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.

• Format: Duodecimo (21x14 cm)

.Gesamtkollation: 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 canoe journey down the Rio São Francisco of more than 1500 miles. The preface of the book was written by his wife, Isabel Burton.

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

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

External condition:

This edition does not include the map of Brazil.

The leather surfaces are aged, rubbed, dull, and cracked. The headbands (top and bottom of the spine) show evident material losses and wear, while the gold tooling on the spine has faded in intensity due to decades of abrasion. The edges show strong darkening and foxing, but the book block remains stable and firmly bound.

• Provenance features:

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