Voyage en Chine, Formant le Complement du Voyage de Lord Macartney; Contenant des Observations et des Descriptions Faites Pendant le Sejour de l'Auteur dans le Palais Imperial de Yuen-Min-Yuen, et en Traversant l'Empire Chinois, de Peking a Canton.
Paris: F. Buisson, 1805. Hardcover. First edition in French of Barrow's Travels in China, first published in London, 1804. Barrow was Macartney's private secretary, and the work is thorough. The plates include a fine color portrait of Van-ta-gin, an attractive view of a junk, a rice mill, and much on Chinese music (with the music transcribed) and musical instruments. Cordier, Sinica, p. 2389. Taylor, Catalog of Books on China in the Essex Institute, p. 31. The next year a follow up was published recording the return portion of Macartney's voyage to China, visiting Madeira, Teneriffe, Rio, Tristan de Cunha, Java and Vietnam. The title of this volume was " A Voyage to Cochinchina in the Years 1792 & 1793".
3 volumes text 8vo; atlas volume 4to, An XIII (1805). Text xvi, 464pp; (4) 400pp; (4) 392pp. Contemporary quarter red morocco, gilt lines & decoration with gilt ship design, marbled boards, boards a bit rubbed, but fine and bright, with the half-titles. Atlas 28.3 cm, Title leaf, list of plates, 22 engravings. Plates I and IV are in color. Contemporary tan half calf, marbled boards, with red label on cover with title stamped in gilt, a little rubbed. Bookplate of Frederick P. Hibbard. Old small repair to reverse of plate I, not visible from the front. Tear at bottom of plate V, with no loss, and quite a decent copy. The atlas and text volumes married later in life, but happily and attractively so. Very good condition. Item #8053
Price: $1,650.00