Peter Harrington has launched its new Abu Dhabi 2020 catalogue – curated specifically by the leading rare book dealer for collectors from the Arabian Gulf, a region whose community of antiquarian book collectors has been growing rapidly in recent years.
The catalogue – compiled for the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair which was due to take place in mid-April – contains a selection of 85 books and manuscripts. It offers an enticing selection of some of the most sought after and desirable works by leading lights of the Islamic and Arabic-speaking world.
According to Pom Harrington, owner of Peter Harrington, “Our Abu Dhabi 2020 catalogue reflects the incredible breadth of interest of collectors from the Arabian Gulf. It has been curated over several months to showcase selections of some of the best-loved literature and poetry, as well as seminal works of luminaries of Islamic astronomy and medicine. The collection also includes highly unusual and collectable manuscripts and guides. These document the advent of pivotal industries and the development of city infrastructure that marked the emergence of the Arabian Peninsula as a modern and dynamic economical region in the 20th century.
“This year’s fair may have been postponed but we continue to stay in regular touch with our customers from the Middle East who remain among our most prolific international buyers,” added Pom. “Our team includes Arabic-speaking experts with exceptional familiarity with the books of the region, built up over many years spent cataloguing and buying books on the Islamic and Arabic world. The UAE book fairs constitute a much-anticipated highlight on the annual fair calendar for Peter Harrington and we look forward to meeting our clients at future editions.”
Peter Harrington has been a regular exhibitor at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair since 2016 and last year also attended the Sharjah International Book Fair. According to Pom Harrington, the Middle East region currently accounts for between 15-20 per cent of Peter Harrington’s international sales, with the majority of the buyers from the region made up of institutional buyers for libraries, government departments and private collections of patrons of the arts and culture.
The UAE accounts for the largest share of Peter Harrington’s Middle East business, with collectors from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain regularly contacting the rare book dealer to assist with curating, appraising and acquiring items for private and institutional collections. The cost of single book acquisitions ranges from the early thousands to more than a million dirhams.
“There is quite a significant tradition of book collecting in the Middle East,” explains Pom Harrington. “It’s certainly not a recent phenomenon but we have seen increasing growth in recent years. Most of the interest we see is in books written about the Arabian Peninsula – particularly first-hand travel accounts from the 16th to early 20th century. Additionally, manuscripts and maps that document the development of the peninsula in the early and mid-20th century are also highly sought after – this includes maps on trade and shipping routes, political developments, oil exploration and so on.
“There is also a strong interest in early photography of the region. Works that document Mecca and Medina or early city infrastructure continue to be very popular. Additionally, the region has a highly and broadly educated population and a significant amount of institutional patronage, so landmark economical, philosophical or literary works from the Western canon are also sought after by Middle Eastern collectors,” added Pom.
Peter Harrington’s Abu Dhabi 2020 Catalogue includes books of fascinating provenance and scarcity, almost all of which are rare first editions, presentation copies inscribed by the authors to personal friends and acquaintances, or sumptuously illuminated and illustrated works.
Highlights include:
Severity: Warning
Message: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable
Filename: user/news_sub_detail.php
Line Number: 141
Backtrace:
File: /home/artkentro/public_html/application/views/user/news_sub_detail.php
Line: 141
Function: _error_handler
File: /home/artkentro/public_html/application/controllers/News.php
Line: 567
Function: view
File: /home/artkentro/public_html/index.php
Line: 315
Function: require_once
Severity: Warning
Message: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable
Filename: user/news_sub_detail.php
Line Number: 141
Backtrace:
File: /home/artkentro/public_html/application/views/user/news_sub_detail.php
Line: 141
Function: _error_handler
File: /home/artkentro/public_html/application/controllers/News.php
Line: 567
Function: view
File: /home/artkentro/public_html/index.php
Line: 315
Function: require_once
Severity: Warning
Message: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable
Filename: user/news_sub_detail.php
Line Number: 141
Backtrace:
File: /home/artkentro/public_html/application/views/user/news_sub_detail.php
Line: 141
Function: _error_handler
File: /home/artkentro/public_html/application/controllers/News.php
Line: 567
Function: view
File: /home/artkentro/public_html/index.php
Line: 315
Function: require_once