VOYAGE DE MONSIEUR LE VAILLANT DANS L'INTERIEUR DE L'AFRIQUE

2 volumes: vol1 xxiv, 383pages, vol 2 403 pages, frontispiece in vol1 1 , 11 plates, foxing throughout, full leather binding, rebacked preserving the original back strip, red title labels with decorative gilt on the spines – the leather at the top of the spines is starting to fray, marbled end papers, book plates in both volumes, a good set.

Ogilvie ( J.H.) A Bibliography of Le Vaillant’s Voyages and Oiseaux D’Afrique, (1962), number 3. All the plates are present but bound in on different pages to Ogilvie’s references.

Plate VII Hottentote is bound in opposite page 342 in volume 2. It was later suppressed.

During his stay at the Cape Le Vaillant made two extensive journeys into the interior. The first, from December 1781 to (probably) October 1782, proceeded eastward via Swellendam and Mossel Bay to the vicinity of George, across the Outeniqua Mountains to the Langkloof, eastwards beyond the Sundays River, and past present Somerset East to the Great Fish River near Cookhouse. For most of this journey he followed the route of earlier travellers such as Ensign A.F. Beutler*, C.P. Thunberg*, A. Sparrman*, and Colonel Gordon. He returned via the southern extension of the Sneeuberg Range, crossing the Karoo south of Graaff Reinet. Back in Cape Town he travelled in the surrounding districts and stayed for some time with Colonel Gordon, who gave him much useful information about the country to the north. https://www.s2a3.org.za/bio/Biograph_final.php?serial=1672