Travail in an Arab Land

Romanelli, Samuel (Introduction by Yedida K. & Norman Stillman, trans. & ed.)

Published by The University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa AL,, 1989

About this Item

Octavo; hardcover, quarter-bound in leather with a cloth spine and speckled endpapers; 222pp., with many monochrome illustrations. Minor wear; some very mild spotting and dusting to the text block edges. Dustwrapper is lightly rubbed and sunned along the spine panel. Very good to near fine. Postage quoted is for a standard format octavo book. Final charges may vary depending on size and weight. Romanelli was a son of the Enlightenment who spent most of his life travelling in search of adventure, knowledge and patrons for his literary endeavours. An Italian born in 1757 into a family of rabbinical scholars, physicians and men of letters he received an excellent education not only in traditional Hebrew curriculum, but also in Italian, arithmetic and the classics. Fluent in ten languages, he was a poet and translator of classical and contemporary literature into Hebrew and apparently he earned a good living. During a return voyage to Italy in 1786 he became stranded in Gibraltar for an extended period of time that depleted his funds such that he was forced to join a merchant travelling to Morocco. Through misadventure, he lost his passport and was obliged to remain there for four years. This book is the story of that experience. This is a unique account of the life and culture of Jews in 18th century Morocco. His ethnographic interest extended to native Moroccan customs and rituals, but because of his broad background, he was able to draw parallels with more widely known cultures. His vivid descriptions of native dress, marketplaces, medicinal practices and detailed analysis of the linguistic variants of Moroccan dialect provide a wealth of original source material.

Seller Inventory # 92210

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Travail in an Arab Land
• Publisher: The University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa AL,
• Publication Date: 1989