The Burton Holmes Lectures

[China- Down the Amur, Peking, The Forbidden City]

vol. 9 (only, of 10, each vol. standing alone and entirely complete within itself) 

By Burton Holmes (photographer of the images as well)

Issued 1905, New York, by McClure, Phillips, & Co. 

 pp. 336, profusely illustrated with color and b&w photographs.

Period red 3/4 leather binding, smooth spine gilt lettered and decorated into ornate compartments, t.e.g., illustrated. Color frontis with tissue guard. While examples may occasionally be found in plain cloth, this attractive leather bound example was only sold in very limited numbers and is now 110 years later very scarce. eBay dealers such as Period Paper often sell images from this book individually, sometimes for remarkable sums of money.

Virtually every single page with interesting vintage b&w photographs related to the areas discussed, most images unique to this work and not found elsewhere. Many images are printed full page, blank on the back, all tissue guards are lettered. The narrative for the pictures is fascinating and intelligent.

In Good+ completely acceptable condition. Binding lightly rubbed or age worn but still handsome and attractive. Text block remains entirely clean, tight & sound. An attractive and appealing old travel book.
*Profusely illustrated with color and B&W photographs by the author. Elias Burton Holmes will always be remembered as American's leading globe-trotter-lecturer. For 60 years, Burton, who created the travelogue, traveled the world and specialized in showing what the average tourist wanted to see. He found his audiences liked picturesque subjects. And he always insisted he was not an explorer. Born in Chicago, he got his hands on his first camera at the age of 13 and took it with him three years later on a trip to Europe with his grandmother. He found it so fascinating that he quit school to travel and photograph. In 1892, he made a five-month trip to Japan. Upon his return, he made public showings of the slides he made in Japan as a way to raise money for his family. He eventually formed Burton Holmes Lectures, Inc., and was booked into New York. There, he introduced the first travel motion pictures — 25-second scenes with titles such as "Neapolitans Eating Spaghetti." In Japan, he found artists who could tint his slides with lifelike colors. The term "travelogue" was coined when he made his first London appearance in 1904. Holmes traveled the world in every way imaginable. He once summed up his love of the hobby that became his career: "To travel is to possess the world. The traveler possesses the world more completely than those who own vast properties. Owners become the slaves of what they own." *

*We owe a thanks to Round Table Books of Illinois for the this excellent succinct historcial overview of who the author was and the key virtues of his life and work.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Please examine pictures closely, as what you see is what we will send you.

[note: we grade conservatively and always seek to disclose any noteworthy flaws.].

Overall sound and despite any flaws, still a nice old book well worthy of ownership for any collection and/ or display.

We've done our best to photograph the book so you can see the condition and we've tried to mention any flaws or issues.

Measures c. 10" H. x 7 3/8" W. 

[A6052]