John Bell (1691 1780) trained as a physician, but preferred a life of travel and diplomacy. He entered the service of Tsar Peter the Great of Russia, and had already taken part (as the expedition's doctor) in a government mission to Persia in 1715 18 when he was asked to join a further embassy to China. This two-volume work, published in 1763, describes both these journeys. The first part of Volume 1 contains an account of the Persian expedition, and the second a narrative of the journey across Siberia to the walls of Beijing. It includes fascinating anecdotes of the peoples encountered, and their environment, beliefs and customs, including a female Siberian shaman, the pet musk deer of an exiled Swedish general, and the interdependence of marmots and rhubarb (at this time a valuable medicinal drug). This is a delightful account of an area then hardly known in the west."

The naturalist and traveller Thomas Pennant (several of whose other works are reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection) published this account of a journey through Scotland and its islands in 1774. Pennant (1726 98) had already written one account of Scotland, in 1771. (He later claimed that by 'shewing that it might be visited with safety' he had created a tourist boom.) His great enthusiasm was for the Hebrides, and more than half of the book describes his voyage around the islands, though he was frustrated by bad weather in getting to Staffa. He transcribes instead an account by Sir Joseph Banks, who had visited in the same year, and in his preface he acknowledges the researches and notes on particular places which had been provided by friends and correspondents. This is a genial account of the history, environment and people of a region still exotic to many Britons."

Count Pietro Gamba (1801-27) was the brother of Teresa Guiccioli, Lord Byron's mistress, and a member of the Italian revolutionaries known as the Carbonari. He accompanied Byron on his mission to Greece in 1823, and was described by the poet as 'one of the most amiable, brave, and excellent young men' he had ever encountered, 'with a thirst for knowledge, and a disinterestedness rarely to be met with'. This account of the mission, and of Byron's death and the subsequent controversies over its cause and the disposal of the body, was published in 1825, and dedicated to Byron's close friend, John Cam Hobhouse. It was based on Gamba's diary, 'containing a minute account of all the events of the day ... My only object is to give a simple narrative of what Lord Byron did in Greece'. Gamba died of typhoid in 1827, still working for Greek independence.

Edward Blaquiere (1779 1832), an Irishman of Huguenot descent, joined the Royal Navy in 1794 and served, chiefly in the Mediterranean, throughout the Napoleonic wars. In 1820, influenced by Jeremy Bentham, he went on his behalf to Spain to observe the revolution there. On the fall of the liberal regime in Spain in 1823, Blaquiere and his friend John Bowring formed the London Greek Committee to raise money for the Greek war of independence and to lobby the British government for support. (It was under the auspices of the Committee, and recruited by Blaquiere, that Lord Byron made his famous, and fatal, journey to Greece.) After his second visit to Greece, in 1825 Blaquiere published this account of his own travels and of the last days of Lord Byron. His 1824 book on the progress of the Greek revolution is also reissued in this series."

In 1894, Laura Ingalls Wilder, her husband, Almanzo, and their daughter, Rose, packed their belongings into their covered wagon and set out on a journey from De Smet, South Dakota, to Mansfield, Missouri. They heard that the soil there was rich and the crops were bountiful -- it was even called "the Land of the Big Red Apple." With hopes of beginning a new life, the Wilders made their way to the Ozarks of Missouri.

During their journey, Laura kept a detailed diary of events: the cities they passed through, the travelers they encountered on the way, the changing countryside and the trials of an often difficult voyage. Laura's words, preserved in this book, reveal her inner thoughts as she traveled with her family in search of a new home in Mansfield, where Rose would spend her childhood, where Laura would write her Little House books, and where she and Almanzo would remain all the rest of their happy days together.

John Cam Hobhouse, later Lord Broughton (1786 1869), became a friend of Byron when they were at Cambridge, and was frequently his travelling companion. He first published an account of their journey to Albania and Greece in 1814, and reissued this updated and corrected two-volume version in 1855, after his retirement from public life. (His memoirs are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.) In September 1809 Byron and Hobhouse were in Malta, and took the opportunity of a passing ship to go to Preveza in Epirus, making their way to the court of Ali Pasha, the 'tyrant of Ioannina'. Volume 1 continues the account of travels through Greece to Athens, and ends with a review of the modern Greek language and its emerging literature. During their journey, Byron was writing Childe Harold's Pilgrimage: on its publication in 1812, as he said, 'I awoke one morning and found myself famous'."

