Travel and Exploration

New York: Selmar Hess This heavy volume was one of a series of books on geography, history, and travel published by Selmar Hess of New York. Although undated, my research of similar volumes in this series indicates that it was published between 1866 and 1875. It's notable for hundreds of beautiful mid-19th Century illustrations, many of which are engravings with original tissue guards. However, the illustrations with tissue guards often have foxing, particularly in the margin areas, possibly as a result of acidity in the tissue guards themselves. The other illustrations and pages are mainly free of foxing. Countries and cities featured in this particular volume (Volume 4), include Norway; Tripoli; St. Petersburgh, Russia; Lebanon including Beyrut (Beirut) and the Cedars of Lebanon; Mexico; New Caledonia (French); Portugal; Athens, Greece; The Bermudas; West Indies; British Guiana; Isthmus of Panama; and Denmark. This unusual book is in Very Good - condition. The decorative brown cloth covers… Read More

Gold Coast, 1822. Handwritten. Very Good. Cloth custom made portfolio. Folio - over 12 - 15" tall. Gold Coast, 1822. 4 pp. Manuscript ca. 34x21 cm (13x8 in). Manuscript with tears but no loss of text housed in a blue cloth custom made portfolio with a red gilt morocco label on front cover. In very good condition. This report by the Assistant Surgeon in the African Company of Merchants concerns the mortality rate among the Company's officers during a period of ten years (1812-1822) and includes a list of fifty people (indicating their names). The "Remarks" section explains the statistics: "The African Company Establishment when fully appointed consisted of forty-five commissioned and non commissioned European officers but during the period of time stated above, there was not more than thirty-five residing in the Settlements on a yearly average & the deaths among them being five annually on an average." Arthy also counts the number of the native workers of the Company:… Read More

Princeton, N. J./Stuttgart: E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlaghandlung, 1903 B. Scott. Volume VIII - Botany. Parts I-IX (in 5 volumes). 31 plates (13 colored; background of a plain plate tanned) and 106 text-figures. Folio, pp. 982. Princeton and Stuttgart, 1903-06. Contains: Parts I - "The Vegetation of Western Patagonia" by P. Dusen. Part II - "Hepaticae" by A.W. Evans. Part III - "Bryophyta" by P. Dusen. Part IV - "Pteridophyta" by G. Macloskie. Parts V-IX - "Flora Patagonia," etc., by G. Macloskie. Including the supplement published in 1914. pp. 307 + 4 plates. Sheets loose in wrapper as published. To Carl Skottsberg With the author's compliments.

Original half-leather binding. Contains 15 pages of text in German, and 288 (helio)gravure plates with descriptions in English, French, German and Chinese Pinyin.
The pages are "wavy" - probably caused by water. Some pages contain spots, mostly outside plates. Cover in good state.

Cassell and Co Ltd, London, 1923. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good/No Dust Jacket. SHACKLETON'S LAST VOYAGE: THE STORY OF THE QUEST From the Official Journal and Private Diary Kept By Dr. A.H.Macklin: 1st Edition; xvi, 372pp, 51 plate leaves including coloured photographic frontipiece [138 photographs and 3 sketches in all], 12 sketch maps in text. Original light blue cloth, spine lettered and ruled in gilt, cover lettered and ruled in black and gilt with a white, black and gold vignette of the Quest in ice. No dustjacket, Ink signature of A B Watkins, July 1923 on rear of front board, small booksellers label rear ep. Covers marked, bumped and faded, top and bottom of spine softened, slight foxing to some pages, all as expected for age of book. Overall Very Good. Together with "QUEST" EXPEDITION REPORT1st Edition; vi, [6],161pp, illustrated, 2 plate leaves, frontipiece plus 26 figures and maps in text. With a preface by C.Tate Regan, Director of the Natural History Section of the… Read More

84 pp., hardcover, cloth covered boards with a photograph inserted, one coloured map and numerous photographic illustrations and black and white sketches by Schiff throughout the text. Binding is a bit loose.Outer cover has a few spots of staining.Corners are a bit ragged.Inscription of “Janetta A. Smith, Peiking, May 15, 1948” written inside the front cover.The pages themselves look great.First and only edition of this rare volume on Peking in the thirties. An interesting mixture of nice photographs by Ellen Catleen and humoristic drawings and sketches by Schiff. Ellen Catleen was the wife of the former Netherlands Minister in China, Thorbecke. She published books on Hong Kong, Shanghai and Peking. Schiff was a famous Austrian Cartoonist and Illustrator working for many newspapers and magazines in Shanghai.

