SALT (Henry). - Lot 75

SALT (Henry). A Journey to Abyssinia. Paris, Geneva: J. J. Paschoud, 1812. — 2 volumes, in-8, 196 x 124: 48, 304 pp.; 272 pp. p. 49, 9 plates on 8 ff. Porphyry sheepskin, gilt scroll border on the covers, plain decorated spine, speckled edges (contemporary binding). Quérard, IV, 1082. Rare first edition of the French translation by Pierre Prévost (1751–1839), a Swiss physicist and philosopher, of this account taken from the collection *Voyages and Travels to India,* Ceylon, the Red Sea, Abyssinia, and Egypt, published by Count George Annesley Valentia (1769–1844) in 1809. This is the account of Henry Salt’s (1780–1827) first journey to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), an English traveler and diplomat, undertaken at Valentia’s request to establish trade relations between Great Britain and the Ras of Tigray, and to identify a site for a British port on the Red Sea. The work compiles observations on local customs and traditions, descriptions of the flora and fauna, as well as studies on architecture and antiquities. The edition is illustrated with 9 figures spread across 8 fold-out plates, engraved from drawings by Henry Salt. The bindings show some wear. Interior in very good condition.