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AIX LUBERON ENCHERES

120 - HOUGHTON, Major Daniel; PARK, Mungo.
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Estimate €150 - €200
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Description
HOUGHTON, Major Daniel; PARK, Mungo. Travels and Discoveries in the Interior of Africa by Major Houghton and Mungo Park, two agents of the Society established in England to promote the advancement of discovery in that part of the world. Compiled by the Society’s Committee and published by its order; with three maps and an explanation of the geography of Africa by Major Rennel. Translated from the English. Paris, Tavernier, Year VI [1797–1798]. In-8, 243 pp., complete with its three large fold-out maps (separate from the text). The context is that of the African Association, a British society founded to encourage the exploration of the African interior. Major Daniel Houghton had been sent as early as 1790 to seek the route to the Niger and reach Timbuktu, but he disappeared during his journey, having probably perished in the Sahel region. His failure paved the way for the mission of Mungo Park, who was subsequently chosen to continue this reconnaissance. Mungo Park, a Scottish surgeon, set off for the Gambia in 1795, crossed part of West Africa and reached the Niger at Ségou in July 1796. His journey of 1795–1797 became one of the seminal accounts of European exploration of the African interior, prior to the English publication of his famous *Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa* in 1799. What makes this volume unique is that it is an early publication, compiled from materials provided by the African Society, incorporating information from Houghton and Park, as well as geographical clarifications by Major James Rennell, a leading figure in British cartography. The three fold-out maps illustrate the state of European knowledge regarding regions that were still very poorly understood, particularly around the Niger, the Gambia, Senegal, Timbuktu and the caravan routes. Worn half-leather binding: cracked joints, tears and areas where leather is missing from the spine; scattered foxing (one map printed upside down) Expert: Mr Geoffroi PICARD DU CHAMBON
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Auction time 07/08/2026 at 2:00 PM
Ref. : 206191 - 7
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