[Item #60687] Gleanings in Africa; Exhibiting A Faithful and Correct View of the Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants of the Cape of Good Hope, And Surrounding Country. SOUTH AFRICA, An English Officer.

Gleanings in Africa; Exhibiting A Faithful and Correct View of the Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants of the Cape of Good Hope, And Surrounding Country

London: James Cundee, 1805. First Edition. First printing. Octavo (22cm). Rebound in blue paper over boards, backed in taupe cloth, with gilt-tooled spine label; modern endpapers; [xxii],320,[1]pp; one page of publisher's ads at rear, on verso of directions to binder; 10 plates, including one folding. Sound, boards curving outward slightly, internally foxed, plates rubbed at edges, folding plate with neatly mended large tears, overall complete and Good.

Letters written by an anonymous British officer during the 1795-1803 British occupation of Cape Town, generally discussing South African cultures, agriculture, geography, and economics. "The writer...was evidently a strong opponent of slavery, and a large part of the work is devoted to the exposition of his views on the matter" (Mendelssohn). With relatively dramatic illustrations, including shipwreck and hunting scenes. This first edition is institutionally uncommon: OCLC records 8 copies, 5 in the U.S. and 3 in South Africa. THEAL p.116. MENDELSSOHN I p.609.

Price: $400.00

Go Back