Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Price: US$213.66 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Two vols. in one. Pp. (1) viii, (2), 303; (2) vi, (6), 295. With map & illustrations. Green cloth with title and author's name gilt on spine. Corners & spine ends bumped & rubbed. Upper spine nicked. Hinges cracked. Map is lacking. Previous owner's stamp in red diagonally across title page in vol. 1. Similar stamp two of the rear endpapers. Another previous owner's name and address in a neat hand on top corner of half title page of vol. 1.
Seller: Dublin Bookbrowsers, Dublin, NONE, Ireland
Price: US$900.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: viii, [ii], 303; [vi], 295 pages, frontispiece illustration and a folding map in volume 1. Small repair to the map. Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890) was a British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, linguist and poet. He is famous for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary knowledge of languages and cultures.
Seller: Tinakori Books, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Price: US$1024.17 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 1863. First edition. Two volumes rebound as one. viii, [i], 303pp.; [iii], 295pp., a frontispiece illustration to volume 1 and a folding map at the end of volume 2. Sir Richard Francis Burton KCMG FRGS (1821-1890) was a British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, linguist and poet. He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary knowledge of languages and cultures. He published over 40 books and countless articles, monographs and letters. Most of Burton's books are travel narratives or translations. He writes in his preface to this account of travels in West Africa "In writing these pages, then, it has been my object to lay down what a tolerably active voyager can see and do during the few hours allowed to him by the halts of the mail packet. To relieve the dryness of details I have not hesitated to indulge in such reflections as the subject suggested, and to sketch the types, not the individualities, of fellow-travellers. The reader will observe that I left England with a determination to investigate the subject of West African mortality. My conviction now is, that the land might be rendered not more unhealthy than the East or the West Indies, whereas it is at present deadly, a Golgotha, a Jehannum." The original two volumes have been rebound in a single book, as a school prize. The book is bound in later (probalby c1900) full leather boards with gold titling and decoration and five thin raised bands on the spine. The case of the book is in very good condition with some scuffing and light staining to the leather on the boards. There is some darkening along about 1" of the top and fore edges of the front board. A later repair has been carried out to the spine with the original leather spine being overlaid onto new matching leather. There is a little wear to the leather on the corner tips and the spine is slightly faded. The contents are tight and clean with some misfolding to the map at the end of the book. This has led to a little chipping and browning to parts of the fore and bottom edges of the map. There is a school prize label dated 1902 on the second front free endpaper. PLEASE NOTE: As this is a valuable book, a little extra postage will be required to cover insurance on delivery.
Seller: Edinburgh Books, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Price: US$1187.50 + shipping
Description: First edition, 2 volumes in 1, small 8vo, pp. [iii]-viii, [2], 303, [1]; [4], 295, [1]; frontispiece and a folding map; bound without the half-titles in contemporary half tan calf, gilt-lettered spine; moderately rubbed, else very good. Penzer, pp. 71-2; Casada 70.
Seller: Rulon-Miller Books (ABAA / ILAB), St. Paul, MN, U.S.A.
Price: US$1200.00 + shipping
Description: (x),(1)-303 & (4),(1)-295 Pp. Frontis of volume I is a folding map & the frontis to volume II is 'The Juju, or Sacrifice House'. Sir Richard Francis Burton, who held many diplomatic posts and served as captain of the army of the East India Company. Famed for his travels and explorations around the globe, by one count Burton spoke twenty-nine languages. Much to his dismay, Burton's first consular posting landed him on a small, desolate island off the coast of West Africa named Fernando Po. He took every opportunity to leave the place, exploring the mainland and making observations on cultural traditions, health and sanitary conditions, and other aspects of life in the region. This work provides an account of his journeys into Sierra Leone and Nigeria to investigate stories of gold and gold mining, and is credited with drawing public attention to mining prospects in the region A small ink stamp of the previous owner on each title page and a short tear to the join of the folding map. Some very light wear to edges of the covers otherwise a very clean and tight copy. Original purple brown cloth binding with gilt titles to spines Second edition slug to the title page and A F.R.G.S. on the spines.