3 volumes: xvii+[1]+537 pages with 90 lithographs plates including the usual expunged bathing plate, many in color, including 3 "facsimiles" of Japanese woodblock prints (2 folding); 6 maps and charts (2 folding); 79 woodcuts in the text; [2]+414+[4]+14-1+xi pages with 4 color lithographs of Chinese scenes; 2 uncolored natural history engraved plates; 6 hand-colored lithographs of birds; 10 hand-colored steel-engravings of fish; 5 lithographs of shells, 2 hand-colored; 16 diagram plates of winds and currents; 14-page facsimile of Japanese language version of the U.S.-Japan treaty; 17 folding charts on 16 sheets; numerous woodcuts in the text; xliii+[1]+705+[1] pages woodcut star charts throughout. Volume III titled "United States Japan Expedition. Observations on the zodiacal light, from April 2, 1853, to April 22, 1855, ... by Rev. George Jones, A.M., chaplain United States Navy". Quarto (11½ x 8 ¾") bound in the original blind stamped cloth. Volume 1 rebacked with the original cloth spine laid… Read More

Rifa'a Rafi' al Tahtawi (1801-1873) was born in the village of Tahta, Sohag, the same year the French troops evacuated Egypt. He was an Azharite recommended by his teacher and mentor Hassan El-Attar to be the chaplain of a group of students Mohammed Ali was sending to Paris in 1826. Many student missions from Egypt went to Europe in the early 19th century to study arts and sciences at European universities and acquire technical skills such as printing, shipbuilding and modern military techniques. According to his memoir Rihla (Journey to Paris), Tahtawi studied ethics, social and political philosophy, and mathematics and geometry. He read works by Condillac, Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu and Bézout among others during his séjour in France. In 1831, Tahtawi returned home to be part of the statewide effort to "modernize" the Egyptian infrastructure and education. He undertook a career in writing and translation, and founded the School of Languages (also knowns as School of Translators) in 1835,… Read More

Hafner, 1952, A Facsimile Reprint of the FIRST EDITION NF/VG. Hardcover has boards with geometric design , green spine with gold gilt titles. Binding is tight, clean interior of book. No marks, no stickers, no bookplates, no p.o's signature. Inside front and back cover depicts a map of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, 1831-1836. Fifteen scarce (15) breathtaking wood cut plates on back pages of book. Dust Jacket has a sketch of the ship and shows average shelf ware of a book over 60 years old- tears at top and bottom spines,corners and edges bumped. 615 pgs. + 15 full page platesOn October 6, 1836, Charles Darwin, then a young Geologist of twenty-five, returned to England after a five-year voyage around the world on the H.M.S. Beagle. This memorable voyage of exploration and research was particularly important in Darwin's intellectual development. When he set out Darwin was still under the influence of the Biblical Idea of creation. As the trip progresses, the reader of the Journal of Researches becomes… Read More

Front cover and some pages separating from binding, however all still in tact. Corners are frayed. Beautifully embossed front cover, only slight fading of gold.

In remarkable shape considering its age. Owner's name in pencil inside front page. Tight binding. Minimal frays. Follows the Reverend M.B. Chapman on his ten month journey through Japan, China, the Tropics, India, Egypt, Palestine, and the Baltics, beginning and ending in St. Joseph, MO. A rare and unique book.

London: Printed by Tho. Johnson for the author, and are to be had at his house in White Fryers. First edition., 1670 from signed Preface. Hardcover. Fair. Full-page emblematic copperplate frontis of AFRICA with black figures, camel, crocodile & lion + full-page plate of Egyptian Mummies + 46 copper engravings in text, but LACKS all 53 engraved plates & maps inserted on tabs in other copies of first edition.. Folio near-contemporary blind-tooled leather-covered boards, 19th century spine reback (recently repaired) in leather on raised bands with gilt rules, tips worn, leather on boards scuffed). Bookplate T.D. Bland Esqr. Kippax Park and earlier name Ri: Proctor on pastedown. Half title as required in 1st edition "ENGLISH ATLAS Tome the First", original printed Title lacking (supplied in colour facsimile tipped in), [xii]pp (Dedication to Charles II, Preface signed "John Ogilby From my House in White Fryers, April 28, 1670", Royal Licence dated 1669, Catalogue of Authors Consulted) + 767pp + [1]p… Read More

Part of a Two volumes set. See Volume Two. Numerous B/W pictures, drawings, maps in separate folders. Introduction by Robin Bidwell.

Ahmad ibn Majid al-Sadi, G.R. Tibbetts - Arab Navigation in the Indian Ocean before the coming of the Portuguese - London, The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland; Luzac and Company Ltd, 1971 - First Edition - Hardcover - 614pp + 4 maps (out of 7)- 22x14 cmCondition Very Good: Cover some light shelf wear, inside as new. Four out of seven maps present: Chart of the Arabian Sea, India and the Bay of Bengal, Red Sea and Gulf of Eden, East African CoastIf you have any questions or want to see more pictures, feel free to ask.Your book will be securely packed and shipped with tracking number, signed & insured.

Album Odysséen. Photographies de Fred. Boissonnas. 1ère édition. 8 pp. + 265 héliogravures + 1 folding map h.t. 26,4x22,5 cm. Librairie Armand Colin, Paris, 1933.
--- (...) Les photographies qui sont reproduites dans ce volume sont l'oeuvre de Frédéric Boissonnas. C'est avec lui qu'au printemps de 1912, songeant à donner une nouvelle édition de ses Phéniciens et l'Odyssée, Victor Bérard entreprit de refaire le périple d'Ulysse dont, par une patiente étude, il s'était efforcé d'identifier toutes les étapes. Dans cette Méditerranée où rien ne change, il put retrouver intacts les sites et les paysages qui rendaient tout leur sens aux descriptions du Poète. (...)
Jean Bérard
--- Text in french. Captions in ancient greek, translated in french. A spot on front cover. Otherwise the book is fine.