Captain Richard F. Burton - The Highlands of the Brazil - 1869

Description of the Work:

• Full title: Explorations of the Highlands of the Brazil.

• Author: Captain Richard F. Burton (Sir Richard Francis Burton)

• Edition: First Edition, published in 1869 in two volumes.

• Publisher: Tinsley Brothers, London.

• Duodecimo format (21x14 cm)

• Total pagination: xii, 443 pp.; viii, 478 pp., [2] pp.

• Content:

The work documents Burton's detailed experiences and observations during his time as British consul in Brazil. He describes the geography, the social dynamics of the era (including slavery and local customs) as well as the state of the gold and diamond mines in the Minas Gerais region. The book culminates in a chronicle of his journey of over 1,500 miles down the Rio São Francisco in a canoe. The preface of the book was written by his wife, Isabel Burton.

Regarding physical features and condition, the set shows the following characteristics:

• 19th-century binding: The books are in a private half-leather binding from the 19th century.

External condition:

This edition does not include the map of Brazil.

The leather surfaces are aged, worn, dull, and cracked. The capitals (the top and bottom of the spine) show significant material loss and wear, while the gold tooling on the backs has faded in intensity due to decades of rubbing. The page edges show heavy darkening and foxing, but the book block remains structurally sound in its binding.

• Provenance features:

The inner leaves preserve their historical value through various handwritten marginal notes, the name entry of an early private owner ("J. Knox Napier"), and the stamp of the "SÃO PAULO BOOK CLUB." This English-speaking reading circle from that era attests to the historical use and travel of these volumes in Brazil well over a hundred years ago.