The Great Game, a coinage credited to the British officer Arthur Conolly (1807 42), refers to the nineteenth-century rivalry between Britain and Russia as each power sought supremacy in Central Asia. In a climate of tension and suspicion that the Russians might attempt to invade India via Afghanistan, Conolly, returning from sick leave in England, embarked in 1829 on an expedition through the region. His narrative provides observations on the various Asiatic peoples he encountered, including the social, religious and political aspects of their cultures. He describes also the many dangers he had to deal with, requiring him to assume a series of false identities. The risks that Conolly faced were underscored some years later, when he was captured and executed in Bukhara. Volume 2 recounts the time Conolly spent in Afghanistan. Included also are appendices addressing the possible overland invasion of India as well as the history of Afghanistan."

The Great Game, a coinage credited to the British officer Arthur Conolly (1807 42), refers to the nineteenth-century rivalry between Britain and Russia as each power sought supremacy in Central Asia. In a climate of tension and suspicion that the Russians might attempt to invade India via Afghanistan, Conolly, returning from sick leave in England, embarked in 1829 on an expedition through the region. His narrative provides observations on the various Asiatic peoples he encountered, including the social, religious and political aspects of their cultures. He describes also the many dangers he had to deal with, requiring him to assume a series of false identities. The risks that Conolly faced were underscored some years later, when he was captured and executed in Bukhara. Volume 1 recounts the first part of his journey, from St Petersburg, through the Caucasus, via Tiflis and Tehran, towards Herat."

Aged sixteen, Alexander Burnes (1805 41) took up a post in the Bombay army, and speedily learned both Hindustani and Persian. His skills led him to political work, and he himself proposed a covert expedition to Bukhara, to survey the country, but also to observe the expansionist activities of the Russians in central Asia. In 1832, he set off, with an army doctor, and two Indians as surveyor and secretary. They travelled in local dress and adopted whatever personas a situation required. Having reached Bukhara, they continued overland to the Caspian Sea, and then to Tehran, returning to Bombay by sea in 1833. This three-volume account of his adventures, published in 1834, was an instant bestseller. Volume 1 describes the journey to Bukhara, through Afghanistan into barely explored territory. Burnes continued his diplomatic activities in Afghanistan, but was murdered there by a mob in 1841."

Aged sixteen, Alexander Burnes (1805 41) took up a post in the Bombay army, and speedily learned both Hindustani and Persian. His skills led him to political work, and he himself proposed a covert expedition to Bukhara, to survey the country, but also to observe the expansionist activities of the Russians in central Asia. In 1832, he set off, with an army doctor, and two Indians as surveyor and secretary. They travelled in local dress and adopted whatever personas a situation required. Having reached Bukhara, they continued overland to the Caspian Sea, and then to Tehran, returning to Bombay by sea in 1833. This three-volume account of his adventures, published in 1834, was an instant bestseller. Volume 2 completes the journey, and describes the geography and history of central Asia. Burnes continued his diplomatic activities in Afghanistan, but was murdered there by a mob in 1841."

John Bell (1691 1780) trained as a physician, but preferred a life of travel and diplomacy. He entered the service of Tsar Peter the Great of Russia, and had already taken part (as the expedition's doctor) in a government mission to Persia in 1715 18 when he was asked to join a further embassy to China. This two-volume work, published in 1763, describes both these journeys. Volume 2 takes up the story with the embassy's reception in Beijing, with accounts of the Chinese emperor and his court, and the return journey. It also includes the journal of Lorenz Lange (c.1690 1752), a Swede in Russian service who was an agent at the court of Beijing at the time of Bell's own mission, and short accounts of Bell's later visits to Derbent on the Caspian Sea, and to Constantinople. This is a delightful account of an area then hardly known in the west."

The American artist George Catlin (1796-1872) was fascinated by the indigenous people of his homeland and spent many years living among them, painting them, and collecting their artefacts. In 1839 he took his vast collection to Europe to exhibit it, and he also toured with groups of visiting Native Americans. This illustrated two-volume account of his experiences was published in 1848. Volume 1 begins with Catlin's voyage to England across the Atlantic, for which he embarked with eight tons of freight. He goes on to discuss such events as introducing a group of Native Americans to Queen Victoria. He also includes, in the appendices, press reviews of the exhibition and a catalogue of his collection. Catlin's earlier account, Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, and Condition of the North American Indians (1841), is also reissued in this series, along with two later books for children about life among various tribes.

