To survive the overheated contemporary art market, you'll need a little escapism.  The perfect antidote is the Natural History, Travel, Atlases and Maps Auction tomorrow at Christie's London.  You can find everything that evokes the mystery of far off lands, from exotic botanical illustrations to elaborate maps to first editions of classic travel books.

'Abduh Muhammad with Muhammad 'Ali Effendi Sa'oudi late 19th/early 20th Century.  Part of larger lot; Estimate: $24,000 - 36,000

John Speed.  The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain. Part of 1676 edition of Prospect.  Estimate: $80,000-120,000

William Perry Fogg. Arabistan: or the land of  "The Arabian Nights" First edition, 1875. Estimate: $3,000-4,000

From the Muhammad 'Ali Effendi Sa'oudi lot.  A fine collection of rare early photographs and negatives of Makkah and Madinah (1904 and 1908), together with related publications.  Estimate: $80,000-120,000.

There's a lot that includes a fine photograph of the traveler and Egyptian intellectual 'Abduh Muhammad, who corresponded with Tolstoy.  Or a map that proudly displays 'a prospect of the most famous parts of the world.'  With the demise of the Concorde you may not be able to make it to London in time for the auction.  Fear not, one good thing about living in the modern world: you can bid by phone.

--David Coggins