back

Rare Travel Books Page 3


    Ritchie, Leitch
Ireland picturesque and romantic
[Heath's picturesque annual : complete in 2 volumes]
Price : $300 Buy now

London : Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman, 1837-1838 - Very good copies in the original gilt-blocked, green felt-covered boards, with blind tooling. 1st. Edition with many engravings throughout the two vols. Vol. 1. Published 1837 with 20 engravings by D. M’Clise & T. Creswick fine condition;- Vol.2. Published in 1838 with 19 engravings. The Vol. is called Heath’s Picturesque Annual. also in fine condition;- All engravings present in this 2 vols. handsome books.

 JOHNSTON, H. H
 The History of a Slave.
Price : $150 Buy now

With 47 full-page illustrations engraved facsimile from the author's drawings. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, and Co., 1889;- 168pp. frontispiece, 47 plates. ". an attempt to give a realistic sketch of life in the Western Sudan. Many of the incidents herein related l have actually witnessed during some one of my journeys in Africa. The places and peoples l have named are of real existance, as are also the languages quoted,." Red cloth spine with gilt lettering along in the publisher's decorated red cloth with the coloured illustration mounted on the upper board, a very nice copy of the first edition. A very fine copy of a rare book of Africa and Slavery.

The Private Journal of of H.M.S. Hecla,
during the recent voyage of discovery under Captain Parry. by Captain G. F. Lyon
Price : $500 Buy now

First edition, 8vo, pp. x 468; 7 engraved plates after Lyon, 1 folding map; uncut copy in contemporary (if not original) boards, original brown calf with gilt label on spine;  Arctic Bibliography 10531: "Author's record of the second Parry expedition to Canadian Arctic waters in the Fury and Hecla, 1821-23." "Almost the entire volume is devoted to the narration of the peculiarities of the Aborigines of the Arctic regions." Lyon's drawings were also used to illustrate Parry's Second Voyage.

 A Voyage to Hudson's Bay, 1819
During the Summer of 1812. - Voyage to the North Pole, in the Frigate the Syrene. by Dr. Thomas M’Keevor & Christopher Paulin de la Poix Freminville
Price : $1000 Buy now

2 works in one volume. 8vo., (9 x 5 6/8 inches). Published by Richard Phillips 1819. 1st. edition;- Fine aquatint frontispiece and five aquatint plates, total of 6 rare plates;-  Modern calf backed marbled paper boards.  M'Keevor was a medical advisor on Thomas Douglas, fifth earl of Selkirk's expedition of 1812 to establish a colony at Red River, the first European settlement in what is now western Canada. M'Keevor records in considerable detail the customs of Inuit natives and Arctic geography and fauna, as well as an account of the Red River settlement. Accompanying his description are spectacular aquatints of ice-flows, iceburgs, and an engraving of a polar bear. Bound with Christophe Paulin Chevalier de las Poix de Freminiville's "Voyage to the North Pole" in 1806, one of his earliest voyages. An archeologist, sailor and naturalist de Freminville began his career on the seas in 1801, inspired by the voyages of Captain James Cook, which he is reputed to have read for the first time at the age of 8. Rising steadily through the ranks he became a captain in 1830. During his many years at sea Freminiville was involved in several scientific expeditions. Between the years 1823-1829 he sailed along the Central and Southern American coastline, and as on all his voyages, drawing coastal profiles and views, and specimens of exotic creatures, some of which were named in his honour, including a number of marine species, but most notably the Eagle Ray (Myliobatis Fremonvillei). Including a Vocabulary of the Dialects of The Chippeway Indian Language;- 
Stunning condition and very rare...two in one.

