The Holy Land: Yesterday and Today » (ILLUSTRATE)

DAVID ROBERTS (1796 1864) was one of the most acclaimed landscape painters of his time. He made an extended trip to Egypt and the Holy Land in 1838 39, during which he made the series of drawings that brought him lasting fame

Discover one of the most fascinating regions on earth

Publishers Weekly

This magnificent, large-format album reproduces in jewel-like color the 123 lithographs resulting from an 1839 journey of Scottish landscape artist David Roberts (1796-1864) through Egypt, Palestine and Syria. Picturesque yet precisely detailed, these often breathtaking lithographs were made from Roberts's travel sketches by Belgian artist Louis Haghe between 1842 and 1849. The lithographs conjure the Holy Land as both a crossroads of civilization and a place where time stands still. Roberts recorded settings connected to the Bible, including Bethlehem, the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem and Mount Sinai. He also captured realistic views of monasteries, Bedouin sheiks and places like the ancient Lebanese port of Tyre and the spectacular Syrian city of Baalbec, with its Roman ruins. With each plate comes commentary by Italian journalist Bourbon, a brief excerpt from Roberts's travel journals and a contemporary photograph of the site taken by photojournalist Attini, revealing astonishing continuities over a century and a half. (Aug.)