Travel and Exploration

Byron, Robert

The Road to Oxiana.

London : Macmillan & Company, 1937.

First edition of the author’s masterpiece. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece, 15 plates and a map. From the library of Henry Alexander Nesbitt Medd. Medd, who was an architect and best-known for his collaboration with fellow architects, Edwin Luytens and Herbert Baker, in designing New Delhi. He remained in India and in 1939-47 held the roleContinue reading "The Road to Oxiana."

Huxley, Elspeth

The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood.

London : Chatto & Windus, 1959.

First edition of Huxley’s autobiographical work based on her early life among white settlers on her father’s coffee plantation in Kenya. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by Elspeth Huxley on the title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Rosemary Seligman. Uncommon signed.

Grierson, John. Introduction by Wolfgang von Gronau

High Failure: Solo Along the Arctic Air Route.

London : William Hodge & Company, Limited, 1936.

First edition of English Aviator John Grierson’s account of his solo trip along the Arctic Air Route. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated. Associtation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page in the year of publication, “To Chief Factor Ralph Parsons with best wished John Grierson 15/11/36.” The recipient, Ralph Parsons was aContinue reading "High Failure: Solo Along the Arctic Air Route."

Brown, Monty. Foreword by Vivian Fuchs

Where Giants Trod: The Saga of Kenya’s Desert Lake.

London : Quiller Press, 1989.

Special limited edition of Brown’s elaborately illustrated history of Kenya’s northern desert region and the 13 expeditions to Lake Rudolf. Quarto, original publisher’s three quarters pebbled morocco over leatherette boards, marbled endpapers, with 75 color and 50 black and white illustrations, folding map in pocket affixed to rear pastedown. One of 250 numbered copies signedContinue reading "Where Giants Trod: The Saga of Kenya’s Desert Lake."

Roosevelt, Eleanor

India and the Awakening East.

New York : Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1953.

First edition of Eleanor Roosevelt’s account of her travels through the Middle East and India. Octavo, original half cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated with 32 pages of photographs.  Presentation copy, signed by the author on the half-title page, “Eleanor Roosevelt with love to you, on Washington’s birthday Fer. 22, 1954 Vernon.” Near fine in a veryContinue reading "India and the Awakening East."

Jameson, Mrs. [Anna Brownell]

Visits and Sketches at Home and Abroad with Tales and Miscellanies Now First Collected and a New Edition of the Diary of an Ennuyée.

London : Saunders and Otley, 1834.

Rare first edition of Mrs. Jameson’s Visits and Sketches at Home and Abroad. Octavo, volume III only of four volumes bound in three quarters vellum over marbled boards with gilt tooling to the spine, marbled endpapers, engraved frontispiece, headpieces, and tailpieces, all edges red. In very good condition.

Brown, Kenneth

The Medchester Club.

New York : The Derrydale Press, 1938.

First edition of the author’s collection of hunting reminiscences and tales of horsemanship. Octavo, original cloth with labels to the spine and front panel lettered in gilt, illustrated by Smithson Broadhead. One of 950 numbered copies, this is number 814. In near fine condition.

Uris, Leon; Photographs by Dimitrios Harissiadis

Exodus Revisited.

Garden City, NY : Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1960.

First edition of this monograph of photographs of Uris’ visit to Israel. Quarto, original cloth, illustrated throughout. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper, “Shalom Leon Uris.” Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light shelfwear. Jacket design by Sydney Butchkes. Project coordination by Ilan Hartuv.

Symonds, John Addington

Sketches in Italy.

Leipzig : Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1883.

First edition of John Addington Symonds’ Italian sketches. Small octavo, bound in full vellum with gilt tooling to the spine, morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges red, ribbon bound in. In near fine condition.

Seton, Ernest Thompson

Lives of Game Animals.

Garden City, NY : Doubleday, Page, 1925-28.

Signed limited first edition, number 95 of only 177 sets, of Seton’s illustrated zoology of “land animals in America, north of the Mexican border,” with 1,500 illustrations and 50 maps showing distribution, signed by Seton on the frontispiece of Volume I. Large Quarto, four volumes, original brown and tan gilt-stamped cloth, top edges gilt. In very goodContinue reading "Lives of Game Animals."

Ebülgâzî Bahadir Han, Khan of Khorezm

A General History of the Turks, Moguls, and Tatars, Vulgarly called Tartars. Together With a Description of the Countries They Inhabit.

London : Printed for J. and J. Knapton, J. Darby, A. Bettesworth, et. al., 1729-1730.

Rare first edition in English of one of the earliest sources on the Turks, Moguls, and Tartars. Octavos, two volumes. Bound in full polished calf with red morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt tooling to the spines in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt turn-ins, all edges speckled red, engraved headpieces and tailpieces,Continue reading "A General History of the Turks, Moguls, and Tatars, Vulgarly called Tartars. Together With a Description of the Countries They Inhabit."

White, Herbert C

Peking the Beautiful.

Shanghai, China : The Commercial Press, 1927.

First edition of this work comprising photographic studies of the celebrated monuments of China’s northern capital with descriptive and historical notes. Folio, original embroidered silk pictorial boards, original publisher’s wooden box. In fine condition without wear. Contains 70 photographic plates mounted, numerous illustrations in text. Contains an introduction by Hu Shih, professor of Philosophy atContinue reading "Peking the Beautiful."

Bunnell, Lafayette Houghton

The Discovery of the Yosemite and The Indian War of 1851, Which Led To That Event.

Chicago : Fleming H. Revell, 1880.

