A rare first Arabic-language edition of this seminal book by the Palestinian-American academic Edward Said, published in 1981, three years after the original English edition. First printing, published in Beirut by the Arab Research Institute. The book was first issued in New York in 1978 by Pantheon Books, then translated into Arabic for this edition. Orientalism is an acclaimed critique of Western perceptions and depictions of the wider Middle East, written by Said when he was a professor at Columbia University, and is still his best-known work today. Paperback, in good condition. Some wear to extremities of spine and corners, rubbing to front and rear covers. Spine slightly loose from text block. Previous owner’s dedication to opening page.