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an old book sitting on top of a white table next to a white walla red book that is sitting on top of a tablean old book with a red cover sitting on top of a white tablea red book sitting on top of a white tablean old book with a picture of a man and a woman standing next to each otheran old book with a black and white image on itan open book with a map on it sitting on top of a tablean old map of the country of china with a red line
KÂ- MONDO / KAPANDJI MORHANGE

29 - BEAUVOIR, Count of. Voyage around the World.
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Estimate €100 - €200
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Description
BEAUVOIR, Count of. Voyage around the World. Australia, Java, Siam, Canton, Peking, Yeddo, San Francisco. Paris, Henri Plon, 1873. Large 8vo (27 x 19 cm), contemporary half-shagreen binding, decorated spine. 641 pp. Some marks on the covers, paper slightly sun-faded, a few foxing spots. First edition in large 8vo format (the publisher states that this work was published in 1872 and that this is the first edition in 8vo format and the seventh edition of the work). Contains numerous black-and-white engravings within the text and as inserts (drawings by L. Breton, Adrien Marie and Gauthier Saint-Elme) as well as 6 colour plates (6 maps, 3 of which are filled in). The engravings (urban and rural landscapes, ordinary and powerful figures, scenes from daily life and rare events) are of great documentary interest. On 9 April 1866, having set out from London, Count Ludovic de Beauvoir (1846–1929) and his childhood friend the Duke of Penthièvre embarked on a voyage round the world. They explored Australia, Java, Siam, Canton, Peking, Yeddo (Tokyo) and San Francisco. On their return in 1867, Ludovic de Beauvoir published the first two volumes of his travelogue: *Australia and Java, Siam, Canton*; it was a huge success. In it, he recounts their arrival in Melbourne and their travels through Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales. Ludovic de Beauvoir provides details of the gold mines in Victoria, around Ballarat and Bendigo. The section devoted to South-East Asia describes life in Java, the great crocodile and rhinoceros hunts, and the unparalleled luxury of life at the court of the Javanese princes. In Siam, the Count de Beauvoir witnessed strange ceremonies, notably the king’s cremation rites. After a brief stay in Hong Kong, he travelled to Macao, a veritable port for the shipment of slaves to the New World, which aroused in him both indignation and compassion. In 1870–71, Beauvoir fought in the Franco-Prussian War, before being awarded the Legion of Honour. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1872, he published the third volume of *Voyage autour du monde*: *Pékin, Yeddo, San Francisco*. From Beijing to the Great Wall, and on to the Land of the Rising Sun, Ludovic de Beauvoir provides a wealth of unusual details about these two countries in the Far East. This was followed by the crossing of the Pacific and the arrival in the New World. It was not until after 1872 that the three parts were brought together under a single title. An important work for understanding the Asian world (particularly China, Japan and Korea) at a time when, willingly or by force, the peoples of these hitherto isolated countries were beginning to open up to the West.
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About the sale Collectors’ books for sale – First editions – Illustrated editions – Varia IV
Auction location
Auction time 11/02/2026 at 2:00 PM
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