 The History of Paraguay. 1769
Containing Amongst Many Other New, Curious, and Interesting Particulars of That Country, a Full and Authentic Account of the Establishments Formed There By the Jesuits, from Among the Savage Natives.
By Father Charlevoix.
Price : $1250 Buy now

Published   P & W Wilson &c Dublin: P & W Wilson &c. G : in 1769;- fine condition;- 2 Vols. Complete...Original bindings. Very Rare in the two vols.Early travel books about South America are always Rare;-Father Charlevoix (1682-1761) lived for a time in Canada, and travelled extensively. Besides this history of Paraguay he wrote works about Japan, Canada, and the Antilles. He is not, however, famous as a traveller, but as a historian and is one of the best of that period.  Probably the most successful missionary enterprise in world history was that of the Jesuit reductions in Paraquaria (Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil). From 1610 to 1767 the Society of Jesus ministered to the Guaraní, developing their already high-level culture into one totally acculturated to the European way of life. Self-government, capitalistic production, a printing press, an armed and trained militia, and a highly developed native language were among the salient contributions of the Jesuits in Paraquaria. Jesuit Father Pierre Françoise-Xavier Charlevoix (1682-1761) His history of the Jesuits in Paraguay was the most inclusive of the Jesuit chronicles of the region and the last prior to expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767.Although Charlevoix did not visit Paraguay, he has left us an indelible account of the Jesuit Province of Paraguay up to mid-eighteenth century. Although he had no personal knowledge of the area, he made excellent use of many Spanish documents placed at his disposal. Many consider these manuscripts, presented here in both Spanish and French,  Charlevoix’s history covers not only Paraguay, but also the border regions of Argentina and Brazil (including, for instance, the founding of Buenos Aires and its early history). Included is information on natural history and resources (such as mining);-

 North of England and Scotland in MDCCIV
Price : $200 Buy now

Published in Edinburgh 1818 - [Scotland.] North of England and Scotland in MDCCIV. Edinburgh:  Publisher William Blackwood, 1818. (4), 71  pages.  1st. Edition.  only 100 copies printed so very scarce; The leaf following the title-page contains a brief explanation of the origin of this text: "The following journal is now first published from the original manuscript, formerly in the possession of the late Mr. Johnes of Hafod, the well-known translator of Froissart, Joinville, &c. Nothing is known with regard to the author, but it appears probable that he was a Londoner." The writer found the Scots "commonly blown up with a strange prejudice to the English in general." A printed note on the verso of the title reads, "Only a hundred copies printed." Marbled paper to the covers with a dark brown leather to the spine gilt lettering along the spine; A handsome copy of a scarce book, in fine condition.

 Astoria; 
By Irving Washington
or, Enterprise Beyond the Rocky Mountains.
Price : $250 Buy now

Published by Richard Bentley 1839. 1st. English Edition. Hardcover, VERY GOOD, 440 pp., rebound in dark-brown cloth, with gilt lettering to the spine. Engraved illustration of author on forepage, rice paper, the usual age-spotting, some rubbing to corners and edges; tight copy. Text includes author's introduction dated Sept., 1836 and an appendix, including "Draft of a Petition to Congress, sent by Mr. Astor in 1812"; "Letter from Mr. Gallatin to Mr. Astor, dated New York, August 5, 1835"; "Notices of the present state of the Fur Trade, chiefly extracted from an article published in Silliman's Journal for January 1834"; "Height of the Rocky Mountains" including a letter from Professor James Renwick of Columbia College, New York, February 23, 1836, to W. Irving, Esq.; and "Suggestions with Respect to the Indian tribes, and the Protection of Our Trade". Classic record of the first effort in the United States to settle the Pacific Coast. A Rare book by a Famous Author. I offer this Rare book for £150. Early American travel book. Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works include biographies of George Washington, Oliver Goldsmith and Muhammad, and several histories of 15th-century Spain dealing with subjects such as Christopher Columbus, the Moors, and the Alhambra. Irving also served as the U.S. minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846. He made his literary debut in 1802 with a series of observational letters to the Morning Chronicle, written under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle. After moving to England for the family business in 1815, he achieved international fame with the publication of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. in 1819. He continued to publish regularly—and almost always successfully—throughout his life, and completed a five-volume biography of George Washington just eight months before his death, at age 76, in Tarrytown, New York. Irving, along with James Fenimore Cooper, was among the first American writers to earn acclaim in Europe, and Irving encouraged American authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Edgar Allan Poe. Irving was also admired by some European writers, including Sir Walter Scott, Lord Byron, Thomas Campbell, Francis Jeffrey, and Charles Dickens. As America's first genuine internationally best-selling author, Irving advocated for writing as a legitimate profession, and argued for stronger laws to protect American writers from copyright infringement.

