Robert. Two Visits to the Tea Countries of China and the British Tea Plantations in the Himalaya; with a Narrative of Adventures, and a Full Description of the Culture of the Tea Plant, the Agricultur

by FORTUNE

£1,600 · Offered by Henry Sotheran Ltd

FORTUNE, Robert. Two Visits to the Tea Countries of China and the British Tea Plantations in the Himalaya; with a Narrative of Adventures, and a Full Description of the Culture of the Tea Plant, the Agriculture, Horticulture, and Botany of China ... Third Edition. London: W. Clowes and Sons for John Murray. 1853. Two volumes, 8vo. Original white-flecked brown cloth by Remnant and Edmonds, London, boards with borders blocked in blind, upper boards with central gilt vignettes, spines decorated and lettered in gilt, rust-brown endpapers; pp. xii, [2], 315; viii, [2], 298; wood-engraved frontispieces, wood-engraved additional titles printed in red and black, 3 wood-engraved plates, and one folding lithographic map by A. Petermann, hand coloured in outline, wood-engraved illustrations in the text, two full-page; only minimal rubbing to extremities, browning to frontispieces and additional title-pages, otherwise only very light and sporadic spotting; modern bookplate inside front cover of volume one. The best edition . Robert Fortune (1812-1880) made his name as a plant-hunter, notably in China, since he 'spoke some Chinese, and was generally able to pass himself off as a native of a part of China other than that which he was visiting. He disguised himself in Chinese dress to visit Soochow (Suzhou), then closed to Europeans, and through his resourcefulness and determination was able to survive shipwreck, attack by pirates, thieves, and bandits, as well as fever' ( ODNB ). This work

• Binding: Hardcover

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.