TRAVELS INTO BOKHARA; BEING THE ACCOUNT OF A JOURNEY FROM INDIA TO CABOOL, TARTARY, AND PERSIA; ALSO, NARRATIVE OF A VOYAGE ON THE INDUS, FROM THE SEA TO LAHORE, WITH PRESENTS FROM THE KING OF GREAT BRITAIN; PERFORMED UNDER THE ORDERS OF THE SUPREME GOVER
Burnes, Alexander:
London: John Murray, 1834. Three volumes. xxii,[2],356; xv,473; xix,332pp. Frontispiece portrait, seven plates (four engraved and three lithographed). Original boards, paper labels. Minor chipping at spine ends and edges. Generally quite clean internally. A nice, fresh set in original state, untrimmed. This is one of the classic travel narratives of Central Asia. Burnes, a daring British officer in the intelligence division, managed to penetrate further into the storied kingdoms along the Oxus than any Englishman before him. On his return to London following what had been a successful mission to then relatively unknown countries, Burnes was given a hero's welcome and was honored with an audience with King William IV. He also received the Royal Geographical Society's Gold Medal. This book won instant acclaim; indeed, Peter Hopkirk states that 900 copies were sold on the first day. "It brought to the reader for the first time the romance, mystery and excitement of Central Asia" - THE GREAT GAME. Burnes was killed in Kabul during the First Afghan War.
(Item ID: WRCAM26076) $3,000.00