Seller: Schooner Books Ltd.(ABAC/ALAC), Halifax, NS, Canada
Price: US$1545.92 + shipping
Description: FIRST EDITION, 2 vols, 8vo, pp viii, (i) contents, (i) blank, 303; (v), (i) blank, 295; half-titles, folding engraved map in Vol 1, engraved frontispiece in Vol 2, original brown cloth, some slight rubbing to spine, spine lightly faded, title-page shows the author to be "A. F.R.G.S.", but the spine shows"R F Burton F.R.G.S", very good. Penzer p71.
Seller: J & S L Bonham ABA ILAB PBFA, London, United Kingdom
Price: US$1600.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Two volumes bound in quarter leather, tight and complete, shows minor edgewear
Seller: Ian Thompson, Milton, ON, Canada
Price: US$1932.39 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 2 VOLUME SET, First Edition, x + 303pp; 295pp, frontispiece to Vol 1 of the Juju House and folding map to Vol 2, gilt bound in contemporary green morocco, gilt decorated boards, new title labels of maroon morocco onset with gilt, decorated inner dentelles, all edges gilt, Provenance: previous owner's name stamp: ‘Paul E. Darrow’ inside front boards, wear to corners and spines but only superficial and internally very fresh and clean, hinges strong and firm but slight minor crack to head of volume II o/w good condition, Tinsley Brothers, London, 1863
Seller: K Books Ltd ABA ILAB, York, YORKS, United Kingdom
Price: US$2000.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: R.F.Burton F.R.GS on spine, 1st ed. 2nd. issue. Dark maroon stamped cloth over boards w/gilt on spine. Some wear to spine crest,light wear to heel & cors,sticker shadow on vol. 1 spine. Vol 2 light wear to spine ends & cors.+2 bottom cor. bumps. Both quite clean. Innards are unopened, clean & tight, foredges un trimmed. FEPs in vol. 1 stuck to cvrs near spine. Photos upon request.
Seller: General Eclectic Books, Gray, ME, U.S.A.
Price: US$2000.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Two volumes in the rarest binding state (without Burton's name or FRGS on the spines), but with a "second edition" slug on the title pages. This state was apparently unknown to Penzer and was probably the result of an attempt to boost sales by the publisher, as the text is unchanged. Plate of Julu house is the frontispiece to Volume I, and the map (now detached and laid in) is in Volume II. . Both volumes lightly bumped/rubbed, but clean and sound. Small bookplate of F.H. Spencer on each front pastedown. Much to his dismay, Burton's first consular posting landed him on a small, desolate island off the coast of West Africa. He took every opportunity to leave the place, exploring various parts of the mainland and making observations on cultural and traditions, health and sanitary conditions, and slavery, among other things. The account of his journeys into Sierra Leone and Nigeria to investigate stories of gold and gold mining is credited with drawing public attention to mining prospects in the region. Penzer 71-72; Casada 70.
Seller: Walkabout Books, ABAA, Curtis, WA, U.S.A.
Price: US$2500.00 + shipping
Description: First Edition; two volumes; publisher's cloth; an old catalogue description is tipped-in inside the front cover; mostly unopened; an excellent copy, with only minute wear and very minor foxing. This copy bears the author's name on the spines; a tiny number of copies were prepared, including the author's own, omitting his name on the spine, as it was his original intention to remain anonymous. All books described as first editions are first printings unless otherwise noted.
Seller: Peter L. Stern & Co., Inc, Newton, MA, U.S.A.
Price: US$2834.18 + shipping
Description: Two Volumes, 8vo. viii, [2], 303, [1 blank]; [8], 295 pp. Complete with half titles, uncut, original purple-brown pebble grained cloth, title gilt, blind panel to the boards. [light wear] Folding map as frontispiece to Volume I [closed tear], plate of the JuJu House as frontispiece to Volume two. .Burton appointed consul at Fernando Po in 1861 and he used his post to explore the contiguous areas of Nigeria and Sierra Leone, as well as Madeira and Tenerife. Fascinated by the high incidence of European mortality in West Africa, believed it possible to render the region "not more unhealthy than the East or West Indies." Casada writes that Burtons publication of the book as A F.R.G.S - 'A Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society' may have been "a slap at the Royal Geographical Society, for Burton was at odds with the organizations leadership at the time over the Niles sources." Further the dedication states, "To the true friends of Africa- not the Philanthropist or Exeter Hall." Modern gold-mining in West Africa can be directly linked to this work, even though it was already known that there was gold in Africa, Burtons Wanderings in West Africa, drew public attention to develop gold mining in Africa. Ref. Penzer, An Annotated Bibliography of Sir Richard Francis Burton. Excellent Set.
