Description

This rare book on the length of the day in various parts of the Earth, accompanied with charming illustrations, printed in colour, was issued in Arabic language by the Jesuit Press in Beirut, the capital of the Ottoman vilayet of Syria. The author was Muhammad Kamal al-Tarabulsi (1830-1897), a Muslim scholar, born in Zawiya, Libya. He was schooled in Tripoli and later in Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, specializing in Islamic law.

The letter of the introduction (title page verso) was written by an American scholar Robert Haldane West (1862-1906), who arrived to Beirut in 1883, aged 21. He eventually became a professor of astronomy and mathematics, director of the Lee Observatory, principal of the Preparatory Department and finally dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. The West Hall at the American University in Beirut is named after him. (Lynn Mahoney, History of West Hall, online source: https://www.aub.edu.lb/SAO/Documents/history-west.pdf).

The book is very rare. We could not find any institutional examples in Worldcat.