Antiquary, zoologist and traveller, Thomas Pennant (1726-98) is remembered for his work in bringing natural history to popular attention and for his engaging writing about the journeys he made. Lavishly illustrated by Moses Griffith with fine engravings of the stunning scenery, buildings and artefacts, this work appeared in two volumes between 1778 and 1781. More than a mere travelogue, this tour of his native country is full of delightful vignettes and historical background. The descriptions of locations and buildings reveal Pennant's thorough mind and tireless capacity for observation. Several of Pennant's other works, including his Tour in Scotland (second edition, 1772), are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. Volume 1 begins in Pennant's birthplace, Downing in Flintshire, and follows a route around North Wales, making 'a complete tour of the tamer parts of our country'. The places visited include Chester, Oswestry, Llangollen, Mold and Caerwys.

Antiquary, zoologist and traveller, Thomas Pennant (1726-98) is remembered for his work in bringing natural history to popular attention and for his engaging writing about the journeys he made. Lavishly illustrated by Moses Griffith with fine engravings of the stunning scenery, buildings and artefacts, this work appeared in two volumes between 1778 and 1781. More than a mere travelogue, this tour of his native country is full of delightful vignettes and historical background. The descriptions of locations and buildings reveal Pennant's thorough mind and tireless capacity for observation. Several of Pennant's other works, including his Tour in Scotland (second edition, 1772), are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. Volume 2 follows a route around the area of Snowdonia, the Llyn Peninsula, Caernarfon, Anglesey and the north-east coast. The latter part of the volume traces a journey from Downing in Flintshire to Shrewsbury via Montgomery.

Thomas Pennant (1726 98) is remembered for his work in bringing natural history to popular attention and for his engaging travel writing. With a number of fine engravings, this work, first published in 1771 and reissued here in its second edition of 1772, is typical of Pennant's output. More than a mere travelogue, it recounts his tour - via Tayside, Inverness, Wick and Fort William - of the Scottish Highlands, then largely unknown to outsiders but of notable interest to students of natural history. The volume is of particular significance for its meticulous descriptions of significant locations, buildings and wildlife, revealing Pennant's thorough mind and tireless capacity for observation, and also for its methodology: Pennant drew on local knowledge gathered by circulating queries in advance (these are included as an appendix). Several of Pennant's other works, including his Tour in Wales, are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection."

Clergyman, schoolmaster and writer on aesthetics, William Gilpin (1724 1804) is best known for his works on the picturesque. In his Essay on Prints, published in 1768 and reissued in this series, he defined picturesque as 'a term expressive of that peculiar kind of beauty, which is agreeable in a picture'. First published in 1789, this two-volume work forms part of a series which records his reflections on the picturesque across British landscapes. It traces the journey he made in 1776, equipped with notebook and sketching materials, exploring the landscape of the Scottish Highlands via northern England, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Reproductions of his pen-and-wash drawings are included. The companion volumes of Gilpin's Observations on other parts of Britain are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. Volume 2 of the present work covers the journey from Loch Fyne to Keswick, taking in sites such as Loch Lomond and Dumbarton Rock."

This nineteenth-century travelogue documents John Turnbull's five-year journey around the world. Turnbull (fl. 1799 1813), a sailor in the merchant service, set out from Portsmouth in 1800 with the original purpose of pursuing trade in north-west Asia. In his ship, the Margaret, he sailed via Madeira and around the Cape of Good Hope. Setting aside his trading plans, he went on to explore Pacific territories, including Australia, Norfolk Island and the Society Islands. This book records his observations throughout, and also includes an appendix featuring Turnbull's account of his time in New Zealand. His notes from the voyage were first published in 1805, and an abridged version appeared a year later. This expanded edition was published in 1813. Popular at the time due to growing public interest in the Antipodes, A Voyage Round the World is a fascinating memoir of ship life and English exploration of the Pacific in the early nineteenth century.

George Anson Byron (1789-1868), cousin of the famous poet, was a naval officer and the seventh Baron Byron. When the king and queen of Hawaii died of measles in July 1824 on a visit to England, Byron was chosen to lead the voyage that returned the bodies to their native land. Prepared by Maria Graham (1785-1842), known later as Lady Callcott, this work was published in 1826 and organised into two parts: the first gives a brief history of the islands, culminating in an account of the fatal visit; the second and larger part is compiled from the journals of those on board HMS Blonde. Engravings made from the drawings of the ship's artist, Robert Dampier, complement observations about the geography of Hawaii, its people and their customs. The remarkable journey home involved the first European sighting of Malden Island and the rescue of survivors from a shipwreck.

The American artist George Catlin (1796-1872) was fascinated by the indigenous people of his homeland and spent many years living among them, painting them, and collecting their artefacts. In 1839 he took his vast collection to Europe to exhibit it, and he also toured with groups of visiting Native Americans. This illustrated two-volume account of his experiences was published in 1848. In Volume 2, Catlin discusses his travels with visiting Native Americans to Dublin, and later Paris, where he staged another exhibition and met King Louis Philippe. The final chapter recounts Catlin's attempt to sell his entire collection to the United States government to preserve 'all the records of this dying race'. His earlier account, Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, and Condition of the North American Indians (1841), is also reissued in this series, along with two later books for children about life among various tribes.

