of Seven Pillars presented by Lawrence to the same soldier. The photograph is being sold for a Price of £175,000 – equal to Dh 317,372.

The collection of over 150 original photographs, loose and in albums (mostly in smaller "snapshot" formats), relates mostly to the Arab Revolt. The photographs contain notes relating to location, personnel, and the specifics of action, and the majority of these are sepia-toned bromide prints on matte paper.

Highlights include a quantity of wonderfully evocative images of Brodie's unit in the field, including Brodie himself, his second-in-command George Pascoe, and attacks on strategically important stations along the Hejaz railway.

He added that the collection also includes the following high value books: 'Wealth of Nations' by Adam Smith, worth £275,000 and dating back to 1776, and Ibn Sina’s 'Book of Healing' ,written in Arabic and worth £250,000, dating back to Friday Jumada I, AH 898, or 13 March 1493 CE.

Participation in SIBF

“This is the fourth consecutive year Peter Harrington exhibits will be at the SIBF, which remains an important fixture on the company’s international calendar, offering an always-welcome opportunity to reconnect with our clients from the GCC,” says Ben Houston, Sales Director at Peter Harrington.

“Institutional collectors remain an important force driving the interest in rare material concerning the region, with scarce works that aid the documentation and contextualization of the region’s history continuing to be sought after. The opening of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, Sharjah’s own House of Wisdom, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the highly anticipated opening of future landmark museums such as the Zayed National Museum, have contributed to the continued interest in building national collections.

This, in turn, drives demand and resources for the development and expansion of resident rare book collections, which we expect to have a ripple effect in the private collector market. We are encouraged to see our roster of private collectors continue to grow, with interest ranging from seminal rare works to niche items such as original artwork from children’s books.

The Sharjah International Book fair continues to raise the profile of the rare book world and provides a great opportunity to experience collector trends in the region first-hand."

He adds, “The Middle East currently accounts for about 10 per cent of our international sales, and we were excited to have been able to welcome many of our friends from the region back to our shops in London this summer as international travel opened up again. Following a very successful outing earlier this year in Abu Dhabi, we look forward to continuing that success in Sharjah.”

“Past acquisitions range from individual books in the early thousands to curated collections that reach over several million dirhams.”

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