The Description of Greece, by Pausanias. Translated from the Greek. With Notes ... And illustrated with Maps and Views Elegantly Engraved. In Three Volumes by Pausanias; ( Translation by Thomas Taylor ) - 1794

London: John Murray, 1818:. First edition, 8 plates including 6 coloured, 5 engraved maps mainly folding, worn cloth, loose leaves at front. Marvellous account of expedition to little known East China Sea and the Yellow Sea. Visits were made to Korea and the Ryukyu Archipelago and this book is usually priced at £2-3000 .

A.W. Webster, London, 1835. First Edition. Hardcover (Half Leather). Very Good/No Dust Jacket. NARRATIVE OF A SECOND VOYAGE IN SEARCH OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE, and of a Residence in the Arctic Regions During the Years 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833. Including the Reports of Commander, now Captain James Clark Ross and The Discovery of the Northern Magnetic Pole. 1st Edition. xxxiii, (1), 740pp, illustrated with 31 plates, including 6 maps and charts, some outlined in colour and 2 folding, 24 views, some hand coloured. Appendix: xii, 120pp, cxliv, ciii. Half cream leather with dark brown leather boards, spine ruled with black leather spine labels, titled in gilt. After the embarrassment of Ross's first voyage in which he claimed to see the mountains in Lancaster Sound, it took him a decade to source private backing (he had lost the confidence of the British Admiralty) for a second trip. Ross travelled through Lancaster Sound into Prince Regent inlet and onto Boothia Peninsula, while on the way… Read More

Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, London, 1831. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good. 1st Octavo 8vo Edition; Two volumes, Vol I [iv]-xxvi, [1, directions to the binder], 472pp; Vol II iv, 452pp. Three engraved maps, two of which are folding, and twenty-three engraved plates, many not in place as in directions to binder but all complete, also two copies of one of the plates. Contemporary rebound, cloth, half calf, Each volume with red and black spine labels. Spines stamped and lettered in gilt. All edges marbled. Beechey’s expedition on board the H.M.S. Blossom formed part of a double-pronged assault on the western approaches to the Arctic. Sent by way of Bering’s Strait to explore the northern coast eastward, Beechey was to eventually link up with Franklin’s second expedition, working westward from the Mackenzie River. The two parties came within several hundred miles of each other, one of Beechey’s vessels managing to penetrate as far as Cape Barrow, while Franklin turned back… Read More

Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, London, 1831. Early Edition. Cloth. Fair/No Dust Jacket. The 1st Admiralty Edition in quarto; Two volumes, Vol I, fep, folding map, title page, vii-xxi, [1, directions to the binder], 392pp; illustrated, 14 plates, 3 charts, (2 folding). MISSING 5 PLATES AND PAGES v-vi, 329-336), Up to page viii, detached as is pages 387 to 392. Vol II (2), errata slip, vi-vii, directions to binder pages 393-742 (2 publishers advertisements), illustrated 7 plates. (MISSING 1 plate). Half bound marbled boards. Beechey’s expedition on board the H.M.S. Blossom formed part of a double-pronged assault on the western approaches to the Arctic. Sent by way of Bering’s Strait to explore the northern coast eastward, Beechey was to eventually link up with Franklin’s second expedition, working westward from the Mackenzie River. The two parties came within several hundred miles of each other, one of Beechey’s vessels managing to penetrate as far as Cape Barrow, while… Read More

2 volumes with Atlas. [4]+xxiv+385 pages with xxii-xxiv lists books of voyages available from the publisher; [4]+418 pages with appendix containing vocabularies of the languages of Yukagir, Yakut, Tungoose, Kamchatka, the Aleutian Islands and Kadiak and inex. Atlas with title, list of plates, 14 engraved plates & large folding engraved map. Text volumes are small octavo (7¾" x 4½"), 19th century quarter calf & boards, spines tooled in gilt, morocco lettering pieces; atlas is quarto (11" x 7½") in period tree calf, spine tooled in gilt. Translated by J Castéra. (Howes S-117) First French Edition.Martin Sauer was an English civil servant who knew Russian, French and German. He became acquainted with Joseph Billings in St Petersburg in the 1780s. He agreed to join Billings expedition as his secretary and interpreter. It was agreed that he would write the official account, but there is some controversy about his actives when he returned to St Petersburg in 1794. It has been suggested that he left… Read More

Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1914. Reprint edition. Ex-library, but with only minimal markings (Cranbrook Institute of Science bookplate, reference room sticker on rear paste-down, accession number on copyright page). Six volumes have leather title labels at foot of spine. Fine and bright.. Reprint edition. Eleven (of twelve) volumes. Vols. I-V, VIII-XI, XIII-XIVb. Profusely illustrated from photos, including many by E.S. Curtis and C. Hart Merriam, color plates, text figures, and maps, including birds by A. Fuertes. Bound in green ribbed cloth with gilt spine titles and gilt vignettes on upper cover. Includes contributions by John Burroughs, John Muir, George Bird Grinnell, et. al. Volumes 6 and 7 were never published. Volume 12 is "Enchytraeids, Tubioculous Annelids

Milano: Garzotti, 1954. First Edition . Hardcover. Near Fine/Good. FIRST PRINTING of the First Edition. With SIGNED postcard showing the 1954 team at the K2 Base Camp. The card is hand-signed (not printed or reproduced, ie, the signatures are original) by Walter Bonatti, Achille Compagnoni, Lino Lacedelli, Pino Gallotti, Gino Solda, Guido Pagani, Cirillo Floreanini, Ubaldo Rey, Erich Abram, Ugo Angelino, and Sergio Viotto. It is dated 20 October 1954, with the stamps being cancelled on the same date. Signed by 11 of the 14 Italian members of the climbing team. Lacking the signatures of Ardito Desio (he did not sign much), Mario Fantin, and Mario Puchoz (who died on the mountain). This is the first printing of the first Italian edition of Ascent Of K2 (or Victory Over K2). Same size as the english language editions but much better illustrated having more than twice the number of photo plates, color photos not in english editions, a folding map & 3 folding photos not in the english editions..… Read More

London: R Ackermann A very good 4 volume set in contemporary half calf bindings with a coloured vignette title, 2 folding colour maps, and 44 colour plates of which 7 are folding. A scarce title in the World in Miniature series which ran to 43 volumes. This is the second in the series, undated, but published in 1821. The bindings are matching half calf with marbled boards. The spines have 4 small gilt-lined raised bands with title and volume labels in 2 compartments and gilt decoration in the remaining 3. All are bright, clean and sound with light wear to corners and edges. Contents: Vol I: frontispiece; vignette title; letterpress title; advertisement; preface; contents and plate list for all volumes; folding map; text 180pp with 8 plates. Vol II: frontispiece; title; folding map; text 170 pp with 11 plates of which 3 folding. Vol III: frontispiece; title; text 168 pp with 14 plates of which 2 folding. Vol IV: frontispiece, title, text 184 pp with 7 plates (one a sheet of music) of which 2 folding.… Read More

12°. 11, [1 blank] pp. Later half morocco with marbled sides and gilt lettering on spine. Only known copy of a British missionary's account of his foot journey from inland Madagascar to the coast. The author, George Andrew Shaw (1842-1917), was a missionary of Tamatave, Madagascar. In the present work he describes in detail the sights and surroundings, the various churches and stations, as well as the way of life of the local inhabitants that he encountered along his journey.
Two other works on Madagascar appeared from his hand after his return to England: Madagascar and France, with some account of the island, its people, its resources and development. London, The Religious Tract Society 1885; Madagascar of to-day: an account of the island, its people, resources and development. London, Religious Tract Society, 1886.
Christian missionaries were largely responsible for the early development of printing in Africa in the nineteenth century, primarily producing works that benefitted the converting of… Read More

Millais, John Guille Rhododendrons and the various Hybrids.Rare Complete 2 volume matching set (series 1 and series 2) of thislimited (only 550 copies of this book have been printed) and numbered first edition.1th Series;The first series is numbered 381London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1917, folio (42 x 32 cm)Original maroon red cloth, rebacked retaining original spine, gilt letters on front and spine, protective tissue guard on every plate.xi + 268 pp, frontispiece coloured plate, title page, with 17 (fs incl) coloured plates by miss Beatrice Parsons, miss Winifred Walker, miss E.F. Brennand and Archibald Thorburn, 14 collotype plates and numerous illustrations from photographs. 2nd Series;The second series is numbered 534 London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1924 , folio (42 x 32 cm)Original maroon red cloth, rebacked retaining original spine, gilt letters on front and spine, protective tissue guard on every plate.xii + 265 pp, frontispiece coloured plate, title page, with 17 (fs incl) coloured plates by… Read More