Jaffa to Jerusalem in 1928

H.M.S. Royal Oak. Joppa to Jericho.

€ 3,500.00

First edition of this rare Holy Land travelogue printed in Malta. Very likely, the work was printed in a very small run, as a keepsake for the crew and families of the HMS Royal Oak who were stationed in the ports of the Levant in the autumn of 1928, and to commemorate a tour of the Holy Land.

The 330-person crew was split into four groups and each followed the same tour itinerary, moving inland from Jaffa to Jerusalem, further East to the Dead Sea then back to the Holy City before heading north to the Sea of Galilee. The book combines their experiences into one narrative. Written in short bursts, it describes every location and stop-off, mixing historical notices with the leisure activities of the men. Though somewhat breezy in tone, several descriptions have the unmistakable freshness of first experience. We hear of melancholy at passing the British cemetery at Ramla, laughter at swimmers receiving "the bitterest drinks of their lives" (p. 25) in the Dead Sea, and especially wonder at the "supremely good" (p. 35) architecture of the Dome of the Rock.

Scarce, with only one copy listed on OCLC, housed at the National Library of Israel.