Flowers From the Holy Land

6B “In remembrance of the British army conqueror of the holy land 9th December 1917“ Olive Wood binding encasing pages of pressing, dried plants and art from the regions around Israel. Jerusalem, 1917. 

Description

This book is a World War I souvenir album, made to commemorate the British capture of Jerusalem on 9 December 1917 from the Ottoman Empire. That event was hugely symbolic at the time, both militarily and religiously, and it was widely celebrated in Britain and among Allied supporters. Shortly afterward, small keepsake books like this were produced in Jerusalem and nearby presses for soldiers, pilgrims, and visitors, marking the moment the British Army entered the Holy City. The wording on your title page reflects the language and attitudes of the era, when the event was framed as a historic “liberation” or “conquest.”

What makes these books distinctive is their combination of pressed and dried flowers from the Holy Land with printed illustrations or views of Jerusalem and biblical sites. The flowers were real local specimens, carefully mounted by hand, turning each book into a fragile botanical souvenir as well as a historical artifact. Many copies were bound in small decorative covers (sometimes olive wood) and produced in very limited numbers. Today, they’re valued not just as collectibles, but as tangible reminders of how World War I, religious pilgrimage, colonial history, and tourism intersected at a pivotal moment in Jerusalem’s past.

 Notes

Olive Wood binding encasing pages of pressing, dried plants and art from the regions around Israel 5x7 with beautiful dome of the rock on front cover, very fine condition.