BENJAMIN OF TUDELA:THE ITINERARY OF BENJAMIN OF TUDELA. LONDON 1840-1841 First edition in English of the most famous early medieval travel account. In 8vo, contemporary full leather with wear at spine and covers, upper joint of second volume slightly split, text clean and bright, complete in two volumes [12],165p.,124p., [20]448p., overall in very good condition. This edition of The Itinerary of Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela is considered the most important scholarly edition of this text ever produced. It was edited, translated, and explained by A. Asher. Before, versions of Benjamin of Tudela’s travels were often poorly translated in other languages or based on incomplete manuscripts. He provided the first truly accurate English translation directly from the original Hebrew. Volume II is entirely dedicated to historical, geographical, and bibliographical notes. Asher collaborated with top scholars of the time (like Zunz and Lebrecht) to verify every city and distance mentioned by the Rabbi. Benjamin was a Jewish traveler from Navarre, Spain who traveled between 1165 and 1173. He journeyed through Italy, Greece, Constantinople, the Holy Land, Mesopotamia, and reached the frontiers of China. His book is the primary source for the demographics of the 12th century, as he recorded the exact number and status of Jewish communities in every city he visited. His description of the Byzantine capital under Emperor Manuel I Komnenos is one of the most vivid in existence, describing the wealth of the city and the splendor of the Hagia Sophia. He provides invaluable descriptions for many cities in Greece, as Thiva, Korinthos, Thessaloniki etc. An invaluable account for 12th century Greece