Author: LE VAILLANT, François.
Title: Second voyage dans l'intérieur de l'Afrique, par le Cap de Bonne-Espérance, dans les années 1783, 84 et 85.
Description: Paris, H.J. Jansen et Comp., l'an 3 (1795). 3 volumes. 8vo. Contemporary half calf (extremities of spines sl. dam.; hinges cracked but holding). With 22 engraved plates (several folding). XLIV,304; 426; 525,(2) pp. First French edition. - Le Vaillant was born at Paramaribo in Dutch Guiana in 1753, and after being educated in Holland, France, and Germany, proceeded to Paris where he studied the natural history collections, and, full of enthusiasm and ambition, decided to travel into the interior of Africa in order to further his opportunities of gaining information by observing the specimens in their native countries. Making the acquaintance of Mr. Temminck, the Treasurer of the Dutch East India Company, he was enabled to proceed to the Cape in one of the Company's ships called the Held-Woltemaade. During his second excursion (1783 - 1784, he traversed the countries now known as British and German Namaqualand, Damaraland, parts of Bechuanaland, and the Kalahari desert. Later travellers threw doubts on the authenticy of Le Vaillant's journey to these regions, as they could not trace tribes with the names given by the author, but these races were probably dispersed or annihilated, and there can be little doubt that the traveller actualy visited these places (Mendelssohn). , - (Age-browned). Mendelssohn I, p.889 -890; SAB III, p.101; Howgego p.625; Rookmaaker, The zoological exploration of S. Africa 1650-1790, p.177-271, Nissen, ZBI, 2482; Boucher de la Richarderie IV, p.242-244..

Keywords: Africa South Africa