TRAVELS IN EUROPE, AFRICA, AND ASIA,
PERFORMED BETWEEN THE YEARS 1770 AND 1779
IN THREE VOLUMES
VOL I.
CONTAINING A
VOYAGE TO THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF EUROPE,
AND TO THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE IN AFRICA
IN THE YEARS 1770, 1771, 1772, 1773
VOL. II
CONTAINING
TWO EXPEDITIONS
TO THE INTERIOR PART OF THE COUNTRY
ADJACENT TO
THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE,
AND A VOYAGE TO
THE ISLAND OF JAVA; PERFORMED IN THE YEARS 1773,1774, AND 1775.
CHARLES PETER THUNBERG
PRINTED AND SOLD BY W. RICHARDSON AND J. ERERTON
[1793]
First edition.
Thunberg was educated at Upsal, and having obtained the "Kohrean Pension for Travelling," made a tour through various European countries in order to extend his knowledge of botany. During his travels he became acquainted with the celebrated botanist, Professor Burmann, and through his influence was enabled to proceed to the Cape as a surgeon in the service of the Dutch East India Company. He remained for about three years in South Africa, and made several trips into the interior, in which he was accompanied by Messrs. Masson, Oldenburg, and others. His narrative affords considerable information respecting the natural history of the country, together with notes on the Hottentots, Kaffirs, and slaves, and general remarks on the state of the Cape at this period. He passes some strictures on the rapacity of the officials and the corruption that prevailed, ..
The greater part of the first volume, and about half of the second, are devoted to an account of Thunberg's experiences in South Africa, his botanical notes being of special value. Later on he visited Japan, Ceylon, and other places.(Mendelssohn, South African Bibliography)
A forth volume was published in 1795 when the second edition printed for Rivington.
20 x 13 cm. Vol. 1. xii + 317 pp + xv index + Errata + 2 plates (1 folding).
Vol. 2. xiv + [ii] + 316 + [xv] index + 4 plates.
Full calf leather binding, professionally rebacked, with the original backstrips laid down.
Very good - condition, two volumes of three only. Frontispiece missing from Volume I, correction fluid applied to the head of pages 90 and 91 (see photo). A few of small annotations in pencil in both volumes. Two bookplates on the front free endpapers; Thomas Munro (1761-1827), Governor of Madras and Vernon S. Forbes (1905-1993), South African Geographer and author of Carl Peter Thunberg at The Cape. Binding firm, all plates apart from the frontispiece present and in good order.
Very rare 1st edition.
