2. Mary Eliza Roger’s Manuscript Research

In Damascus

Mary Eliza Rogers states in her article “Book and book binding” that she is interested in manuscripts. Without disclosing her acquisition of any manuscripts from Damascus, she reports:

In the houses of some of my Moslem friends at Damascus there are, however, some very valuable volumes, illuminated manuscripts, as well as printed books. When it was understood that I was anxious to see all the old and interesting books within my reach, many were kindly brought to me from various places, in the Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic, and Persian languages. But there was one private library, the richest in Damascus, from which no book might be taken, as the former possessor of it had left it to his son, on the condition that none of the volumes should ever be moved from the rooms in which he had left them.

In the same article, she wrote:

The Moslem booksellers and bookbinders of Damascus established themselves long ago, and they still cling there, close to their temple. I was assured that they were very fanatical, and would not sell or even show their books to non-Moslems and even objected to work for them.

Acquiring manuscripts from Damascus was not easy, and there is no evidence that she took any of the books or manuscripts. The residents there brought to her many versions of manuscripts to see – perhaps even to buy – but whether she took any of those items is unknown.

In Palestine

Apparently, the locals in Palestine were aware of Mary Eliza Roger’s interest in manuscripts, and this is maybe what prompted them to believe that her notebook was a manuscript. She wrote:

It was rumored that the manuscript book which I carried contained talismanic directions for seeking treasures. It had a patent lock and key, and a book thus guarded had never before been seen there.

On her trip, she made sure to visit the Samaritan Quarter in Nablus, and here we have her first and only statement about taking one of the manuscripts. There she mentions the Samaritan high priest ʿImrān ben Salāma, who showed her some copies.

…[H]e showed me several later copies of the Pentateuch – some in the Samaritan, others in the Arabic character; a printed collection of psalms or hymns; several commentaries on the law of different periods; a history of the community from the Exodus to the time of Mohammed; and a very curious manuscript, called the Book of Joshua, which begins with the account of the journeyings of the company of spies who were sent into the promised land by Moses, and concludes with the fabulous stories of the life of Alexander. This seems to be rather a favorite book. It is written in Arabic, but the proper names and certain words are in the Samaritan characters. It is said to be of Syriac and not of Hebrew characters. I brought a copy of this remarkable work to England.

It is likely that the reference here is to London, BL, Add MS 19956, which was acquired by James Finn (1806–1872).  

Works Cited and Further Reading