Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Richard F. Burton. A Mission To Gelele, King of Dahome (Volume II). Tinsley Brothers, 1864.
Price: US$125.00 + shipping
Description: Volume II only,The so called amazons the grad customs, the yearly customs, the human sacrifices, the present state of the slave trade, and the Negro's place in nature Front inside hinge cracked, spine has much wear including a2 inch tear at the top of spine, all corners have rubs through the cover to the heavy cardboard shell, some foxing, no inside markings or underlinings, please see our photo, as many book sites use stock images
Seller: Alan Newby, Marion, IN, U.S.A.
Burton, Richard F.. A Mission to Gelele King of Dahome. Tinsley Brothers, 1864.
Price: US$425.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Two volumes, brown cloth. The books are are in very nice shape. Volume one has a three inch by three inch stain on front cover and affecting a small part of the spine (looks like Great Britain rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise), hint of wear to tips of corners, very faint sunfade. otherwise a very nice copy, clean and attractive, with a solid binding and clean pages. Volume two does not have the stain, but has a few (14) inocuous tiny spots on front cover. otherwise an excellent copy.
Seller: Recycle Bookstore, San Jose, CA, U.S.A.
Burton Richard F. A Mission to Gelele, King of Dahome 2 Volumes. Tinsley Brothers, London, 1864.
Price: US$456.79 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Tinsley Brothers London 1864 First Edition 2 vols rebound 412/386pp, VG (burgundy cloth skillfully rebacked using original cloth from spines and boards, sl rubbed and soiled w minor sunning, sl wear to extrems, new eps, minor inscrp to head of both title pages, sl foxing and soiling to contents otherwise clean, edges sl soiled, contents are now tight due to rebind, boards sl bowed) v tidy 2 vol set skillfully rebacked
Seller: Browsers Books, Hamilton, NZ, New Zealand
Price: US$461.76 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First Edition. Hardback. 8vos. pp xx, 386; vi, 412. Frontispieces to both vols. First issue with page 181 in volume tow misnumbered 381 and with the half-titles present in both volumes.8vo, Early half light brown leather marbled boards gilt lettered and decorated gilt at spine with 4 raised bands. From the Royal Artillery Library with their name at lwer spine and their bookplate to pastedowns of both volumes and faint oval stamps to title pages. Marbled boards scuffed ow sound clean VG.
Seller: Burwood Books, Wickham Market, United Kingdom
Price: US$500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: London: Tinsley Brothers, 1864. Captain Burton's expedition had the goal of curtailing the slave trade; say what one needs to regarding colonialism, Britain made true efforts during the mid-19th Century to stop the slavers. These are Very Good copies of the Second Edition (stated), which corrects the misnumbered page 181 in the foirst issue. Marbled paper-covered boards with leather tips and spine; titling and rules in gilt on the spine. Perhaps a 19th-Century rebind. Clean texts; spotting to the endpapers and title pages; otherwise clear, bright, and unfoxed. Volume I is xvii, 386 pages with a frontis engraving of one of the "Amazons." Volume Two is vi, 413 pages, with a frontis engraving of the "King's Victims." Rubbing to the margins, with the spines dry and with some flaking; small chips at the head and foot. There are newer endpapers with reinforcements, but the front gutter of Volume One has cracked, needing a bit more work. . Second Edition. Quarter-Bound. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.
Seller: Quercus Rare Books, Chico, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$550.00 + shipping
Description: First printing. Octavo (21.5cm). Two volumes in purple cloth, stamped in gilt; brown coated endpapers; [xviii],[2],[7]-386pp; vi,412pp; frontispieces. Shaken, rubbed, bumped, and spine-sunned, f.f.e.p. and first five leaves of vol. II detached but present, overall complete: Good only, perhaps a binding copy. Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890) earned fame as an explorer in India, the Middle East, and Africa, and as an author and translator. In 1861 he accepted a minor consular post at Fernando Po, off the west African coast in The Bight of Biafra. Disliking his post, he traveled as much as possible during that assignment, including this visit to Dahomey (now southern Benin), during which "he was instructed to take diplomatic measures to suppress the slave trade" (ODNB). With p.181 in vol. II mispaginated "381." HOWGEGO B97.
Seller: Lorne Bair Rare Books, ABAA, Winchester, VA, U.S.A.
Price: US$994.82 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 2 vols. 8vo. modern tan half calf gilt with raised bands, gilt spine labels, marbled boards (ex- Beechworth Library rsm's to verso of frontispiece, title page, p. 1 & occasionally elsewhere, both volumes, bound without half-titles & adverts [as was customary at the time], occasional spotting, leaf edges chip and marks, else clean internally); pp. [iii-xviii], 386, with 1 plate; [iii-vi], 412, with 1 plate. Heavy set (1.8 kg), additional postage may be required for international and domestic delivery. A very good set in an attractive binding. [Penzer 72-73]
Seller: Arapiles Mountain Books - Mount of Alex, Castlemaine, VIC, Australia
Price: US$1032.99 + shipping
Description: Pp. ii-xvii, (3), 7-386; vi, 413, (1). Half title to volume one is missing. With two frontispieces. Narrowly cut in modern cloth. Second edition of Burton's account of his last major expedition to West Africa in 1863. Burton travelled to Dahomey (Benin) for the purpose of establishing trade relations and to persuade the King Gelele to abandon his practices of slave-trading and human sacrifice. However, it was an unsuccessful mission. Casada 47. Penzer 72-3.