Seller: HALEWOOD : ABA:ILAB : Booksellers :1867, PRESTON, United Kingdom
Price: US$3125.00 + shipping
Description: First edition, 2 volumes, small 8vo, pp. viii, [2], 303; [6], 295; folding map, frontispiece in volume II; very slight rubbing, but still a fine, bright copy, largely unopened, in original purple-brown cloth, author's name and title gilt-lettered direct on spine. This is the second state of the binding, with Burton's name on the spine. Penzer, pp. 71-2; Casada 70.
Seller: Rulon-Miller Books (ABAA / ILAB), St. Paul, MN, U.S.A.
Price: US$3327.50 + shipping
Description: First edition, 2 volumes 8vo, x, 303; vi, 295 pp., folding map as frontispiece to volume I, plate of the JuJu House as frontispiece to volume II, original purple-brown pebble-grained cloth, title gilt to the spine, triple blind panel to the boards, yellow surface-paper endpapers, neat repairs to spine extremities, a very good set. travel2023 'Newly married and needing employment, Burton approached the Foreign Office for a consular position, hoping for the post at Damascus. Instead, he was offered the consulship at Fernando Po, a small, unhealthy island in the Bight of Biafra on the west African coast. When he accepted the position on 27 March 1861 he requested to retain his commission in the Bombay army, but he was struck from the list, thereby losing not only his half pay but also any prospect of a pension or sale of his commission, an action about which he always complained bitterly. Burton did not permit Isabel to accompany him to Fernando Po, which he described as "the very abomination of desolation". He slipped away from the post at every opportunity for excursions on the African mainland or to meet Isabel in the Canaries or England. Although he loathed Fernando Po, he worked continuously at his writing with Wanderings in West Africa and Abeokuta and the Cameroons Mountains both appearing in 1863' (ODNB). Cardinall 498; Casada 70; Howgego IV B97; Penzer, pp. 71-2.
Seller: Shapero Rare Books, London, United Kingdom
Price: US$3575.00 + shipping
Description: 2 volumes. First edition. With a folding map in Volume I and frontispiece plate in Volume II. 8vo, finely bound in the best antique full crushed morocco gilt by Birdsall of England, the covers with triple gilt fillet lines at the borders, the spines fully gilt with raised bands gilt decorated, compartments with elaborate panel designs in gilt incorporating corner tools and fillet lines, head and tail of spines gilt decorated, all board edges gilt, turnovers rolled, tooled and ruled in gilt, subtle marbled endleaves, t.e.g., original cloth covers and spine panels bound in at the end of each volume. x, 303; vi, 295 pp. A beautiful and very handsome set produced by one of Englands foremost and collectible binders. Some light aging at the hinges, otherwise a very fine, clean, bright and well preserved copy with virtually no evidence of use. SUCH COPIES, SO HANDSOMELY BOUND AND SIGNED BY IMPORTANT ENGLISH BINDERS ARE EXCEEDINGLY SCARCE. Burton was appointed consul at Fernando Po in 1861 and he used his post to explore the contiguous areas of Nigeria and Sierra Leone, as well as Madeira and Tenerife. Fascinated by the high incidence of European mortality in West Africa, he believed it possible to render the region "not more unhealthy than the East or West Indies." Burtons publication of the book anonymously as a "Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society" ( F.R.G.S) "may have been a slap at the Royal Geographical Society , for Burton was at odds with the organizations leadership at the time over the Niles sources. The acerbic dedication was to the true friends of Africa- not the "Philanthropist" or Exeter Hall. Modern gold-mining in West Africa can be directly linked to this work. "Although it was well known that there was gold on the Gold Coast, nothing was done to develop it, and it was Burton who, in his "Wanderings in West Africa", drew public attention again to this ancient gold-field.
