American philologist Edward Robinson (1794-1863), aided by his Arabic-speaking countryman Eli Smith (1801-57), first published this pioneering work of biblical geography in 1841. Following further research, an enlarged edition appeared in 1856. This 1867 three-volume third edition was slightly abridged but contained new maps and plans.

American philologist Edward Robinson (1794-1863) is considered a founding figure in the field of biblical geography and archaeology. In 1838 he explored Palestine with Eli Smith (1801-57), a Yale graduate and Protestant missionary, and co-author of Missionary Researches in Armenia (also reissued in this series). Smith had settled in Beirut and was proficient in Arabic. The authors succeeded in identifying many biblical locations, and the original edition of their book, structured as a travel journal, was published in 1841. It was awarded the gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society the following year. Robinson and Smith returned to Palestine in 1852 and published an enlarged edition in 1856. This reissue is of the 1857 third edition, which was slightly abridged but contained new maps and plans. Volume 3 covers Robinson's 1852 itinerary through Beirut, Galilee, Samaria, Jerusalem and Damascus, again with detailed accounts of topography, history and architecture.