History·Travel
Winston Churchill
Wayward Women
Aviation
Maritime
Military
Polar
Voyages
Africa
Britain
Europe
Latin America
North America
Middle East
Scotland
Results 1 - 8 of 10 results
- Page
- 1
- 2
The Okavango River -
Charles John Andersson
1861 - Hurst and Blackett, London - First Edition
A scarce example of the first edition in original publisher’s cloth, with engraved frontispiece, engraved extra title page, and fifteen further engraved plates.
Swedish explorer, hunter, trader and naturalist Charles Andersson describes his expeditions through Namaqualand and Damaraland (Namibia). He intended to explore these countries right up to Cunene or Nourse River but the difficulties of the expedition, though encountered with indomitable courage, proved to be insuperable, and he had to turn back. He obtained, however, much valuable information and his success as a hunter and collector was unique in this part of the continent. The coast-line of South-West Africa is carefully described and there is an interesting account of the once-famed guano island, Ichaboe.’ [Mendelssohn]
More details
Price HK$ 15,000
1861 - Hurst and Blackett, London - First Edition
A scarce example of the first edition in original publisher’s cloth, with engraved frontispiece, engraved extra title page, and fifteen further engraved plates.Swedish explorer, hunter, trader and naturalist Charles Andersson describes his expeditions through Namaqualand and Damaraland (Namibia). He intended to explore these countries right up to Cunene or Nourse River but the difficulties of the expedition, though encountered with indomitable courage, proved to be insuperable, and he had to turn back. He obtained, however, much valuable information and his success as a hunter and collector was unique in this part of the continent. The coast-line of South-West Africa is carefully described and there is an interesting account of the once-famed guano island, Ichaboe.’ [Mendelssohn]
More details
Price HK$ 15,000
Ismailia. A Narrative of The Expedition to Central Africa for the Suppression of the Slave Trade. Organized by Ismail, Khedive of Egypt -
Sir Samuel W. Baker, Pacha
1874 - Macmillan And Co., London - First Edition
A near fine two-volume first edition by one of the great explorers of the era, in which Sir Samuel White Baker describes leading a military expedition beginning in 1869 to annex the lawless upper Nile, suppress its barbaric slave trade, establish trade routes and open up navigation on the Great Lakes for the cotton trade.
Profusely illustrated with fifty two full-page plates and two maps in colour, one folding.
Tasked with the assignment by the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt at a ball in Cairo, Baker was given four years, the rank of major-general, and the title of pasha – the most senior positions ever given to a European under an Egyptian administration. The books begin in the same way as the expedition: with the commission of four boats, including a 251-ton paddle steamer that were shipped from England, and with hundreds of camels and an additional nine steamers and 55 sailing boats in Egypt.
In Baker’s view the slave trade led to ‘treachery, devastation and ruin.’ ‘It is impossible to know the actual number of slaves taken from Central Africa annually; but I should imagine that at least fifty thousand…the loss of life attendant upon the capture and subsequent treatment of the slaves is frightful.’
More details
Price HK$ 11,000
1874 - Macmillan And Co., London - First Edition
A near fine two-volume first edition by one of the great explorers of the era, in which Sir Samuel White Baker describes leading a military expedition beginning in 1869 to annex the lawless upper Nile, suppress its barbaric slave trade, establish trade routes and open up navigation on the Great Lakes for the cotton trade.Profusely illustrated with fifty two full-page plates and two maps in colour, one folding.
Tasked with the assignment by the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt at a ball in Cairo, Baker was given four years, the rank of major-general, and the title of pasha – the most senior positions ever given to a European under an Egyptian administration. The books begin in the same way as the expedition: with the commission of four boats, including a 251-ton paddle steamer that were shipped from England, and with hundreds of camels and an additional nine steamers and 55 sailing boats in Egypt.
