Arab Mendicant is an acceptable option if you want to use that
On 3/22/26 5:46 AM, David wrote:
> You've been searching hard! The first one ("Arab Mendicant") *mght* pass
> the "squint test" for watercolours, but it's not my call.
>
> Unfortunately, the third (Tadeusz Ajdukiewicz, "Arab in the Desert") is
> not from one of the approved galleries/museums <https://
>
standardebooks.org/manual/1.8.7/single-page#10.3.3.7.4>, so we would
> need explicit PD proof for that one. I took a quick look and didn't find
> anything. There are some "desert"-tagged paintings in the DB which you
> may well have looked at. I don't know whether this one <https://
>
standardebooks.org/artworks/jean-leon-gerome/rider-and-his-steed-in-the-
> desert> would fit (same artist as your too-many-camels option)?
>
> The other two I've added to the Artworks DB. FWIW, I quite like the
> "Egyptian Landscape" in spite of the crimson plant. It would be my pick
> of the viable options.
>
> In the end, up to you though! Let me know which you go with.
>
> On Sunday, 22 March 2026 at 03:52:43 UTC mauka218lani wrote:
>
> Greetings, the Nile barely gets a mention. The protagonist is not in
> the military. So, here are some other options. One needs to weigh
> the dreary desert ruins in my earlier batch of mockups against more
> geographically authentic images here. Looking forward to your
> feedback. Thanks
>
> First up, Arab Mendicant <
https://art.thewalters.org/object/37.1336/>
> This one may fail because it is watercolor. I'm including it because
> to me it captures desperation and resignation. Here's the mockup.
> testmock6.png
>
> Next up, Egyptian Landscape <
https://www.si.edu/object/egyptian-
> landscape:saam_1930.12.41>
> The ruins are a bit too ruined and I'm not fond of the fire-engine
> red, but let's see what you think. Here's the mockup.
> testmock5.png
>
> These next two are in the spirit of nothing says Sudan desert like
> camels. And, camels play a key role as the only transport in the
> desert during the novel.
>
> I like how this one cropped, and the person looks a bit ragged, as
> he should. Arab in the Desert <
https://cyfrowe.mnw.art.pl/en/
> catalog/453001>
> Here's the mockup.
> testmock4.png
>
> For this one, I like the muted palette, but it has too many camels,
> and not the greatest placement of the title box. The crop is at the
> bottom of the painting now. Leaving the Oasis <https://
>
www.clevelandart.org/art/1977.126>
> Here's the mockup.
> testmock7.png
>
> Thanks for taking the time to help with the decision on how to avoid
> an image of feathers!
>
>
> On Friday, March 20, 2026 at 11:30:41 PM UTC-10 David wrote:
>
> That could work, and my sense is that the first of your crops
> best evokes the "Sudanese/Egyptian ruins" vibe you're going for.
> It's uploaded to the DB <
https://standardebooks.org/artworks/
> paul-jean-flandrin/the-imperial-palace-on-the-palatine-rome>,
> and assigned to this project.
>
> I don't think it's noticeable that it's actually the Palatine
> Hill in Rome ... still, you might want to see if you can find
> any Nile paintings(?), or anything suitable that includes some
> military overtones? At least you have this one in the bank, as
> it were.
>
> On Friday, 20 March 2026 at 22:23:03 UTC mauka218lani wrote:
>
>
> Greetings,
> Time to consider a cover. I hope you would agree that a
> cover with four feathers is not wanted. If I'm wrong about
> that, suggestions welcome for what sort of image might be
> preferred.
>
> This painting, to me, captures the essence of gloomy
> Egyptian ruins vital to the book's atmosphere, involved as a
> ruined fort, a ruined village, and of course the horrible
> prison. See Imperial Palace <
https://www.artic.edu/
> artworks/152850/the-imperial-palace-on-the-palatine-rome>
>
> I've cropped it three ways in the three attachments. I've
> attached in my current order of preference, but I've changed
> my mind several times about that. What do you think? Thanks
>
> testmock1.png
>
> testmock2.png
>
> testmock3.png
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 11:06:51 PM UTC-10 David wrote:
>
> That "THE character of Harry Feversham is developed...."
> bit is a strong candidate for cutting, I think. It does
> not appear in LOTS of printings (and there is an
> embarrassment of riches for this novel on IA; I can't
> remember seeing so many scans of the same book!). It
> looks to me like a bit of publisher bumf. Still, it
> would be worth getting Alex's sense, but I think chop it.
>
> As for that Penguin edition, not to worry. The 1935
> Macmillan <
https://archive.org/details/
> fourfeathers0000aewm_m1x2/page/n7/mode/2up> edition
> would be a useful "cross-check", if you *need* one, but
> you've got good scans and should just stick with them.
> (Gary Hoppenstand's introduction to that Penguin edition
> is reproduced in his 2016 volume _Perilous Escapades_
> <
https://www.google.com/books/edition/
> Perilous_Escapades/3JtVDwAAQBAJ?
> hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA98&printsec=frontcover> which has a
> lot of interest to this genre and SE titles.)
>
> On Wednesday, 11 March 2026 at 23:54:17 UTC mauka218lani
> wrote:
>
> Greetings,
>
> Thank you for the tip. The Penguin Twentieth Century
> Classic edition is not accessible to me on Internet
> Archive. It seems to be available to me as a sample
> here Google Play Sample <
https://play.google.com/
> books/reader?id=zZrfIA5vFWYC&pg=GBS.PR1&hl=en_US>
> Please let me know if it is available elsewhere
> online for free. Seems like it might be a useful
> cross check, if needed.
>
> From the sample I see Penguin has ordered the page
> acknowledging the character development before the
> dedication. However, the Internet Archive scans I'm
> using swap that order. See: front matter scans
> <
https://archive.org/details/
> fourfeathers0000aewm_i0h7/page/n6/mode/1up>
>
> At this point in the process, I'm planning on
> putting the character development statement in
> acknowledgements.xhtml and placing it /after/
> dedication.xhtml, then following both with
> halftitlepage.xhtml. Please let me know if that is
> not the preferred approach for this book.
>
> Thank you
>
>
>
>
> On Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 11:05:35 AM UTC-10
> David wrote:
>
> Yes, do match the scans.
>
> The transcription seems not to have understood
> the date, which varies in the early editions.
> Also, from its textual placement it appears (to
> me!) *not* to be properly part of the dedication
> itself. (Also, the Penguin "Twentieth Century
> Classic" edition, with a full introduction and
> care taken with the text, lacks any date as well.)
>
> As a "transcription correction", this is not
> `[Editorial]`.
>
> On Wednesday, 11 March 2026 at 02:24:39 UTC
> mauka218lani wrote:
>
> Thank you. I'll go with the perfectly good
> June 1924 edition scans from my initial
> post: scans <
https://archive.org/details/
> fourfeathers0000aewm_i0h7>
>
> These scans have differences from PG's
> source. As example, here are the dedications
> from each.
> Project Gutenberg: pg_ded.png
>
>
> Internet Archive: ia_ded.png
>
> My understanding is that the SE book should
> match the scans.
>
> Repo has initial commit and is here: repo
> <
https://github.com/mauka218lani/a-e-w-
> mason_the-four-feathers.git>
>
> Project Gutenberg page is here: PG <https://
>
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18883>
>
> Thanks again
> standardebooks/6e76508f-48de-44b9-a08c-120c09e2183cn%
40googlegroups.com
> <
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/6e76508f-48de-44b9-
> a08c-120c09e2183cn%
40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.