Voyages d'un Faux Derviche dans L'Asie Centrale de Téhéran a Khiva, Bokhara et Samarcand par le Grand Désert Turkoman (Travels of a False Dervish in Central Asia...) [TRAVELS IN CENTRAL ASIA]
Paris: Libraire de L. Hachette et Cie, 1865. First French-language edition. Hardcover. Quarto. 402pp. [1] Green leather over dark green pebbled cloth boards with blind-stamped ruling on the covers, gilt ruling, tooling and lettering on the spine. The bottom 3/4 of the spine is comprised of an earlier black pebbled leather spine, with gilt lettering and tooling, which has been pasted on. Marbled endpapers. Engraved b/w frontispiece portrait illustration of the author.
The first French edition of Hungarian scholar, linguist and orientalist Armin Vambery's (1832-1913) famed travelogue, "Travels in Central Asia". The work was previously published in English and then Hungarian. This French edition was translated from the English by E.D. Forgues. The book chronicles in fascinating detail the journey undertaken by Vermbery from Constantinople to Samarkand and back, between 1861-1864. The course of his journey saw him pass through Anatolia, the Southern Caucasus, Persia, Central Asia and the Turkmen Desert. The during this time the author had disguised himself as a Sunni Dervish named Reshit Efendi (as emphasized and noted in the French-language title). In 2005 newly uncovered documentation from the British archives revealed that in retrospect Vambery had secretly been a British spy, whose main purpose during this time was in fact to gather information, and to subvert Russian attempts to gain ground in Central Asia. After the author's return to Europe, he was hailed as a hero, and gained much celebrity.
Illustrated throughout with a total of 34 interleaved b/w engraved plates (24 more than the English edition published the same year). All plates with tissue guards. Also included is a fold-out 11.5x9" b/w map Central Asia, showing Vambery's route, at the front.
Text in French.
Binding with minor rubbing to extremities, as well as a few minor smudges to the covers. Interior with some sporadic water stains to pages (including some plates) throughout, though mostly in the margins. All tissue guards foxed. Book block quite tight. Binding in very good, interior in good+ condition overall. g+ to vg. Item #47670
Price: $350.00