Memoiren einer Arabischen Prinzessin Volume 1 in first edition third issue: The cover also has a different colour than the regular third issue of the first edition, however the same blue colour as the one in the Said Ruete library in Leiden.
Author / Publisher: Princess Emily Ruete ; Salima bint Said Al Bu Said ; Bibi Salme / Berlin "H. Rosenberg" 1886.
The blue Cloth binding (unusual for the third issue)
The blue cloth binding, unusual for the third issue
Dedication by Princess Bibi Salme (Emily Ruete) to her son:
"Peace, greeting and thousand
love tokens from your mother
Salma bint Said Sultan"
Book-plate & signature of Rudolph Said-Ruete (1869-1946) son of Emily Ruete.
The calligraphic text reads:
بنت سعيد بن سلطان حاكم عمان وزنجبار
رودولف سعيد روتي ابن سالمة
Rūdūlf Saʿīd Rūtī ibn Sālima
bint Saʿīd bin Sulṭān ḥākim ʿUmān wa-Zanjabār
Rudolph Said Ruete, son of Salma
bint Said Sultan, ruler of Oman and Zanzibar
The calligraphic Ex-Libris is copied from a manuscript document probably given by the Sultan of Oman in 1932 when Rudolph got the title Seyyid and was recognised as a member of the Sultan's family (the manuscript is currently owned by Rudolph's grandson Michael Bauer)
Another remarkable find in this copy was that under the Ex Libris of my book is the signature of Rudolphs wife Maria Therese Mathias (1872-1943). She was the daughter of Mathissen Mathias and Mathilde Mond. The Mond family founded the Chemical company ICI. The signature was discovered by holding a lamp behind the page. Rudolph and Therese married 16 Sept 1901!
The signature of Therese Said Ruete, under the Exlibris!
Signature of Therese in another copy of the Memoiren.
Name publisher Luckhardt pasted over with the name of H. Rosenberg (Hugo Mewis)
Hugo Mewis took voer Berlag Rsoenberg in 1900 but
In a quarter of the Memoiren has the name and address of publisher Luckhardt been pasted over with a paper slip with the printed text ‘Berlin W. Verlag von H. Rosenberg (Hugo Mewis)’ This paper-slip is found on the copies with a cloth binding as well as the ones with the paper binding. According to E. van Donzel the first issue is published by H. Rosenberg (Hugo Mewis) and not by Luckhardt. However despite a very extensive search in many libraries, no copy has been found with the name of Rosenberg printed directly on the title page which makes the “Rosenberg claim” most unlikely. Hermann Rosenberg, the founder of the firm had died already in 1873, but after his death the company was continued under the same name but the company was run by Ernst Meyerhoff (see Online catalogue of the Deutsche National Bibliothek: d-nb.info/ 1107414385) and from 1900 his employee Hugo Mewis became the owner (see Online catalogue of the Deutsche National Bibliothek: d-nb.info/ 1107414393) The paper slips have probably been pasted on when Hugo Mewis had not yet taken over the business because two copies have owner entries assumed to be from before 1900: one copy of the first edition has a dedication by Emily in Arabic to her son (our book) and one copy of the first edition contains many corrections by Emily’s daughter Rosalie intended for a new German edition.
When the Memoiren were first published in 1886 the Rosenberg Verlag also had a loan library in Berlin. In theory the copies with the sticker could have been part of that loan library, however there are no visible "Ex Library" signs on these copies. But this would not explain the name Hugo Mewis at that time.