In Baker’s view the slave trade led to ‘treachery, devastation and ruin.’ ‘It is impossible to know the actual number of slaves taken from Central Africa annually; but I should imagine that at least fifty thousand…the loss of life attendant upon the capture and subsequent treatment of the slaves is frightful.’
More details
Price HK$ 11,000
Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, in the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 -
James Bruce of Kinnaird
1790 - Printed by J. Ruthven, Edinburgh - First Edition
A superior set of the first edition in five large and finely bound volumes, one of the great annals of travel and explorations in Africa, a cornerstone of any collection of Africana. In addition to the three large folding copper-engraved maps, there are fifty-eight copper-engraved plates (four of which are maps or battle plans) and seven pages of Ethiopic language.
A Scotsman with ability and education, James Bruce, 1730-1794, was appointed the English consul to Algiers, serving for two years before resigning to roam North Africa investigating architectural ruins. Following this preparation, he set off to fulfil his great ambition, to discover the source of the Nile. His travels into Abyssinia, a remarkable solo undertaking, resulted in the present body of work which not only includes the narrative of his travels but also comments on the history and religion of Egypt, an account of Indian trade, a history of Abyssinia and other such material.
The DNB notes that while Bruce would not be confused with "a great scholar or a judicious critic..., few books of equal compass are equally entertaining; and few such monuments exist of the energy and enterprise of a single traveller." The many engraved plates are finely executed, and present primarily the flora and fauna encountered by Bruce on his travels.
More details
Price HK$ 42,000
1790 - Printed by J. Ruthven, Edinburgh - First Edition
A superior set of the first edition in five large and finely bound volumes, one of the great annals of travel and explorations in Africa, a cornerstone of any collection of Africana. In addition to the three large folding copper-engraved maps, there are fifty-eight copper-engraved plates (four of which are maps or battle plans) and seven pages of Ethiopic language.A Scotsman with ability and education, James Bruce, 1730-1794, was appointed the English consul to Algiers, serving for two years before resigning to roam North Africa investigating architectural ruins. Following this preparation, he set off to fulfil his great ambition, to discover the source of the Nile. His travels into Abyssinia, a remarkable solo undertaking, resulted in the present body of work which not only includes the narrative of his travels but also comments on the history and religion of Egypt, an account of Indian trade, a history of Abyssinia and other such material.
The DNB notes that while Bruce would not be confused with "a great scholar or a judicious critic..., few books of equal compass are equally entertaining; and few such monuments exist of the energy and enterprise of a single traveller." The many engraved plates are finely executed, and present primarily the flora and fauna encountered by Bruce on his travels.
More details
Price HK$ 42,000
My African Journey -
Sir Winston Spencer Churchill
1908 - Hodder and Stoughton, London - First Edition
Finely bound first edition, with 61 illustrations from photographs by the Churchill and Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon Wilson, and three maps.
Originally serialised in the Strand Magazine, Churchill's account of British territory in East Africa represents the author at his journalistic best. Because it was written, or perhaps dictated, on the spot, it echoes much of the freshness to be found in 'Malakand Field Force' and is a showcase for Churchill's powers of observation. 'My African Journey' may not be among his best-known works but is certainly one of his best.
More details
Price HK$ 12,000
1908 - Hodder and Stoughton, London - First Edition
Finely bound first edition, with 61 illustrations from photographs by the Churchill and Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon Wilson, and three maps.Originally serialised in the Strand Magazine, Churchill's account of British territory in East Africa represents the author at his journalistic best. Because it was written, or perhaps dictated, on the spot, it echoes much of the freshness to be found in 'Malakand Field Force' and is a showcase for Churchill's powers of observation. 'My African Journey' may not be among his best-known works but is certainly one of his best.
More details
Price HK$ 12,000
The Complete Flashman Series - 12 volumes -
George MacDonald Fraser
1969-2005 - Herbert Jenkins, London - First Editions
A complete set of the magnificent Flashman series, featuring Victorian anti-hero Harry Flashman, the caddish bully of Tom Brown's School days who was expelled in drunken disgrace from Rugby school in the late 1830's, soldier, duellist, lover, impostor, coward, cad and hero?, this is the story of a blackguard who enjoyed villainy for it’s own sake.
