A JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA, or, Life and Landscapes from Egypt to the Negro Kingdoms of the White Nile

Early Edition, Revised. With and engraved frontispiece, engraved title and textual illustrations by the author throughout. A map is called for but appears not to have been bound into this copy. 8vo, handsomely bound in contemporary brown morocco over marbled paper covered boards, edges and endleaves marbled, the spine with raised bands separating the compartments, lettered in gilt in two compartments, decorated in the remaining compartments with gilt panels and central ornamental devices gilt. 522 pp. A very good copy indeed, handsome and well preserved.

Edizione: early printing in binding of taylor's famous travelogue of central africa. bayard taylor was an american poet, literary critic, translator, travel author, and diplomat. as a poet, he was very popular, with a crowd of more than 4,000 attending a poetry reading once, which was a record that stood for 85 years. his travelogues were popular in both the united states and great britain. he served in diplomatic posts in russia and prussia. <br> in 1851 he traveled to egypt, where he followed the nile river as far as 12° 30' n. he also traveled in palestine and mediterranean countries, writing poetry based on his experiences. toward the end of 1852, he sailed from england to calcutta, and then to china, where he joined the expedition of commodore matthew calbraith perry to japan. the results of these journeys were published as a journey to central africa; or, life and landscapes from egypt to the negro kingdoms of the white nile (1854); the lands of the saracen; or, pictures of palestine, asia minor, sicily and spain (1854); and a visit to india, china and japan in the year 1853 (1855).<br> he returned to the u.s. on december 20, 1853, and undertook a successful public lecturer tour that extended from maine to wisconsin. after two years, he went to northern europe to study swedish life, language and literature. the trip inspired his long narrative poem lars. his series of articles swedish letters to the tribune were republished as northern travel: summer and winter pictures (1857).