Hardcover, 413 pages, folded handcolored map at the rear, London 1864,
Half-calf marbled cover, Ex Libris, very good state, clean and tight.
A Journey from Teheran across the Turkoman Desert on the Eastern Shore of the Caspian to Khiva, Bokhara and Samarkand
(CENTRAL ASIA) VÁMBÉRY, Arminius. Travels in Central Asia. Being the Account of a Journey from Teheran Across the Turkoman Desert on the Eastern Shore of the Caspian to Khiva, Bokhara, and Samarcand Performed in the Year 1863. London: John Murray, 1864. Octavo
First edition of the narrative of a Hungarian’s journeys in disguise through Central Asia, with 12 illustrated platesof scenes from Vámbéry’s travels and large, folding, hand-colored map of Turkestan, handsomely bound.
This work traces Hungarian-Jewish Orientalist Arminius Vámbéry’s travels from Tehran, Iran across Central Asia to present-day Uzbekistan. At the time, these locales had not been visited before by Western travelers and Vámbéry stood out for his decision to undertake them in disguise. As he was unable to take notes during his travels for fear of raising suspicion, Vámbéry was forced to remember the smallest details of his experiences for months until his eventual return to Europe. However, ultimately, what he managed to remember and write down about the social, cultural, and political life of Central Asia sparked the interest of a Western populace anxious to learn more about areas that would soon become crucial players in world affairs. Vámbéry became an instant celebrity in London and the public’s fascination with his adventures and linguistic prowess created a huge demand for this work upon publication. Ex Libris