The Gold Mines of Midian and the Ruined Midianite Cities. A Fortnight’s Tour in North-western Arabia.
London: C. Kegan Paul & Co, 1878.
Price: $1,500.00
About the item
First edition. Folding map, illustrations in text. xvi, 395, [3, appendices], [1, blank], [1, ad]pp. 1 vols. 8vo. Original red cloth gilt. Spine toned (small snag at head, foot rubbed, inner hinges tender). Very good. Penzer pp. 95, 96.
Item #315951
In 1877, Burton sought to raise money from the Khedive of Egypt for a project to revive the gold mines at Midian near the Red Sea cost. “Burton took a ‘preliminary canter’ into Midian to size up the ground and assess the obstacles to be ovrcome on a ful-scale expedition” (Rice, p. 433). Burton covered a lot of ground, collected some samples, and wrote up this book when he returned to Trieste. The longer expedition to Midian, during the autumn and winter of 1878 was a bust, and forms the subject of The Land of Midian (revisited).
