Sven Hedin - Through Asia - 1899

A very rare two-volume set of large hardcover books about explorations in Central Asia titled 'Through Asia' by Sven Hedin. These two large hardcover books (7 x 9 ¾ inches, totaling 649 pages in Volume I and 1255 pages in Volume II) were published by Harper & Brothers of New York in 1899, with the same date on the title and copyright pages indicating the First American Edition. The books are bound in green cloth, featuring a colorful symbol as decoration on the front cover of each volume and gilt titles on the cover and spine. The books are very well illustrated, with nearly three hundred illustrations from sketches and photographs by the author. There are also two fold-out color maps, one at the end of each volume. Sven Anders Hedin (February 19, 1865 – November 26, 1952) was a Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer, and illustrator of his own works. During four expeditions to Central Asia, he made the Transhimalaya known in the West and identified sources of the Brahmaputra, Indus, and Sutlej Rivers. He also mapped Lake Lop Nur and the remains of cities, grave sites, and the Great Wall of China in the deserts of the Tarim Basin.
Book in overall good condition. Inside text and illustrations are clean and complete, with no foxing. Maps are in overall good condition with some repair on margins. Pages are untrimmed, so expect some wear around the margins.
Externally, the original cloth shows wear around edges and corners, especially on the spines, which have been reattached by the previous owner. Volume 1 is a bit shaken but all pages are attached; Volume 2 is very good—see photos as part of the description. These are ex-library books with only signs of their previous use: numbers and remnants of stickers on the spine, remnants of stickers on the front pastedown, and numbers on a page at the beginning—no other signs.
Overall good to very good copies. Scarce set.