Description

Small 8°. 317 pp. with black and white illustrations in text, 3 unnumbered double-page illustrations and a map, colour folding map mounted in the gutter of the front endpapers, original binding with lettering and cloth spine (cover with light scratch marks, staining and slightly battered edges, inside in a good and clean condition with minor wear on the edges, a tiny tear in the folding map on the crossings of the folds).

An uncommon book on the ancient history of Armenia was published in Istanbul in 1914-1915 only months before the Armenian Genocide. The richly illustrated text describes the Armenian history until the late period of the Roman Empire.

The images showcase the ancient ruins, archaeological sites and objects, landscapes and portraits. The maps mark the locations of the ancient cultures. The larger colour folding map, mounted in the gutter of the front endpapers embraces the historical territory of the antient Armenia, much of which the Armenians wanted to claim back after WWI.

The author Georg Mesrop was known was the writer of Armenian books on history before and after WWI, mostly for the educational purposes.

This is a first volume (of separately published 2?). Worldcat lists 4 institutional copies in the US libraries (HCL Technical Services, Clark University, University of Michigan, University of California Los Angeles,) and two examples from the same year, marked as the second edition (OCLC 53059409).

References: OCLC 34915681.