Palestine Speaks, A. F. Futterer, 1950

Who wrote it: Palestine Speaks was written and self-published by Antonia Frederick Futterer, who styled himself the Pioneer Golden Ark Explorer, from his base on Lake View Avenue in Los Angeles. Carrying a combined copyright of 1931 to 1950, this substantial volume runs to some 748 pages and distills a lifetime of his Holy Land travels.

What it's about: Subtitled a guide to its past, present, and future, the book is an illustrated tour through every corner of the Holy Land, pairing Futterer's commentary on biblical history with photographs of the places as he found them in the early twentieth century. It reads as part travelogue, part devotional guide, and part personal record from a man wholly devoted to the region.

Special features: Futterer himself is the real draw here. After recovering from a grave illness he set out to find the Ark of the Covenant, and though he never located it, he returned with a vast collection of Middle Eastern artifacts and in 1924 opened the Holyland Exhibition in Silver Lake, a Los Angeles curiosity that still welcomes visitors today. His Ark quest is often cited as an inspiration for the premise of Raiders of the Lost Ark, which gives this self-published book a following well beyond ordinary Holy Land titles. It is illustrated throughout with photographs and maps and bound in decorated blue cloth showing a camel beneath desert palms. Copies seldom surface, and the title is considered scarce.

Condition: Decorated blue cloth hardcover with gilt spine lettering; binding firm, interior clean. Please review all photos carefully, and email me with any questions.

Thanks so much for visiting, ❤️ Jess