Author: BOWDICH, Thomas Edward.
Title: Mission from Cape Coast Castle to Ashantee, with a statistical account of that kingdom, and geographical notices of other parts of the interior of Africa.
Description: London, John Murray, 1819. 4to. Later half red morocco, spine ribbed. With folding plate depicting an Arabic circular, wood-engraved plan of Ichonographical Sketch of Coomassie, 2 maps (1 folding), 5 engraved sheets of music on 3 leaves, and 7 hand-coloured aquatint plates (2 folding, the 'First day of the yam custom' is a coloured facsimile). VIII,(2),512 pp. First edition. - Bowdich (1791-1824) was appointed conductor of a mission to Ashantee organised by the African Company in 1815 and, using considerable diplomatic and negotiating skills, succeeded in forming a treaty with the King of Ashantee, bringing peace to the British settlements along the Gold Coast. 'This work, the most important after Bruce's, excited great interest, as an almost incredible story ..of a land of warlike and barbaric splendour hithero unknown'(DNB). 'Bowdich must be considered as the first who achieved the object of penetrating to the interior of Africa' (Thomson, The exotic and the beautilul, 79). - Some offsetting otherwise a fine copy. Abbey, Travel, 279; Tooley, Coloured plates, 95; Prideaux p.238.
Keywords: Africa Ghana WIC Africa WIC Brazil WIC West India Company West Africa
Title: Mission from Cape Coast Castle to Ashantee, with a statistical account of that kingdom, and geographical notices of other parts of the interior of Africa.
Description: London, John Murray, 1819. 4to. Later half red morocco, spine ribbed. With folding plate depicting an Arabic circular, wood-engraved plan of Ichonographical Sketch of Coomassie, 2 maps (1 folding), 5 engraved sheets of music on 3 leaves, and 7 hand-coloured aquatint plates (2 folding, the 'First day of the yam custom' is a coloured facsimile). VIII,(2),512 pp. First edition. - Bowdich (1791-1824) was appointed conductor of a mission to Ashantee organised by the African Company in 1815 and, using considerable diplomatic and negotiating skills, succeeded in forming a treaty with the King of Ashantee, bringing peace to the British settlements along the Gold Coast. 'This work, the most important after Bruce's, excited great interest, as an almost incredible story ..of a land of warlike and barbaric splendour hithero unknown'(DNB). 'Bowdich must be considered as the first who achieved the object of penetrating to the interior of Africa' (Thomson, The exotic and the beautilul, 79). - Some offsetting otherwise a fine copy. Abbey, Travel, 279; Tooley, Coloured plates, 95; Prideaux p.238.
Keywords: Africa Ghana WIC Africa WIC Brazil WIC West India Company West Africa
Price: EUR 742.50 = appr. US$ 806.98 Seller: Gert Jan Bestebreurtje Rare Books (NVvA/ILAB)
- Book number: 7710
- Book number: 7710