Arabian Adventurer: The Story of Haji Williamson

First edition, first printing.  336pp, with 23 black and white illustrations including frontispiece.  In blue cloth-covered boards with gilt titles on spine.  8vo.  Cloth is worn all over with a few small mild marks, gently rubbed and rounded at corners and spine ends, sunned over spine, slight fraying at spine ends.  Text block edges a little dulled and slightly spotted.  Slight toned to first and last few leaves, previous owner’s name neatly inked on front free endpaper else internally neat, clean, bright and tight.

William Williamson, born in Bristol in 1872, was a English adventurer and oil company representative.  After spells on sea voyages and trading in the Americas, he became a trader in camels and horses in Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait, then joining a Haji caravan to Mecca.  He converted to Islam, taking the name of Abdullah Fadhil al Musselman, before taking his horse trading business to India.  This work recounts his adventures around the world, particularly in the Middle East in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

A very hard to find title regarding the fascinating story of an early British convert to Islam.