For the sake of your enjoyment here is a summary of each book, which just touches the surface of what some, including Mr. Lok Man himself, consider to be the greatest way to learn the history of the British Empire from the 1830’s through to the 1890’s.
All first editions in superior dust jackets than usually encountered, and with the first volume signed by George MacDonald Fraser.
More details
Price HK$ 30,000
1969-2005 - Herbert Jenkins, London - First Editions
A complete set of the magnificent Flashman series, featuring Victorian anti-hero Harry Flashman, the caddish bully of Tom Brown's School days who was expelled in drunken disgrace from Rugby school in the late 1830's, soldier, duellist, lover, impostor, coward, cad and hero?, this is the story of a blackguard who enjoyed villainy for it’s own sake.For the sake of your enjoyment here is a summary of each book, which just touches the surface of what some, including Mr. Lok Man himself, consider to be the greatest way to learn the history of the British Empire from the 1830’s through to the 1890’s.
All first editions in superior dust jackets than usually encountered, and with the first volume signed by George MacDonald Fraser.
More details
Price HK$ 30,000
Voyage dans les Mers de l'Inde -
Guillaume Joseph Le Gentil de la Galaisiere
1779 - Imprimerie Royale, Paris - First Editions
‘Two monumental volumes... crammed with details on astronomy, navigation, and natural history... His descriptions of life in Manila, Pondicherry, and Madagascar are invaluable’ (Dunmore).
A stunning set In contemporary bindings and illustrated with twenty seven folding copper engravings showing two world maps, maps charts and plans of Eastern and Western Philippines, Bay of Manila, Philippine Harbours, Manilla, Madagascar and it’s coastline, Isle de France (Mauritius), Isle de Bourbon (Réunion), Quartier S. Denis on Réunion, Eastern and Western Straits of Malacca, and Pondicherry. Together with engraved plates of animals and plant life, the ruins of Pondicherry, pagodas, Indian deities, and charts of comets and constellations.
‘In addition to the scientific details for which the voyage was undertaken, the first volume treats of the manners, customs, and religion or the people of the Malabar Coast and of the astronomy of the Brahmins. The second volume contains elaborate accounts of the Philippine Islands, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Bourbon and their inhabitants, including views and charts of the Philippines. Le Gentil gives details of the Islands, their climate, volcanoes, fertility, fruits, birds, animals, peoples, language, history, and description of Manila, the government, ecclesiastical and civil, commerce, &c.’ (Edwards).
More details
Price HK$ 51,000
1779 - Imprimerie Royale, Paris - First Editions
‘Two monumental volumes... crammed with details on astronomy, navigation, and natural history... His descriptions of life in Manila, Pondicherry, and Madagascar are invaluable’ (Dunmore). A stunning set In contemporary bindings and illustrated with twenty seven folding copper engravings showing two world maps, maps charts and plans of Eastern and Western Philippines, Bay of Manila, Philippine Harbours, Manilla, Madagascar and it’s coastline, Isle de France (Mauritius), Isle de Bourbon (Réunion), Quartier S. Denis on Réunion, Eastern and Western Straits of Malacca, and Pondicherry. Together with engraved plates of animals and plant life, the ruins of Pondicherry, pagodas, Indian deities, and charts of comets and constellations.
‘In addition to the scientific details for which the voyage was undertaken, the first volume treats of the manners, customs, and religion or the people of the Malabar Coast and of the astronomy of the Brahmins. The second volume contains elaborate accounts of the Philippine Islands, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Bourbon and their inhabitants, including views and charts of the Philippines. Le Gentil gives details of the Islands, their climate, volcanoes, fertility, fruits, birds, animals, peoples, language, history, and description of Manila, the government, ecclesiastical and civil, commerce, &c.’ (Edwards).