Seller: Buddenbrooks, Inc., Newburyport, MA, U.S.A.
Price: US$3750.00 + shipping
Description: 8vo. 1st ed., 2nd issue binding. Very good with slight edgewear.
Seller: Bartleby's Books, ABAA, Chevy Chase, MD, U.S.A.
BURTON Sir Richard F.. Wanderings in West Africa. , 1863.
Price: US$4186.85 + shipping
Description: From Liverpool to Fernando Po. First edition, first issue. 2 vols. Folding map, frontispiece. 8vo. Original cloth, spine gilt, somewhat rubbed. viii, [ii], 303; [vi], 295pp. London, Tinsley Bros., Extremely rare. This binding, as found on Burton's own copy, does not give the author's name on the spine, but merely ?By a F.R.G.S.?, and has ?Tinsley Brothers? at the foot of the spine, rather than ?Tinsley / Brothers? Penzer remarks that he had only seen two copies bound thus: Burton's own, and that in the British Library. ?It apparently was Burton's original idea to entirely suppress his name from the above work, and in his own copy. there is no clue given as to the author? (Penzer). In choosing to attribute the work to ?A F.R.G.S.? Burton no doubt intended to afront the R.G.S. with whom he was at the time in dispute over the source of the Nile. The work is an edited version of his journal to Fernando Po, throughout which Burton refers to himself in the third person as ?the Consul? This was what would now be known as a ?hardship? posting and Burton notes that: ?There is no place where a wife is so much wanted as in the Tropics, but then comes the rub - how to keep the wife alive? (vol. I, p296.) Penzer, p71.
Seller: Maggs Bros. Ltd ABA, ILAB, PBFA, BA, London, United Kingdom
Price: US$4250.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First Edition of this 2 volume set with Half-titles, folding map, and engraved plate present. A wonderful copy bound in the publisher's brown pebble-grained cloth. The bindings for both books are tight with slight wear to the edges. The pages are clean with previous owner's matching bookplates present in each book. There is NO writing or marks in the book. A lovely copy of both books in the original cloth bindings.
Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.
Price: US$4508.92 + shipping
Description: An exceptionally bright copy of the two volume first edition of Burton's account of his explorations in West Africa. The first edition of this work by British explorer and writer Sir Richard Francis Burton, who held many diplomatic posts and served as captain of the army of the East India Company. Famed for his travels and explorations around the globe, by one count Burton spoke twenty-nine languages.Much to his dismay, Burton's first consular posting landed him on a small, desolate island off the coast of West Africa named Fernando Po. He took every opportunity to leave the place, exploring the mainland and making observations on cultural traditions, health and sanitary conditions, and other aspects of life in the region.This work provides an account of his journeys into Sierra Leone and Nigeria to investigate stories of gold and gold mining, and is credited with drawing public attention to mining prospects in the region.Burton was in dispute with explorer John Hanning Speke over the source of the Nile and was infuriated by the Royal Geographical Society for choosing Speke to lead an expedition to establish this claim, which caused him to issue this work anonymously, without his name to the title page, and with his name appearing only to the back strip of this second issue binding, but not the first. However, there are only five known copies lacking Burton's name to the spines, including Burton's own personal copy.Illustrated with a folding map frontispiece to volume I, and plate illustrating the Juju sacrifice house as the frontispiece to volume II. Collated, complete.An excellent copy of the first edition of Burton's work. In the publisher's original cloth bindings. Bumping to spine head and tail, with small regions of light fading to cloth of back strips, otherwise externally excellent. Volume II hinges strained, but firmly held. Internally, firmly bound. Pages clean and bright. Minimal closed tear to folding map frontispiece. Very Good Indeed
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
Price: US$6500.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First Editions, First Printings of both books in this 2 (vol) set. A beautiful copy with the folding map present. The books are in excellent shape with the original yellow endpapers present. The bindings are tight with NO cocking or leaning and the boards are crisp. The pages are clean with NO writing or marks in the books. A wonderful set housed in a custom brown slipcase for preservation. We buy Richard Burton First Editions.
Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.