First edition of Bunnell’s account of the discovery of Yosemite Valley with the Mariposa Battalion in 1851. Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panel, patterned endpapers, illustrated with 21 engravings including frontispiece portrait of Bunnell. In very good condition with wear to the extremities and rear panel.  Continue reading "The Discovery of the Yosemite and The Indian War of 1851, Which Led To That Event."

Fort Lauderdale, Florida: “Gateway to the Everglades”.

Fort Lauderdale : Snyder & Hortt, Real Estate and Investments, c. 1915.

Rare first edition promotional brochure for the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Octavo, profusely illustrated with photographs taken c. 1914-1915 of the business district, boulevards, markets, railways, farms, orange groves, beaches, marinas, streams, and homes of Fort Lauderale. Map of Florida on the final page. In near fine condition. Scarce, OCLC/WorldCat locates only one otherContinue reading "Fort Lauderdale, Florida: “Gateway to the Everglades”."

Ingram, Mrs. H.K

Florida: Beauties of the East Coast.

St. Augustine : Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River Railway Company, 1893.

Scarce first edition of this early brochure for the state of Florida. Oblong octavo, original illustrated wrappers, gilt titles, with color illustrated frontispiece. Illustrated throughout with numerous plates from photographs. With text by Helen K. Ingram.

Pratt, E. J., Alma White, Caroline Bancroft, Will Kirkpatrick, M.C. Hanford et al

Rare Titanic Collection.

Toronto : Various Publishers, 1912-1935.

Rare collection of first editions, pamphlets, and sheet music related to the sinking of the RMS Titanic, with a rare limited edition O.B.R. Kentucky Straight Bourbon 86-proof Whiskey 4/5 quart ceramic Titanic replica. The collections includes a first edition of E.J. Pratt’s ‘The Titanic’ (Toronto: The Macmillan Co. of Canada, 1935) which is in nearContinue reading "Rare Titanic Collection."

De L'Isle, Joseph Nicolas

Russischer Atlas welcher in einer General-Charte und neunzehen Special-Charten das gesamte Russische Reich und dessen angräntzende Länder.vorstellig macht.

St. Petersburg : Entworffen bey der Kayserl. Academie der Wissenschaften, 1745.

Rare first edition of the first atlas printed of Russia. Folio, bound in full leather, 19 double-page maps, one large folding general map. In excellent condition with light toning. An exceptional example.

Cherry-Garrard, Apsley

The Worst Journey in the World.

London : Constable & Company, 1922.

First edition of this classic memoir of the 1910–1913 British Antarctic Expedition, with one of the very rare dust jackets. Octavo, two volumes, original half white cloth, gray paper boards. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket, with volume I in facsimile. Scarce in the original dust jacket.

Cooke, Arthur O

The World at Work: A Day in a Shipyard.

New York : Hodder & Stoughton, c. 1912.

First edition of Arthur O. Cooke’s The World at Work: A Day in a Shipyard. Small octavo, original illustrated boards with pictorial pastedown, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with engravings from photographs, three full-page colored plates including frontispiece, mechanical charts. In near fine condition. Rare.

Burnaby, Frederick Gustavus

On Horseback Through Asia Minor.

London : Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1877.

Octavo, 2 volumes, bound in original publisher’s green cloth, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, spine vignettes in black, illustrated with 3 folding maps and a mounted photographic portrait frontispiece. In near fine condition.

Shackleton, Ernest; James Murray and George Marston

Antarctic Days. Sketches of the Homely Side of Polar Life by Two of Shackleton’s Men: Introduced by Sir Ernest Shackleton.

London : Andrew Melrose, 1913.

Limited edition de luxe, numbered 85 of 280 copies signed on the recto of the limitation leaf by E.H. Shackleton, James Murray and George Marston. Octavo, original blue cloth, gilt titles to the spine and front panel with a mounted color illustration, top edge gilt, 4 mounted color plates after watercolors by C. Day, 34Continue reading "Antarctic Days. Sketches of the Homely Side of Polar Life by Two of Shackleton’s Men: Introduced by Sir Ernest Shackleton."

Carpenter, M. Scott; Gordon L. Cooper; John H. Glenn; Virgil I. Grissom; Walter M. Schirra; Alan Shepard; Donald K. Slayton

We Seven. By the Astronauts Themselves.

New York : Simon and Schuster, 1962.

First edition of this first-hand account of the genesis of America’s manned space program. Octavo, original cloth, pictorial endpapers, illustrated. Signed on the half-title page by John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, Gordon Cooper, and comedian Bill Dana aka Jose Jimenez. Jiménez was a fictional character created and performed by comedian Bill Dana on TheContinue reading "We Seven. By the Astronauts Themselves."

Stanley, Henry M

In Darkest Africa or, The Quest, Rescue, and Retreat of Emin, Governor of Equatoria.

New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1890.

First edition of Stanley’s classic work. Octavo, 2 volumes, bound in the original publishers three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles to the spine, marbled edges and endpapers. Two steel-engraved portrait frontispieces, three folding maps, with numerous illustrations. In near fine condition.  

Peterson, Roger Tory

Field Guide to the Birds: Giving Field Marks of All Species Found in Eastern North America.

Boston and New York : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1934.

First edition, third state with the date on the copyright page of Peterson’s first book. Octavo, original green pebbled cloth, illustrated with 4 color plates with printed overlays, 32 monochrome plates. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To Claire Kelly, charmer of serpents – why not try the birds? – Roger T. PetersonContinue reading "Field Guide to the Birds: Giving Field Marks of All Species Found in Eastern North America."