A student of Carl Linnaeus, Pehr Osbeck (1723 1805) was a Swedish explorer, naturalist and chaplain. He travelled to Asia in 1750 2 and brought back some six hundred specimens that were included in Linnaeus' Species Plantarum (1753). His account of his voyage was published in Swedish in 1757, in German in 1765, and here in English in 1771, edited and translated by Johann Reinhold Forster (1729 98). This two-volume work also includes letters to Linnaeus by another pupil, Olof Toren (1718 53), who also travelled to the East in the early 1750s, as well as a paper on Chinese husbandry by Carl Gustaf Ekeberg (1716 84). Ekeberg made ten trips to China and India between 1742 and 1778, becoming a captain in the Swedish East India Company. He too brought back numerous specimens for Linnaeus. Volume 2 contains the conclusion of Osbeck's account, the pieces by Toren and Ekeberg, and a catalogue of animals and plants native to China.

Clergyman, schoolmaster and writer on aesthetics, William Gilpin (1724 1804) is best known for his works on the picturesque. In his Essay on Prints, published in 1768 and reissued in this series, he defined picturesque as 'a term expressive of that peculiar kind of beauty, which is agreeable in a picture'. First published in 1809, the present work is one of a series which records his reflections on the picturesque across British landscapes. It traces two journeys he made equipped with notebook and sketching materials: the first in 1769 across East Anglia, and the second in 1773 from Anglesey south-east to Shrewsbury. He describes his impression of notable sites such as Cambridge, Houghton Hall and its art collection, Beaumaris Castle and Snowdon, and includes reproductions of his pen-and-wash drawings. The companion volumes of Observations on other parts of Britain are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection."

Clergyman, schoolmaster and writer on aesthetics, William Gilpin (1724 1804) is best known for his works on the picturesque. In his Essay on Prints, published in 1768 and reissued in this series, he defined picturesque as 'a term expressive of that peculiar kind of beauty, which is agreeable in a picture'. First published in 1789, this two-volume work forms part of a series which records his reflections on the picturesque across British landscapes. It traces the journey he made in 1776, equipped with notebook and sketching materials, exploring the landscape of the Scottish Highlands via northern England, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Reproductions of his pen-and-wash drawings are included. The companion volumes of Gilpin's Observations on other parts of Britain are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. Volume 1 of the present work takes in such notable sites as Holyrood Palace, Stirling Castle, the Grampian Mountains and Glencoe."

A student of Carl Linnaeus, Pehr Osbeck (1723 1805) was a Swedish explorer, naturalist and chaplain. He travelled to Asia in 1750 2 and brought back some six hundred specimens that were included in Linnaeus' Species Plantarum (1753). His account of his voyage was published in Swedish in 1757, in German in 1765, and here in English in 1771, edited and translated by Johann Reinhold Forster (1729 98). This two-volume work also includes letters to Linnaeus by another pupil, Olof Toren (1718 53), who also travelled to the East in the early 1750s, as well as a paper on Chinese husbandry by Carl Gustaf Ekeberg (1716 84). Ekeberg made ten trips to China and India between 1742 and 1778, becoming a captain in the Swedish East India Company. He too brought back numerous specimens for Linnaeus. Volume 1, however, is given over entirely to Osbeck's narrative.

Originally published in 1925, this book contains the edited text of Arthur Young's eighteenth century travelogue A Tour In Ireland. Young records his journey all around the country, as well as making observations on Irish life under English dominion after the Cromwellian and Williamite wars. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Irish history.

Beautifully illustrated throughout, this English translation of Desire Charnay's record of his travels among the ancient cities of Mexico and Central America was first published in 1887. Born in France, Charnay (1828 1915) travelled extensively through commissions from the French government and with private patronage. He made several visits to the region between 1857 and 1886, producing in his work both a journal of his adventures and an archaeological examination of past civilisations. Beginning in Mexico, Charnay notably examines the ancient city of Tula and also the history of Yucatan, discussing aspects of Toltec and Mayan culture. He explores the ruins of Chichen Itza, Kabah and Yaxchilan (which Charnay dubbed 'Lorillard Town' after a benefactor), among many other settlements. Surveying art, pyramid architecture, ancient customs and history based on extant sources, this account was a major contribution in its field and remains of interest to scholars of Latin American archaeology.