SALT, Henry - Lot 144

SALT, Henry A Voyage to Abyssinia and Travels into the Interior of that Country, Executed under the Orders of the British Government, in the Years 1809 and 1810; in Whicha re included, an Account of the Portuguese Settlements on the East Coast of Africa, visited in the Course of the Voyage; A Concise Narrative of Late Events in Arabia Felix... London, printed for F.C. and J. Rivington, 1814. In-4 (307 x 237 mm) of XI pp. 2 ff.n.ch. (list of plates and notices), 506, LXXV pp. 37 plates printed on 36 leaves (charters 12 and 34 on one leaf) of which 8 maps and charts and 29 plates, 2 large engraved vignettes. Half calf with corners, smooth spine (contemporary binding). Blackmer, 1479; Czech, African, p. 141 ("'there is a description of shooting hippopotamus on the Tacazzi River, with perhaps the earliest printed illustration of hippo shooting"). First edition of this important account of a voyage along the Red Sea coast. In 1809, Henry Salt crossed the Horn of Africa on a diplomatic trip to Abyssinia. Sent by the British government to cultivate friendly relations and assess the state of the country, he never reached the king of Gondar but delivered gifts of arms and ammunition to the Ras de Tigre, while documenting and drawing his experiences with the peoples of the Red Sea coast. The book includes an account of the Portuguese colonies on the east coast of Africa and an appendix giving the vocabularies of the dialects spoken by the different indigenous peoples inhabiting the coast from Mozambique to the borders of Egypt. The copy is complete with the 37 plates detailed in the index, including the very large folding and partially colored map. Spine rebound, some yellowed leaves.