BULLOCK’S SIX MONTHS’ RESIDENCE AND TRAVELS IN MEXICO, 1824, WITH 15 AQUATINTS (FOUR HAND-COLORED) AND FOUR FOLDING PLATES

(MEXICO) BULLOCK, William. Six Months’ Residence and Travels in Mexico; Containing Remarks of the Present State of New Spain. London: John Murray, 1824. Octavo, contemporary full straight-grain green morocco, elaborately gilt-decorated spine, red and brown morocco spine labels, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. $1600.

First edition of Bullock’s beautifully illustrated work, with folding frontispiece view of the Valley of Mexico by the author, folding geographical table, two folding maps of ancient and modern Mexico City, 11 black-and-white aquatints, and four hand-colored aquatints, handsomely bound.

This richly illustrated travel narrative of Mexico in the early 1800s is by William Bullock, “the first English traveler in Mexico since Father Gage, in 1640” (Sabin 9140). “In 1822 [Bullock] went to Mexico, where he was well received by the authorities, aided in his researches, and received from the Mexican government a gift of the silver mine of Del Bada near Themascalptec. From this tour Bullock brought home… casts of the great calendar, commonly known as Montezuma’s watch, and of the sacrificial stone, models of the pyramids of San Juan de Teokbuacan, manuscripts and hieroglyphic pictures sent to Montezuma to inform him of the transactions of the Spaniards, and the original map of the ancient city, made by the order of the emperor for Cortez, and intended to have been transmitted to the king of Spain” (DNB). An engraving of that map serves as one of the folding maps in this edition. Without half title. Howgego C21. Cole, 33. Maggs 1447. Church 1326. Streeter I:210.

Text and plates fresh with light scattered foxing, minor expert archival repair to verso of two folding maps; mild toning to spines. A highly desirable extremely good copy.