The Gold Regions of South Eastern Africa (1877)

• Published some two years after Baines's death in Durban from a dysentery attack, this book is one of the explorer-artist's greatest achievements - particularly, as the author of the preface writes, for the detail he provided for Stanford's large folding map (42 panels; 1140 x 770 mm overall). The map in this copy is perfectly preserved and untorn (see image)
• The preface author notes that Baines's friend H Hall revised the map, wrote the 9 pp memoir of Baines and revised the 24 pp of itineraries at the back of the book
• Hall's memoir is followed by a 3 pp tribute to Baines by the president of the Royal Geographical Society, Sir Henry Rawlinson, read to members at the society's 1876 annual meeting in London

The plates and other inserts are in perfect condition and are particularly noteworthy:

1. The portrait frontispiece is an original sepia bromide, as are 3 other inserted plates.
2. The folded 4 pp facsimile autograph letter by Dr Livingstone to Baines is reproduced full-size on bright white tissue paper.

DESCRIPTION. A new matching leathercloth spine, new plain green endpapers and red spine-band have strengthened the binding, while the brick-red cloth-boards are original, with gilt-embossed zebra to the upper panel; the lightly bumped corners have not been repaired; frontispiece, illustrated title-page, dedication, to the Duke of Edinburgh - "the first of England's royal race who has landed upon the shores of South Africa" - xxiv, 187 pp of text, all page-edges uncut, illustrated with woodcuts of Baines's paintings and drawings, + 50 pp of advertisements, with the map pocket at the back matching and part of the lower board.

CONDITION. The contents are complete, unmarked and unfoxed, making this a collectible, though repaired, copy, particularly because of the perfect condition of the map, which, according to the author of the preface, "will be found to occupy a very large void in the Map of Africa, and to fill up blanks in regions hitherto very imperfectly known".