The Northern Goldfields Diaries of Thomas Baines 1869-1872 (2 vols [of 3], 1946) (W H Coetzer's bookplates)

These two volumes of explorer and painter Thomas Baines's diaries cover his journeys to "Lobengula's Country" when he was about to turn fifty, after early life in England, Australia and South Africa. The diaries are published here for the first time.

• Vol One. First Journey. 1869-1870. White matt dustjacket printed in red (unclipped: four pounds ten shillings for the full set of three volumes), crimson cloth-boards, gilt to upper board and spine, top page-edge gilt, other edges untrimmed, b/w portrait frontispiece + xxxviii + pp 1-277 of text + 4 inserted colour plates and 4 other inserted b/w plates + 2 inserted folding maps.
• Vol Two. First Journey. 1870-1871. The same except for colour frontispiece + viii + pp 279- 596 of text + 2 other inserted colour plates and 12 inserted b/w plates + inserted folding map. 

CONDITION. The Vol One dustjacket has been poorly repaired with non-archival tape. The Vol Two dustjacket is in better than good condition. The binding of both volumes is tight and the boards are better than very good. The gilt page-edges remain exceptionally bright after more than seventy years.. The bookplates of the noted South African artist W H Coetzer are pasted on to both paste-downs. The contents are complete, unmarked and undiscoloured, making this a very good broken set.