Notes of a Journey in the North of Ireland,
in the Summer of 1827 : to which is added, a Brief Account of the Siege of Londonderry, in 1689
Price : $375 Buy now

Published by Baldwin and Cradock 1828. And Sold by Wakeman & Cumming;- Dublin;- Hempton & Ireland ; Londonderry; No name of Author on the Title page, but it was written by a Mrs. John Jackson. 1827. Original three quarter dark brown leather binding with red marble paper to front and back covers. Gilt lettering &date 1827 &  decorations to the spine;- A fine copy of a scarce and rare book, no other copies to be found world wide. Engraved Frontispiece of the Giants Causeway and a very find foldout map of Ireland present; Plus 3 further plates;- An Appendix of 25 pages containing a brief account of the siege of Londonderry  in 1689 to the back pages. And this section was published by J. and J. Jackson, -Market Place- Louth. A rare find and highly collected. Scarce.

 WORTH, R. N.
Tourist's Guide to Somersetshire: Rail and Road
Price : $50 Buy now

Published by Edward Stanford ;- London;- 3rd. Edition 1888. Hard back binding in publisher's original russet cloth covers, gilt lettering to spine and upper panel. 8vo 6½" x 4¼" 168, 32 [pp] An Index to the back pages. Fold-out map to front, plan of Wells Cathedral. Fine condition, highly collectable.

 Charles Armar Wilkins
Curiosities of Travel or Glimpses of Nature
Price : $70 Buy now

Publishedd by Tinsley Brothers 1876 - A two volume in one. 1st. Edition of this fascinating work, bound in blue cloth with gilt decoration of a desert scene to the front cover, gilt lettering and decorations to the spine. frontispiece is present, a fine copy.

 Wanderings in South America, 
in the North West of the United States, and the Antilles, in the Years 1812, 1816, 1820,
and 1824: With Original Instructions for the Perfect Preservation of Birds, etc, for Cabinets of Natural History
by Charles Waterton;
Price : $175 Buy now

Published by Fellowes 1828;- in London;- Charles Waterton was a British explorer and naturalist. He travelled to South America in the beginning of the 19th century and recorded his experiences and discoveries in this book. Waterton was also skilled in preserving animals for his matters, something he also discusses in the book.Second Edition of this important source of information on Venezuela. Waterton (1781 ? 1865) was an English naturalist, taxidermist, and explorer; he was also descendant of one of the foremost British families. In 1804 he began what would be a series of travels to Guiana and South America, he first had to take charge of the family estate and then to explore. The subsequent travels would take him to the deep Guiana and Brazil, where he allegedly arrives barefoot. The main field of research for a while was the effects of curare, a local poison, which, applied to darts, would paralyze a person. The work is illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of “A Nondescript” made by Lowry and woodcuts in text; it would eventually influence young naturalists as Darwin and Wallace;- Original paper boards with a paper label to the top of the spine. Its an Original copy of a great work and an early travel book of South America. in fine condition;-

Charles Waterton, was born in Walton Hall near Wakefield, Yorkshire, England, in 1782; died there in 1865. His family, originally from Lincolnshire, had migrated to Yorkshire several centuries before and its pre-Reformation members in many cases were eminent in the service of the State. Staunch Royalists as well as Catholics, they suffered from England's changes of faith and allegiance, and by the constant exactions and fines of penal times they become much impoverished. Charles's mother was a Bedingfeld of Inburgh, Norfolk, granddaughter of Sir Henry, the third baronet, and his paternal grandmother was Mary More, the seventh in descent from Blessed Thomas, the martyred chancellor. In his tenth year Charles was sent to a small Catholic school at Tudhoe, near Durham, the first English home of Mr. Jutine Ushaw. Thence he passed in 1796 for his higher studies to Stonyhurst. His four years' stay at Stonyhurst, while it succeeded in making him a good Latin scholar, developed still more his early passion for natural history, especially for the study of ornithology."By a mutual understanding, he writes in his "Autobiography", I was considered rat-catcher to the establishment, and also fox-taker, foumart- killer, and cross-bow charger at the time when the young rooks were fledged. . . I followed up my calling with great success. The vermin disappeared by the dozen; the books were moderately well thumbed; and according to my notion of things, all went on perfectly right." On leaving school the Peace of Amiens in 1802 gave him his first chance of travelling.

