Thomas Spratt: Travels and Researches in Crete.London 1865 First edition, in large 8vo,complete in two volumes with 14 maps and views, contemporary fine full leather,spine richly gilt,an excellent binding with very little wear, edges marbled,ex libris on front past dawn of Charles Lindley, Viscount Halifax in 1891,text clean and bright,,some beautifully colored,a fine set,a lovely copy Most probably the most important scientific and archaeological survey of Crete from the 19th century. Spratt was far more than a simple traveler; he was a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society and the Director of the British Mediterranean Naval Survey. Spratt brought the precision of the Royal Navy to the island. He observed that the western end of the island had risen by nearly 26 feet (8 meters) in historical times, while the eastern end had submerged. This geological insight explained why ancient ports like Phalasarna were now inland. He was the first to correctly identify the location of several ancient cities, including Phaistos,which would later be excavated by Italians and the site of Knossos,where he noted the Cyclopean remains that Arthur Evans would eventually uncover. The book contains extensive appendices on Cretan geology, ornithology, and land shells. It includes an important appendix on the Cretan dialect compared to Modern Greek, written by the philologist Viscount Strangford. The volumes are richly illustrated with tinted lithographs, maps, and plans of ancient cities. Spratt’s maps were so accurate that they were used by later archaeologists.