Travels in Central Asia First Edition - Arminius Vambery - Bauman Rare Books

Travels in Central Asia

Arminius VAMBERY

Item#: 85528 We're sorry, this item has been sold

Travels in Central Asia

Travels in Central Asia

Travels in Central Asia

FIRST EDITION OF VÁMBÉRY’S TRAVELS IN CENTRAL ASIA, 1864, WITH LARGE, FOLDING, HAND-COLORED MAP OF TURKESTAN

(CENTRAL ASIA) VÁMBÉRY, Arminius. Travels in Central Asia. Being the Account of a Journey from Teheran Across the Turkoman Desert on the Eastern Shore of the Caspian to Khiva, Bokhara, and Samarcand Performed in the Year 1863. London: John Murray, 1864. Octavo, modern three-quarter green morocco gilt, raised bands.

First edition of the narrative of a Hungarian’s journeys in disguise through Central Asia, with 12 illustrated plates of scenes from Vámbéry’s travels and large, folding, hand-colored map of Turkestan, handsomely bound.

This work traces Hungarian-Jewish Orientalist Arminius Vámbéry’s travels from Tehran, Iran across Central Asia to present-day Uzbekistan. At the time, these locales had not been visited before by Western travelers and Vámbéry stood out for his decision to undertake them in disguise. As he was unable to take notes during his travels for fear of raising suspicion, Vámbéry was forced to remember the smallest details of his experiences for months until his eventual return to Europe. However, ultimately, what he managed to remember and write down about the social, cultural, and political life of Central Asia sparked the interest of a Western populace anxious to learn more about areas that would soon become crucial players in world affairs. Vámbéry became an instant celebrity in London and the public’s fascination with his adventures and linguistic prowess created a huge demand for this work upon publication. Early Indian owner stamps, including on title page and first page of text.

A few expertly repaired closed tears to large, folding, hand-colored map and preliminary leaves; very occasional soiling and closed tears to interior, mild toning to spine. An extremely good copy, handsomely bound.

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Aquatint Copperplate process by which the plate is “bitten” by exposure to acid. By changing the areas of the plate that are exposed and the length of time the plate is submerged in the acid bath, the engraver can obtain fine and varying shades of gray that closely resemble watercolor washes. Although the name contains the word “tint”, this is a black-and-white printing process; aquatint plates can often be hand colored, however.
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