Alexander von Humboldt (1769 1859) was an internationally respected scientist and explorer whose meticulous approach to scientific observation greatly influenced later research. He travelled the world, once staying at the White House as a guest of Thomas Jefferson, and is commemorated in the many species and places which bear his name. This two volume work, published in French in 1810 as Vue des Cordill res, and in this English translation in 1814, was one of the many publications that resulted from Humboldt's expedition to Latin America in 1799 1804. It describes geographical features such as volcanoes and waterfalls, and aspects of the indigenous cultures including architecture, sculpture, art, languages and writing systems, religions, costumes and artefacts. This approachable, closely observed travelogue vividly recounts a huge variety of impressions and experiences, and reveals Humboldt's boundless curiosity as well as his scientific and cultural knowledge.

Sketches of Persia, although published anonymously in 1827, is attributed to Sir John Malcolm (1769 1833). Malcolm was a diplomat and administrator in India: arriving at the age of fourteen in 1783 to work for the East India Company, he was known during his long career as 'Boy' Malcolm. He swiftly moved into more political and diplomatic roles. He became fluent in Persian and was despatched to Persia for part of his career, though he would eventually return to India and become Governor of Bombay (1827 1830). In Volume 1 of Sketches, Malcolm starts the journey from Bombay, sailing into the Persian Gulf, arriving at Abusheher, where he stays many weeks. From there his party moves inland into the mountains, and finally reaches Shiraz and then Persepolis. Throughout his journey, Malcolm fills this work with his observations about the people he meets, and recounts Persian folk stories and fables.

Sketches of Persia, although published anonymously in 1827, is attributed to Sir John Malcolm (1769 1833). Malcolm was a diplomat and administrator in India: arriving at the age of fourteen in 1783 to work for the East India Company, he was known during his long career as 'Boy' Malcolm. He swiftly moved into more political and diplomatic roles. He became fluent in Persian and was despatched to Persia for part of his career, though he would eventually return to India and become Governor of Bombay (1827 1830). Volume 2 begins on the edge of the desert in Cashan and ends in Sennah. Along the way, Malcolm observes Persian life and customs, and describes his many encounters, which give a vivid picture of society in Persia during this period, including a magnificent reception at court in Tehran where he meets the king, who is dripping with jewels 'of an extraordinary size'.

An early example of the travel-writing genre, William Bosman's collection of letters, originally written in Dutch and first published in English in 1705, describes the geography and political and natural history of the coast of Guinea. This 1907 edition is presented as a facsimile of the 1705 version, retaining the original typography. Bosman (born in 1672) went to Africa at the age of sixteen in the service of the Dutch West India Company, and spent fourteen years on the Gold Coast. This collection of twenty letters, written to his uncle in the Netherlands, remains an important source of information about this area of west Africa in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Bosman's accounts are highly descriptive, and his writings cover all aspects of the area, from its flora and fauna to its political, social and legal systems, its enterprising natives and its climate and diseases.

Sir Richard Burton (1821-90) is well known for his colourful career, recorded in numerous books and articles, as a diplomat, explorer and ethnographer. In 1861 he was appointed consul to Fernando Po (now Bioko) in Equatorial Guinea, remaining there for four years until he was transferred to Brazil. These volumes collate the expeditions and ethnographic observations made during his time there. In his preface, Burton writes that the 'plain truth' about the African has not been told in Britain, declaring that English occupation of West Africa has proved 'a remarkable failure'. First published in 1876, Volume 1 records Burton's landing at the Gaboon River and includes geographical details, information about local tribes, and reports of journeys to Sanga Tanga and up the Gaboon River to its source. Burton also writes about a 'specimen day' with the reputed Fan cannibals and includes a chapter on gorillas.

First published in 1883, this travel memoir describes the journey into West Africa undertaken by explorers Richard Burton (1821 90) and Verney Lovett Cameron (1844 94) in 1881. The mission for the two men was to assess the mining potential of the west coast, first observed by Burton in a publication that had appeared twenty years earlier. The first few chapters of Volume 1 cover Burton's journey from Trieste to Lisbon, Madeira and Tenerife and on to Africa during the winter of 1881, including descriptions of Mount Atlas and the Canary Islands. The volume finishes with their arrival in Sierra Leone. The expedition was cut short by the Foreign Office, who feared for the safety of the two explorers. Burton returned to Europe with a large collection of plant and animal specimens, and the pair sent 151 plant species, lists of which are included in the appendices, to Kew Gardens.