 ROBERTSON, WILLIAM.
An Historical Disquisition Concerning the Knowledge Which the Ancients had of India; and the Progress of Trade with that Country Prior to the Discovery of the Passage to it by the Cape of Good Hope. With an Appendix Containing Observations on the Civil Policy – the Laws and Judicial Proceedings – the Arts – the Sciences – and Religious Institutions of the Indians.1819
Price : $150 Buy now

Published in Edinburgh by  Stirling & Slade & London by Smith & Elder;-1819;- Original leather binding with gilt decorations to both front & back covers, re-backed spine in leather with a black label with gilt letter within;

Robertson having published a highly influential History of Scotland; established his reputation with his life of Charles V; and expanded his fame with his History of America-its success "was even more marked on the continent, where it was considered Robertson's masterpiece"-Robertson turned his attention to India. "The Disquisition falls into two main parts: the first two-thirds is a narrative of the commercial contacts India had with the outside world from ancient times to the sixteenth century; the remainder is a long appendix describing Indian culture. The narrative portion documents, gathers, and summarizes familiar but scattered material; the appendix is broadly descriptive and more innovative, following the pattern developed in the descriptive chapters of the History of America
 Robertson has been chiefly remembered as a historian. His four published historical works brought him considerable fame and wealth, and they helped establish historical writing as one of the foremost literary genres of Enlightenment Scotland
Although in recent years both Hume and Gibbon have often been considered greater historians;- A fine book with two fold-out maps in very fine condition and Index to the back pages.

 Bartlett, W.H. and W. Beattie
SWITZERLAND. Illustrated, in a Series of Views Taken on the Spot and Expressly For This Work, by W.H. Bartlett, Esq., [with text by William Beattie]. 1838 2 Volumes;-
Price : $650 Buy now

Published in London, by George Virtue, 1836, in-4°, VIII + 188 p. / IV + 152 p., illustrated with 2 engraved titles with views + 106 steel engraved plates with views + 1 engraved folding map, only a very few stains here and there which comes close to a miracle for this kind of book, splendid 2 Volumes, Original three-quarter brown leather spine, corners & brown cloth covers. Gilt lettering and decorations to both spines. 

 'Subscription Copy - Supplied to Subscribers only' 'The Tourist's Guide through the Swiss and Italian Cantons'. First edition. Rare, highly collectable fine condition.-

 Early Travels In Palestine, 1848
Price : $250 Buy now

Comprising The Narratives Of Arculf, Willibald, Bernard, Saewulf, Benjamin Of Tudela, Sir John Maundeville, De La Brocquiere, And Maundrell;- Edited by Thomas Wright. 1848;- Published by Henry G. Bohn, London;- Small 8vo, pp. [ii], xxxi, 517, with an engraved frontispiece-plan of Jerusalem; original dark brown leather; rubbed, with gilt spine, Marbled edges. Beautiful copy. First collected edition. ‘The work was published as part of Bohn’s Antiquarian Library and contains the first English translation of Willibald’s narrative. The accounts of the other travellers had already been published (e.g. Maundrell, La Brocquière). Wright was a prolific author and editor. He recovered from manuscript and printed for the first time many valuable historical and literary records’ In very fine condition. Early Travel book into the Holy Lands.

top of page
back to rare travel books

Contact

E : owenfelix2@gmail.com

T : 00353 (0) 52 7442976

M :00353 (0) 85 8138404
All images and materials are copyright protected and are the property of © Felix Rare Books
Site Map
Privacy Policy 2020