Search Results: travel, exploration, polar, misc from Rachel Smith Books

Goodsir, Robert AnstrutherAn Arctic Voyage to Baffin's Bay and Lancaster Sound, in Search of Friends with Sir John Franklin.London. Presentation Copy, First edition. 1850. 12mo, viii, 152pp., [8]. Tinted lithograph frontispiece, folding map. Original blue blind stamped cloth. Gilt lettering on the spine. Skillfully recased. Library stamps of the Medical Society Edinburgh of which Goodsir was a member. A book plate "from the Travel Library of Beekman Pool" on inside the front cover. Folding map of Baffin Bay. Three pages of the publisher's advertisements are bound in at the end. Text is clean except an unfortunate old ink spill affecting 5 pages with no loss of text, Binding has some fading to the spine, and slight surface scuffing and discoloration to boards. Otherwise a very good copy in the scarce original binding.The presentation inscription reads: "For the Library of the Royal Medical Society from the Author."
Goodsir's brother was missing from the Franklin expedition and this is the… Read More

Desert, Marsh and Mountain Ltd. EditionThesiger, Wilfred. 1979, The first Deluxe Ltd. Edition published by Collins, London.
The Ltd.edition was published in 160 copies and is signed on the title page by Thesiger. This copy is number 65 and is in FINE condition as is the slipcase. Quarto (215 x 275mm). Many fine photos taken by Thesiger, some double page, 304 pages of photos, text, maps, prologue, epilogue, glossary of foreign terms and an index. The title comes from his Desert travels in his first and second crossings of the Empty Quarter, his time spent living with the Marsh Arabs, and his journeys in various unfrequented mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush and Karakorams. Also covered are travels in Iraqi, Kurdistan, Iran, and the Yemen. "One of the last in a great British tradition of individual and often eccentric travellers". Original binding in ½ brown Morocco with beige cloth boards. All edges are gilt and the spine is with gilt lettering. The slipcase is original cloth with a… Read More

M'Clure, Robert. Osborn, Sherard, ed. The Discovery of the North-West PassageLondon, 1856 first edition, Octavo 21.5 x 13.5 cm. Longman, Brown [&c.]. 406 pages with 26 pages of advertisements dated March 1856. Folding engraved hand-colored map, 4 lithograph plates, original blue cloth with gilt lettering on spine, terracotta end papers with printed advertisements. The text is clean and tight without any markings. The fold out map is in fine condition with no tears and is properly folded. The binding is unmarked with no fading, spine lettering is bright, slight possible repair to the head of the spine otherwise a FINE copy.Robert M'Clure was a British naval Captain who is best known for his discovery of the course of the Northwest passage. He commanded the H.M.S. Investigator and along with Captain Richard Collinson in the H.M.S. Enterprise, they were sent in 1850 by the British Admiralty to the Arctic to search for the lost Franklin expedition. Their approach was to be from the West through… Read More

FITZCLARENCE (Lieut.-Col. [George Augustus Frederick]) JOURNAL of a ROUTE ACROSS INDIA, through Egypt, to England. London: John Murray, 1819. First Edition. 4to., pp. [iv] + xxiv+502+[2], complete with 9 fine colored aquatints each with tissue-guard (light offsetting in places through the tissue guards), very impressive large folding "Map of the Seat of War in India" (some offset) 22' x 27', apprears to be unopened with no tears (only partially opened in photo), map of Egypt, 4 battle plans with armies coloured, each with facing leaf of explanatory text, and 4 other plates, half-title, errata, terminal imprint leaf present; contemporary polished calf, neatly rebacked with some scuffing of the corners and covers. Abbey Travel 519; Blackmer 597, Toolely 222.Fitzclarence served in "India, where he became aide-de-camp to the Marquis of Hastings...When peace was arranged with the Maharajah Scindiah the event was considered of sufficient importance to send the despatches in duplicate, and Firzclarence was… Read More

IRBY, CHARLES and MANGLES, JAMES.
Travels in Egypt, Nubia, Syria, and Asia Minor; during the years 1817 and 1818.
PRINTED FOR PRIVATE DISTRIBUTION. London. 1823. PRESENTATION COPY. Quarto. First Edition, [xxxiii], Errata, 560pp. Engraved folding map, 3 plans (2 folding), 6 lithographed plates. Contemporary half calf, (Atabey 606, Blackmer 860). Inscribed to: "Louisa Norris from Captain Mangles". Occasional slight spotting, map with some offsetting and short tear. Binding has scuffing on both covers. Otherwise a very good copy with no markings and mostly a clean and tight text. "This privately printed work takes the form of six letters: the first from Cario dated 1817 and the last from Cyprus dated 1818. Irby and Mangles assisted Belzoni in his excavation at the site of Abu Simbel, an independent account of which is given in the letters. From there, they journeyed through the desert to Gaza, Jaffa, Beirut and Tripoli; thence to Baalbek and Antioch; and reached Aleppo where they were among the… Read More