BURTON, Richard

Zanzibar: City, Island, and Coast [Two Volume Set]

London: Tinsley Brothers, 1872. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover. Octavo. 6.25 x 9 in. xii, 503, [1] pp., vi, 519, [1] pp. Volume one is illustrated with black & white reproductions of a fold-out map (with some hand-colored coasts in blue), a frontispiece, 3 plates, and four maps, and volume two is illustrated with a frontispiece and 6 plates. Very good in original, first-issue, pebble brown cloth boards, spine rebacked, with rubbing and light mottling to covers, and some spots of cracking to spine. A spot of repair to front panel of volume two, and, likely, a new headband to both volumes. Gilt has dulled, but volume two front panel design is still somewhat bright. Interior has some light foxing throughout; fold-out map and page opposite have a spot of paper restoration to the foot of leaf, and a single pen marking to page 295 in volume one. Very good. Item #8622

Burton's famous account of his Royal Geographical Society-funded mission to Zanzibar to "discover" the source of the Nile with fellow travlerer, turned rival, John Speke in 1856. This edition wasn't published until 1872 due to partial loss of the manuscript. Once recovered, Burton rushed publication by Tinsley, which many collectors blame for its hasty composition and poor binding. This edition has likely been professionally repaired given the presence of a new headband and listed cosmetic repairs.

Price: $2,500.00