First published in 1883, this travel memoir chronicles the journey into West Africa undertaken by explorers Richard Burton (1821 90) and Verney Lovett Cameron (1844 94) in 1881. The mission for the two men was to assess the mining potential of the west coast, first observed by Burton in a publication that had appeared twenty years earlier. Volume 2 starts with the men in Sierra Leone and describes the journey to Axim, 'the gold port of the past and the future' in Ghana. The subsequent chapters describe various expeditions made out of Axim and the examination of some mines. The journey was cut short by the Foreign Office, who feared for the safety of the two explorers. Burton returned to Europe with a large collection of plant and animal specimens, and the pair sent 151 plant species, lists of which are included in the appendices, to Kew Gardens.

In 1868, eight years after his death at the hands of Abyssinian tribesmen, the memoirs of Walter Chichele Plowden (1820 60) were published in Britain, having been prepared for publication by his brother Trevor. As the first British consul appointed to Abyssinia in 1848, Plowden was in a unique position to record contemporary local history (although as consul he was not an unequivocal success), and this book contains his detailed account of all levels of Abyssinian society. A close associate of the Emperor Tewodros (Theodore), who slaughtered 2,000 people in retaliation for Plowden's death, he includes a vivid characterisation of this important figure, and provides an exceptionally useful contemporary source for the turbulent history of Abyssinia in the mid-nineteenth century. The book also includes two maps, one of the northern frontier of Abyssinia drawn by Plowden himself, and the other modelled on the British War Office map of Abyssinia.

Peter Kalm (1716-79) was a Finnish-Swedish botanist who travelled extensively to observe the natural world in Sweden, Finland, Russia and Ukraine, and became a professor of 'oeconomie' - the economic application of subjects such as mineralogy, botany, zoology and chemistry - at the university of Turku. Between 1747 and 1751 he set out on a journey through eastern North America to gather specimens, especially from regions with a similar climate to Sweden. Because Kalm travelled though the area when much of it was still unknown to Europeans, this work has some of the first recorded accounts of places such as Niagara Falls. Kalm played an important part in forging scientific links between Sweden, England and North America. This three-volume work details his travels, and was first published in English in 1770-1. Volume 2 gives detailed descriptions of the plants and animals Kalm observes in New Jersey and New York.

Antonio de Ulloa (1716-95) was a Spanish scientist and mathematician. In 1734 he was asked by Philip V of Spain to join the French geodesic expedition to measure the circumference of the Earth at the equator, and accordingly in 1735 Ulloa and his fellow scientist Jorge Juan y Santacilia (1713-73) travelled to South America, staying until 1744. These volumes contain the English translation of Ulloa's account of South America, first published in 1758. The work was very popular, producing five subsequent editions: this reissue is of the fourth edition of 1806. It provides insights into the social, religious and economic institutions of colonial South America. Volume 2 contains descriptions of the cities and provinces of Lima, Concepcion (in Chile) and Buenos Aires and of the British colony of Boston, visited on the return journey, together with the first ethnological description in English of the indigenous peoples of Brazil.

John Reinhold Forster (1729 98), a scientific writer and translator of German origin, took part in Cook's second Pacific voyage, from 1772 to 1775, and published this study, which records his examinations of 'nature in its greatest extent; the earth, the sea, the air, the organic and animated creation', in 1778. He drew upon the ideas of 'the most ingenious men of the age' in constructing his observations on natural history and navigation. The first half of the book addresses the physical aspects of the world: earth and land, oceans, global changes and flora and fauna. The second half focuses on the anthropological origins of the people of the southern seas. The book was originally written as a popular travel narrative, and it remains an important publication which will appeal to readers interested in historical geography, zoology, ethnology, astronomy and travel writing.

Published in 1867, Sir Samuel Baker's journal describes his expedition to Africa in search of the source of the Nile. Baker (1821 93), one of the most important British explorers of the nineteenth century, undertook a twelve-month journey to examine every individual tributary to the Nile, accompanied throughout by his wife Florence (whom he had first encountered in an Ottoman slave market). Reflecting his passion for exploring and his strength of character, Baker's highly descriptive, witty and fluid writing records his dangerous and difficult project, telling fascinating stories of the native people as well as relaying the facts of his exploration. From his hunting expeditions with the Hamran Arabs to his extensive journeys on camel-back and his life at camp, Baker's experiences are far removed from today's world, and his vivid descriptions provide the reader with an invaluable insight into what life was like in Africa in the mid-nineteenth century.