More details
Price HK$ 51,000
Grasses and Pastures of South Africa -
D. Meredith (editor)
1955 - Central News Agency, Johannesburg - First Edition
A large and comprehensive work in two parts - ‘A Guide to the Identification of Grasses in South Africa’ by Lucy Chippindall, and ‘Pasture Management in South Africa’ by J. D. Scott, J. J. Theron, D. Meredith and others.
In a unique and elegant binding, initially ‘J.K. 97’, with what appear to be handmade paper end leaves incorporating wild grasses. Housed in matching bespoke marbled slipcase.
Illustrated throughout with full page colour plates and in-text black and white photographs, folding colour maps bound in at the rear.
More details
Price HK$ 6,000
1955 - Central News Agency, Johannesburg - First Edition
A large and comprehensive work in two parts - ‘A Guide to the Identification of Grasses in South Africa’ by Lucy Chippindall, and ‘Pasture Management in South Africa’ by J. D. Scott, J. J. Theron, D. Meredith and others.In a unique and elegant binding, initially ‘J.K. 97’, with what appear to be handmade paper end leaves incorporating wild grasses. Housed in matching bespoke marbled slipcase.
Illustrated throughout with full page colour plates and in-text black and white photographs, folding colour maps bound in at the rear.
More details
Price HK$ 6,000
Across East African Glaciers -
Dr. Hans Meyer, E. H. S. Caulder (translator)
1891 - George Philip &, London - First Edition in English
A superb example of the first edition, in the publisher’s original and first state illustrated cover highlighting the snow in white and additional colour to the tents and clearing, described by Neate as ‘a most handsome volume’. With mounted chromolithographed frontispiece, three folding colour maps, eight mounted photographic plates, and twelve photogravures.
‘Hans Meyer was a German geologist and experienced climber who made four trips to the Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania, in 1887-1889 culminating in his successful ascent – the first undisputed summit of Kibo, 19,340 feet, the highest of the mountain's three peaks – in 1889.
In an earlier attempt, Meyer and his companion Oscar Baumann had the misfortune to arrive in the midst of an Arab revolt against German traders on the East African coast. They were captured and held hostage until a substantial ransom was paid.
Meyer's ultimate success has been attributed to his recognition that the greatest obstacle to achieving the summit was the lack of food in the upper regions. He brought a sizeable and well organised party and established several camps on the mountain, allowing him to make multiple attempts at the summit without descending to the base.
His lively and highly readable account of the expedition is arguably the most important work on African mountaineering.’ - Walkabout Books.
More details
Price HK$ 40,000
1891 - George Philip &, London - First Edition in English
A superb example of the first edition, in the publisher’s original and first state illustrated cover highlighting the snow in white and additional colour to the tents and clearing, described by Neate as ‘a most handsome volume’. With mounted chromolithographed frontispiece, three folding colour maps, eight mounted photographic plates, and twelve photogravures.‘Hans Meyer was a German geologist and experienced climber who made four trips to the Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania, in 1887-1889 culminating in his successful ascent – the first undisputed summit of Kibo, 19,340 feet, the highest of the mountain's three peaks – in 1889.
In an earlier attempt, Meyer and his companion Oscar Baumann had the misfortune to arrive in the midst of an Arab revolt against German traders on the East African coast. They were captured and held hostage until a substantial ransom was paid.
Meyer's ultimate success has been attributed to his recognition that the greatest obstacle to achieving the summit was the lack of food in the upper regions. He brought a sizeable and well organised party and established several camps on the mountain, allowing him to make multiple attempts at the summit without descending to the base.
His lively and highly readable account of the expedition is arguably the most important work on African mountaineering.’ - Walkabout Books.
More details
Price HK$ 40,000
Results 1 - 8 of 10 results
- Page
- 1
- 2