Forum Rare Books

Fine work illustrating the cities, ports, and factories of the Dutch East India Company in Asia and Africa

HEYDT, Johann Wolffgang. Allerneuester Geographisch und Topographischer Schau-Platz, von Africa und Ost-Indien.
Nuremberg, C. Tetschner, 1744. Oblong folio (31 x 36.5 cm). With 115 numbered engraved maps and plates, an engraved frontispiece, and an engraved title-page. Contemporary vellum, with the author and title lettered in gold on the spine, red edges. [24], 345, [4] pp. Full description

€ 17,500

City Plans, Topography & Views India & Sri Lanka Indonesia / Dutch East Indies Iran / Persia Southern Africa Travel & Voyages Africa Travel & Voyages Asia Travel & Voyages Southeast Asia Travel & Voyages Southern Asia VOC

Massive navigational directory for the East

HORSBURGH, James. The India directory, or, directions for sailing to and from the East Indies, China, New Holland, Cape of Good Hope, Brazil, and the interjacent ports ... third edition.
London, printed for the author and sold by Kingsbury, Parbury and Allen, booksellers to the East India Company (back of title-page: printed by Plummer & Brewis), 1826-1827. 2 volumes. 4to. Contemporary half calf, rebacked with the original backstrips laid down. [8], XXVI, 503, [1], 16; [8], 642, [1], [1 blank] pp. Full description

€ 15,000

Arabian Peninsula & Gulf States Australia China India & Sri Lanka Navigation Southeast Asia Southern Africa UAE - United Arab Emirates

Massive navigational directory, with sections on the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and the Gulf

HORSBURGH, James, Gerrit KUIJPER and D. BOES LUTJENS. Zeemans-gids, naar, in en uit Oost-Indiën, China, Japan, Australiën, de Kaap de Goede Hoop, Braziliën en tusschenliggende havens, volgens de vierde Engelsche uitgave van James Horsburgh, ...
Amsterdam, C.F. Stemler, (back of half-title: printed in Haarlem by H. Bakels), 1841. 4to. Contemporary half calf, spine lettered in gold, marbled sides. I-XII, [2], XIII-XXIV, XXVIII, 1376 pp. Full description

€ 3,750

Arabian Peninsula & Gulf States Australia China India & Sri Lanka Indonesia / Dutch East Indies Iran / Persia Japan & Far East Navigation Southern Africa UAE - United Arab Emirates

Massive navigational directory, this edition updated with information on the northeast coasts of Africa and Arabia

HORSBURGH, James. The India directory, or, directions for sailing to and from the East Indies, China, Australia, and the interjacent ports of Africa and South America ... Seventh edition.
London, Wm. H. Allen & Co. (back of title-pages: printed by Cox and Wyman), 1855. 2 volumes. Large 4to (28 x 23 cm). Contemporary half calf; rebacked with the original backstrips laid down. XII, XXXIV, [2], “681”[=683], [1 blank]; VIII, 978 pp. Full description

€ 18,000

Arabian Peninsula & Gulf States China India & Sri Lanka Iran / Persia Navigation Southeast Asia UAE - United Arab Emirates

British military terrain map of the Persian Gulf, published in Calcutta

HUNTER, Frederic Fraser (editor); Sir Sidney Gerald BURRARD (director). Southern Asia series - Southern Persia sheet - Persia, Arabia and Turkey in Asia
[Dehradun, Survey of India Office], sold at the Map Record and Issue Office, Calcutta, 1912. 61.5 x 88 cm. Large photozincographed (heliozincographed) folding map on a scale of 1:2,000,000 in black, blue and red, with relief shown by contours, hachures and gradient tints. Folded. Full description

€ 15,000

Arabian Peninsula & Gulf States Charts & Maps India & Sri Lanka Iran / Persia Kuwait Qatar Saudi Arabia Turkey & Ottoman Empire

A Dutch commander's Japanese diary with a large lithographed map

HUYSSEN VAN KATTENDYKE, Willem Johan Cornelis. Uittreksel uit het dagboek van W.J.C. Ridder Huyssen van Kattendyke, Kapitein-Luit. ter zee, gedurende zijn verblijf in Japan in 1857, 1858 en 1859.
The Hague, W.P. van Stockum (printed by Giunta d'Albani), 1860. 8vo. With large folding lithographed map (67 x 54.5 cm) depicting the west coast of Japan and Kiusiu, by E. Spanier after H.O. Wichers. Original publisher's printed stiff paper wrappers. [2 blank], [10], 236 pp. Full description

€ 5,500

Charts & Maps Japan & Far East Naval History

First substantial English translation of Ibn Batuta's travels through the Islamic world and beyond

IBN BATUTA and Samuel LEE (editor). The travels of Ibn Batuta; translated from the abridged Arabic manuscript copies, preserved in the public library of Cambridge. With notes, illustrative of the history, geography, botany, antiquities, &c. occurring throughout the work.
London, printed for the Oriental Translation Committee (colophon: by J.L. Cox). Large 4to (32 x 26). With various passages including the original Arabic text. Later half calf. "XVIII" [=XX], [2], 243, [1] pp. Full description

€ 17,500

Arabian Peninsula & Gulf States North Africa & Egypt Travel & Voyages Africa Travel & Voyages Asia Travel & Voyages Middle East Turkey & Ottoman Empire

Rare account of an important Russian diplomatic visit to China, with one of the first Western descriptions of Siberia

IDES, Evert Ysbrants. Driejaarige reize naar China, te lande gedaan door den Moskovicen afgezant, E. Ysbrandts Ides...
Including: KAO, Dionyzius. Korte beschrijving van t magtig keizerryk China ...
Amsterdam, Pieter de Coup, 1710. 4to. With an engraved title-page bound as a frontispiece before the typographical title-page, which is printed in red and black, a large folding map of Russia and parts of Asia, 8 folding engraved plates of cities and other views, 1 full-page engraving, and 21 half-page engravings in the text. Further with woodcut and engraved decorated initials, a large engraved head-piece at the start of the main text, 2 woodcut floral tail-pieces, and a small woodcut floral vignette on the typographical title-page. 19th-century gold-tooled light brown splattered paper with a red title-label on the spine. [30], 243, [4], [1 blank] pp. Full description

€ 3,950

China Eastern Europe Russia (incl. Siberia) Travel & Voyages Asia Travel & Voyages East Asia

Key reference work for the East India Company surveys of India

INDIA OFFICE. A catalogue of manuscript and printed reports, field books, memoirs, maps, etc., of the Indian surveys, deposited in the map room of the India Office.
London, George E. Eyre & William Spottiswoode (colophon), 1878. Large 8vo. Contemporary cloth, title in gold on spine. XXI, [1 blank], 672 pp. Full description

€ 600

Bibliography & Biography Charts & Maps India & Sri Lanka

Historical narrative of a voyage to India and Persia written by a surgeon of the British Royal Navy

IVES, Edward. Reize naar Oost-Indië en Persië, en de daar omliggende landen. Ondernomen langs een' ongewoonen weg.
Amsterdam, De Compagnie, 1779. 2 parts in 1 volume. 4to. With 2 engraved title-pages, 2 folding engraved maps, one of India, the other tracking Ives's journey from Basra to Latakia, and 9 engraved plates (including 1 large folding). Contemporary blind-tooled vellum. [16], 324; [1], [1 blank], [1], [1 blank], 379, [1] pp. Full description