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FRAYSSE ET ASSOCIES

352 - STAUNTON (Sir George). [Sir George Macartney]. An Authentic …
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Estimate €600 - €800
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Description
STAUNTON (Sir George). [Sir George Macartney]. An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China; Including Cursory Observations Made, and Information Obtained, In Travelling Through That Ancient Empire, and a Small Part of Chinese. 2 volumes without atlas. Rare first edition of the official account of Lord Macartney's journey and embassy to the Qianlong Emperor in 1792-1794. London, 1797. Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. for G. Nicol, in folio bound in full calf, spine with 5 decorated bands, boards decorated with a rich frieze of gold motifs, arabesque lyres and fauns, gold frieze on endpapers, gold edges, 2 engraved frontispieces. Vol 1 frontispiece portrait of Emperor Tchien Lung engraving signed Collyer, XXXIV- 518 pages, numerous engravings, endpapers. Vol 2 frontispiece portrait of Lord Macartney engraving signed Hall, XX-626 pages, 27 vignettes in text, 1 full page engraving (466) camelia sesangua. The Macartney Embassy in China (1792-1794), the first official British diplomatic mission to the Qing Empire, undertook a long and complex journey before reaching its final destination. Passing through Madeira, Tenerife, Rio de Janeiro, the Cape of Good Hope and Indonesia, the embassy pursued diplomatic objectives and offered valuable observations on the various regions it visited. The mission was led by Lord George Macartney and accompanied by Sir George Leonard Staunton. Thomas Staunton, was to play a crucial and unexpected role. Although officially the ambassador's page, the young Staunton proved to be the only member of the British delegation who could speak Mandarin, enabling him to converse directly with the Qianlong emperor. This was all the more vital as the only other interpreters available were Chinese Catholic priests trained to translate from Chinese into Latin, but not English. Cordier, Sinica. Very good condition inside, binding rubbed on boards, volume 2 with split cap.
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About the sale BOOKS & MANUSCRIPTS - FROM THE LIBRARY C. MAISONNEUVE
Auction location
Auction time 06/04/2026 at 2:15 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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