Le Vaillant (Francois) TRAVELS INTO THE INTERIOR PARTS OF AFRICA
By the Way of the Cape of Good Hope; in the Years 1780, 81, 82, 83, 84, and 85
Translated from the French of M. Le Vaillant
The Second Edition
Illustrated with Twelve Elegant Copper-Plates
Second English Edition: 2 volumes, xxiv, 376, 403 pages, copper engraved frontispiece in volume I and 11 engraved plates.
London, Printed for G.G. and J. Robinson, 1796
Uniformly bound with:
NEW TRAVELS INTO THE INTERIOR PARTS OF AFRICA
By the Way of the Cape of Good Hope; in the Years 1783, 84 AND 85
Translated from the French of M. Le Vaillant
Illustrated with a map, delineating the route of his present and former travels,
and with twenty-two other copper-plates.
In Three Volumes
First English Edition: 3 volumes, I. 288, II. 383, III. 488 pages, folding map as frontispiece in volume I, 22 copper engraved plates.
London, Printed for G.G. and J. Robinson, 1796
Together Five Volumes, full brown calf title and decorated gilt on the spines, the leather is dry andrubbed and very worn, tight back bound, marbled endpapers with a book-plate on each front paste-down endpaper, light foxing but generally the contents are crisp and clean.
Size: 8v0 (215 x 130 mm)
Ogilvie ( J.H.) A Bibliography of Le Vaillant’s Voyages and Oiseaux D’Afrique, (1962), numbers 25 & 42
During his stay at the Cape Le Vaillant made two extensive journeys into the interior. His second major journey, from about June 1783, proceeded northwards via Piketberg, Heerenlogement (where he engraved his name, "Vailant" on the cave wall), Koekenaap (with a diversion to the mouth of the Olifants River), the Kamiesberg, and Simon van der Stel's copper mine to the Orange River at Goodhouse and Ramansdrift. Returning to Cape Town he stayed with Colonel Gordon again. He left the Cape in July 1784, arriving in Holland in November.
After his return to France Le Vaillant spent years organising his collection and writing up an account of his travels. A description of his first expedition in South Africa, Voyage de M. Le Vaillant dans l'interieur de l'Afrique par le Cap de Bonne-Esperance, dans les annees 1780, 81, 82, 83, 84, & 85, edited by his father, was published in Paris in 1790 (2 vols).
An account of the second expedition, Second voyage dans l'interieur de l'Afrique, par le Cap de Bonne-Esperance, dans les annees 1783, 84 et 85 (Paris, 1795, 3 volumes) proved equally popular. English translations, titled Travels into the interior parts of Africa... and New travels into the interior parts of Africa... were first published in 1790 and 1796 respectively. The books were also translated into German, Dutch, Italian, Swedish and Danish, and did much to draw international attention to the Cape. https://www.s2a3.org.za/bio/Biograph_final.php?serial=1672
- Overall Condition: Very good
- Size: 8vo (215 x 130 mm)