Sir Richard Burton (1821-90) is well known for his colourful career, recorded in numerous books and articles, as a diplomat, explorer and ethnographer. In 1861 he was appointed consul to Fernando Po (now Bioko) in Equatorial Guinea, remaining there for four years until he was transferred to Brazil. These volumes collate the expeditions and ethnographic observations made during his time there. In his preface, Burton writes that the 'plain truth' about the African has not been told in Britain, declaring that English occupation of West Africa has proved 'a remarkable failure'. First published in 1876, the second volume recounts a journey made from Fernando Po to Loango Bay and up the Congo River. Of particular interest is the penultimate chapter, 'The slaver and the missionary in the Congo River', in which Burton expresses his ambivalence towards a European presence in Africa. Volume 2 also includes appendices containing geographical observations.

James Clark Ross (1800-1862) was an explorer who served in the Royal Navy and made his first Arctic trip in 1818 on an unsuccessful mission to find the North-West Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. On the basis of his polar experience, he was appointed to lead further expeditions, and by 1839 he found himself on the opposite side of the world in the Antarctic, with Joseph Dalton Hooker as his on-board naturalist. This two-volume account of the four-year voyage was published in 1847. Ross' findings led him to the conclusion that there was life on the sea floor to at least 730 metres, and the work is an important contribution to the development of oceanography and scientific knowledge about the Antarctic. Volume 1 covers Ross' journey from England to the Antarctic Circle, detailing the oceanic and climatic observations made along the way.

James Clark Ross (1800-1862) was an explorer who served in the Royal Navy and made his first Arctic trip in 1818 on an unsuccessful mission to find the North-West Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. On the basis of his polar experience, he was appointed to lead further expeditions, and by 1839 he found himself on the opposite side of the world in the Antarctic, with Joseph Dalton Hooker as his on-board naturalist. This two-volume account of the four-year voyage was published in 1847. Ross' findings led him to the conclusion that there was life on the sea floor to at least 730 metres, and the work is an important contribution to the development of oceanography and scientific knowledge about the Antarctic. Volume 2 continues the story of the expedition, which eventually reached 78S, and discovered the deep bay in the southern ocean now called the Ross Sea.

Originally published in 1897, this two-volume work chronicles the polar expedition of Norwegian scientist Fridtjof Nansen (1861 1930), who came closer than any previous explorer to the North Pole. Beginning on board his boat, the Fram, which was deliberately driven into pack-ice off Siberia in order to drift north, Nansen and his companions later resorted to sleds and kayaks. Running to over six hundred pages, Volume 1 includes descriptions of the expedition's preparation and equipment, the farewell to Norway and voyage through the Kara Sea, ending with the party's second autumn on the ice. The Fram served as an oceanographic-meteorological-biological laboratory during its time in the Arctic and Nansen eventually published six volumes of scientific observations. He later became Norwegian delegate to the League of Nations, directing humanitarian projects, and is famous for receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 as well as for his polar achievements.

Originally published in 1897, this two-volume work chronicles the polar expedition of Norwegian scientist Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930), who came closer than any previous explorer to the North Pole. Beginning on board his boat, the Fram, which was deliberately driven into pack-ice off Siberia in order to drift north, Nansen and his companions later resorted to sleds and kayaks. Volume 2 describes the journey over the ice - setting out with 28 dogs, 3 sledges and 2 kayaks - and ends with an account of the return journey. (It also includes Captain Otto Sverdrup's report of the expedition.) The Fram served as a laboratory during its time in the Arctic, and Nansen eventually published six volumes of scientific observations. He later became Norwegian delegate to the League of Nations, directing humanitarian projects, and is famous for receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 as well as for his polar achievements.

Major Dixon Denham (1786 1828) and Lieutenant Hugh Clapperton (1788 1827) were British explorers famous for their explorations in Africa. Between 1822 and 1825, they set out to investigate the lower course of the River Niger and the swamps and forests of the Guinea Coast, accompanied by the physician Dr Walter Oudney (1790 1824), who sadly died of a fever during the expedition. This important book, first published in 1826, brings together the memoirs of all three explorers to document their mission, which represented the first complete crossing of the Sahara by Europeans in recorded history. Diverse and insightful, it recounts phenomena such as the transportation of slaves from the Sudan, the salt industry in the heart of the desert, and encounters with native tribes. Providing unique insights into pre-colonial Africa, these vivid recollections remain of great interest to historians of Africa, cultural anthropologists and geographers alike.

Charles Henry Robinson (1861 1925) was a Cambridge scholar who, during the 1890s, published several books on the language, literature and culture of the Hausa people of West Africa. This study, published in 1896, documents his pioneering fieldwork during which, in three months, he travelled 1500 miles across rivers, mountains, villages and towns. Public interest in the Hausa was high at the time, due to their recruitment as troops by Britain in the Ashanti conflict, and by France to consolidate French power in Madagascar. However, Robinson argues against the perception of the Hausa as primarily a warlike people, despite their formidable strength in battle. In this vivid account of his time among them, he portrays the Hausa as successful traders who excelled above all in commercial endeavours. Exploring enterprises from textiles and tobacco to hunting and river transportation, Robinson gives fascinating first-hand insights into this important African community.

Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821 1890) was an explorer who began his career in the Bombay army in 1842. While in India he developed his linguistic talent, mastering more than forty different languages and dialects. He turned to writing books in the 1850s and over the remaining forty years of his life published dozens of works and more than 100 articles. In this two-volume work, published in 1860, Burton discusses geographical and ethnological matters, while also giving space to the 'picturesque points of view which the subject offers' in recounting his journey to Zanzibar and around the lakes in present-day Tanzania. In Volume 1 Burton begins his expedition on the island of Zanzibar before moving inland to explore the Kingani and Mgeta Rivers. He crosses the Usagara mountains and ends the volume in Unyamwezi, 'the far-famed land over the moon'.

Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821 1890) was an explorer who began his career in the Bombay army in 1842. While in India he developed his linguistic talent, mastering more than forty different languages and dialects. He turned to writing books in the 1850s and over the remaining forty years of his life published dozens of works and more than 100 articles. In this two-volume work, published in 1860, Burton discusses geographical and ethnological matters, while also giving space to the 'picturesque points of view which the subject offers' in recounting his journey to Zanzibar and around the lakes in present-day Tanzania. Volume 2 sees Burton arrive at Lake Tanganyika, and much of this volume is dedicated to his exploration of this freshwater lake and investigation of the way of life of the inhabitants of its shores. He also includes an appendix of commerce in the region.

The botanist and mining engineer John Miers (1789 1879) published Travels in Chile and La Plata in 2 volumes in 1826. The work is an account of his travels and residence in Chile between 1818 and 1825 and his investigations into the cultural, political, geographical and botanical aspects of the country. Richly illustrated with maps and his own drawings, the work is most valuable for the data it contains from Miers' research into the plants and birds he found there, including drawings and descriptions of many species previously unknown to the West. Volume 1 also contains the main travel account of his journey from England to Chile, geographical descriptions of the places he explored there, and an account of his plans and negotiations to build a copper-refining plant. The work is a rich source of botanical information and offers an insight into Victorian perceptions of Chile.

The botanist and mining engineer John Miers (1789 1879) published Travels in Chile and La Plata in 2 volumes in 1826. The work is an account of his travels and residence in Chile between 1818 and 1825 and his investigations into the cultural, political, geographical and botanical aspects of the country. Richly illustrated with maps and his own drawings, the work is most valuable for the data it contains from Miers' research into the plants and birds he found there, including drawings and descriptions of many species previously unknown to the West. Volume 2 also gives an account of Chile's political and economic history; its religion and culture; its trade, agriculture and mining; and contains an appendix listing the plants and animals he examined. The work is both a rich source for geographical and botanical information and offers an insight into Victorian perceptions of Chile.

The first English version of Bernier's 1670 work since its initial translation from the French in 1672, Irving Brock's 1826 edition vastly improved his predecessor's work. Francois Bernier (1625?-1688) trained as a physician at Montpellier and left France for Syria in 1654, travelling to Egypt and finally to India ('Hindustan'), where he spent twelve years as the court physician to the Great Mogul Aurangzeb. Celebrated and influential, his Travels shaped European opinions and knowledge of India. Brock provides a biography in his preface to Volume 1, where he also outlines the volumes' contents. Volume 1 narrates civil war, describes the government and finances of the court, and the army, and closes with detailed descriptions of Delhi and Agra. Including Brock's many interventions to relate the narrative to imperial Britain, this work will be of interest to scholars of post-colonialism, of early modern travel and of Asian and European encounters.

The first English version of Bernier's 1670 work since its initial translation from the French in 1672, Irving Brock's 1826 edition vastly improved his predecessor's work. Francois Bernier (1625?-1688) trained as a physician at Montpellier and left France for Syria in 1654, travelling to Egypt and finally to India ('Hindustan'), where he spent twelve years as the court physician to the Great Mogul Aurangzeb. Celebrated and influential, his Travels shaped European opinions and knowledge of India. Volume 2 details religious practices, the Great Mogul's journey to Kashmir, and many other topics, concluding with an appendix of north Indian history and a chronology of its rulers. Including Brock's interventions to relate the narrative to imperial Britain, this work will be of interest to scholars of post-colonialism, of early modern travel and of Asian and European encounters.