Lalla Rookh

London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1826. 13th edition (as stated). Brown full leather quarto, sewn binding, marbled edges with gilt ornamentation to boards; 397 p; 28 cm. Little wear to spine foot & head, gentle rubbing & bumping to corners, faint rubbing to spine, few faint marks & scartches to boards, lengthy inscription to front free endpapers, spot to title page & front free endpaper, else very good. . Hardcover.

This copy (edition?) is not illustrated. Marbled endpapers. Beautiful full leather, handsomely tooled binding. ¶ "Lalla Rookh" is a narrative poem by Thomas Moore, published in 1817. The poem is a collection of four separate stories all told within the framework of a single overarching narrative. The title character, Lalla Rookh, is a princess who is engaged to the young king of Bukhara, and the stories are told to her by a poet named Feramorz as she travels from Delhi to meet her betrothed. The four stories within "Lalla Rookh" are: "The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan" - A story about a false prophet who leads an unsuccessful revolt against the king of Bukhara. --- "Paradise and the Peri" - A tale of a peri, a type of mythological spirit, who is trying to earn her way into heaven by performing good deeds on Earth. -- "The Fire-Worshippers" - A story about a young girl who is in love with a man who is part of a resistance movement against a tyrannical king. --- "The Light of the Harem" - A tale about a prince who neglects his duties to spend time with his favorite woman in his harem. --- "Lalla Rookh" was very popular in the 19th century, and it was widely praised for its lush and exotic descriptions of the East. However, it has been criticized for its orientalist perspective and its romanticized portrayal of Eastern cultures.