Thomas Blakiston | Five months on the Yang-Tsze, 1862, Brooke-Hitching copy

Blakiston, Thomas W.

Five months on the Yang-Tsze; with a narrative of the exploration of its upper waters. London: John Murray, 1862



FIRST EDITION, 8vo (218 x 130mm.), half-title, 2 folding maps, 16 plates, contemporary green calf, full gilt spine, marbled endpapers and edges, [by Ingalton of Eton], spine uniformly faded

In 1861 Blakiston set out from Shanghai to explore the middle and upper course of the Yangtze to ascend the river as far as the Min. He arrived at Pingshan on 25 May, having travelled 1800 miles from Shanghai, 900 miles further than any other European but was forced to return to Shanghai due to insurgencies. This work remained the standard account for the region for at least the following fifty years.

LITERATURE:

Löwendahl 1263; Yakushi (1994) B404

PROVENANCE:

Franklin Brooke-Hitching, sale in these rooms, 27 March 2014, lot 137