[THE FIRST TRAVEL ACCOUNT OF AUSTRALIA BY A TURKISH TRAVELLER] Avusturalya seyahati [i.e., Voyage to Australia]. With a preface by Tahsin Demiray

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MIRALAY AHMET BEY ZADE MEHMET OSMAN, (1878-1940?).

Mektep Nesriyat Yurdu / Türkiye Matbaasi, Istanbul, 1932.

Original greenish wrappers. Cr. 8vo. (20 x 14 cm). In Turkish (Latin script). 64 p., with a portrait of the author and two unnumbered b/w photographic plates depicting Australian farmhouses. Slight foxing on wrappers and pages, small tears on hinges (no missing), some folded traces on front cover. Overall, a very good copy.

The first and only edition of this rare and significant travel account, the first standalone narrative of a journey to Australia by a Turkish traveller in Turkish literature.

Mehmet Osman Bey (1878-ca. 1940), the son of Miralay Ahmed Bey and grandson of Emin Pasha (chief physician to Sultan Murad V), embarked on a world tour in 1910. His journey took him through India, Sumatra, Java, Malacca, the Indonesian Archipelago, Japan, and China, continuing until the fourth month of World War I. Upon arriving in Australia, he recorded his observations but was later arrested by the British Army as a civilian prisoner. He was interned, first in India, then transferred to Egypt. According to the preface by Turkish publisher Tahsin Demiray, Mehmet Osman Bey returned to Turkey blind.

This book includes two photographic plates showing Australian farmhouses, and it contains observations on Australia’s education, agriculture, and healthcare systems, as well as commentary on topography, indigenous customs and rituals, hunting traditions, and life in Queensland and native camps outside Sydney.

Published during the early Republican era in Turkey, the book reflects a broader interest in understanding and evaluating the welfare and institutional systems of other nations during a time of national reconstruction.

As of August 2025, OCLC records only four copies (OCLC no. 949418134), held by Bogaziçi University Library (Turkey), National Library of Australia, State Library of Queensland (SLQ QSL), and State Library of New South Wales (NSW).