Seller: Charlotte Du Rietz Rare Books (ILAB), Stockholm, Sweden
Price: US$1100.00 + shipping
Description: 2 volumes. First Edition, First Issue with p. 181 in Vol. II misnumbered and with the half-titles as called for. With a frontispiece engraving in each volume. 8vo, bound in modern brown cloth, the spines lettered and numbered in gilt. xx, 386; vi, 412 pp. A good and solid copy of the true first edition, the later cloth bindings are strong and without chipping or damage, the text-block generally very clean and tight and well preserved with only very occasional evidence of spotting, prelims with some mellowing as is typical, small old unobtrusive stamp to the title-pages and verso of the plates. . FIRST EDITION. One of West Africas more brutal dictators, Gelele was widely infamous for his female "Amazon" army and such florid atrocities as cannibalism, impaling, and mass human sacrifice. His attacks on neighboring states, persecution of native Christians, and encouragement of the slave trade alarmed France and Great Britain; the latter annexed Lagos in an effort to curtail Geleles activities. In 1861 while in West Africa, Burton asked the Foreign Office to send him to Dohome, but his request was denied. He made a secret unofficial journey there and lingered at the capital for 5 days and met with the King briefly. His first impressions were that Gelele was not as savage or as bloody as purported by other European travelers. He described the king, "He looks a king of black men, without tenderness of heart or weakness of head. His person is athletic, upwards of six feet high, lithe, thin flanked and broad shouldered. His eyes are red, bleared and inflamed and his tatoo has three short parallel and perpendicular lancet cuts, situated nearer the scalp than the eyebrows." Later, the Foreign Office formally sent Burton back to Dahome to protest the human sacrifices, slave trade, and other inhumane practices. These volumes chronicle the barbarian practices that he witnessed, and his many attempts to convince the King to abandon his bloody rituals and customs. Unfortunately, Burton was unable to dissuade Gelele. He returned home despondent, frustrated, and disappointed. This was his last major expedition to West Africa.
Seller: Buddenbrooks, Inc., Newburyport, MA, U.S.A.
Price: US$1410.94 + shipping
Description: , vol 1. xvii, 386 pages, vol 2. vi, 412 pages including appendices at rear, each with engraved frontispiece First Edition , rebacked with original spines, volumes in similar condition, small scratch to 1 title section on spine, cover paper rubbed in places, corners lightly scuffed, nice bright gilt at spine, some light spots to plates, pages clean throughout each, a nice clean set, in good+ condition , half brown calf with marbled paper, 5 raised bands, gilt titles and decorated compartments at spine, marbled edges and endpapers Octavo Hardback ISBN:
Seller: Keoghs Books, Skipton, United Kingdom
Price: US$2238.50 + shipping
Description: First edition, 2 volumes, 8vo, xvii, [2], 386; vi, 412 pp., 2 frontispieces, contemporary green half morocco, spines gilt, a fine set. One of Burton's more sensational books. Dahomey had the reputation of being the most bloodthirsty land in Africa. Burton had wished to visit whilst at Fernando Po, but the British government turned down his request. He nevertheless visited secretly for a few days in 1863. Disappointed by what he saw, or rather didn't see, Burton determined to return, and eventually Lord John Russell gave permission for Burton to make an official visit to protest to King Gelele about his participation in the slave trade and his indulgence in human sacrifice. When Burton arrived, he was greeted by the king and toasted with rum drunk from a human skull. Generally, Burton was unimpressed with Gelele's Amazon fighting force and the king laid on enough human sacrifice for Burton to leave quite revolted with Gelele and his kingdom. Penzer p72; Gay 2876.
Seller: Shapero Rare Books, London, United Kingdom
Burton, Richard Francis. A Mission to Gelele, King of Dahome. Tinsley Brothers, London, 1864.
Price: US$2500.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First Edition, First Printing of this two volume set. The books are in great shape with minor wear to the spine and edges. The pages are clean with some wear to the endpapers. A lovely copy in collector's condition. We buy Richard Burton First Editions.
Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.
Price: US$3850.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 8vo. 2 vol. [7], viii-xvii, [2], 2--6, [1], 8-386, [2]; [4], vi, [1], 2-412, [2] pp. Half contemporary calf over marbled boards, spine in six compartments with a black morocco label lettered in gilt on each spine. Each volume illustrated with a frontispiece. Casada 47; Penzer 72. Burton here recounts his visit to Dahome, ruled at the time by King Gelele. The king was known for his enjoyment of human sacrifices, the execution of his subjects, and the use of enslaved people to maintain and grow Dahomey's crops. Burton was thoroughly reviled by his experiences in Dahomey, but considered his travels in Dahomey a valuable source of information regarding the status of slavery in the western hemisphere. A fascinating record of diplomacy and of Victorian travel. A Very Good set with moderate foxing to the flyleaves and two small marks of ownership on the front pastedown and flyleaf of each volume. A pencil annotation on p. 367 of volume one reveals a contemporary reader's reaction to Burton's comparisons of Dahomey's polygamy with Biblical polygamy.
Seller: Evening Star Books, ABAA/ILAB, Madison, WI, U.S.A.
Price: US$4500.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First Editions, First Printings of both books in this 2 (vol) set. A beautiful copy bound in the publisher's ORIGINAL brown cloth, NOT re-bound like most copies. The books are in excellent shape with minor wear to the edges. The bindings are tight with NO cocking or leaning and the boards are crisp. The pages are clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the books. A wonderful copy housed in a brown slipcase for preservation.
Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.