Skip to content


Please contact us by telephone during this outage +44 (0)20 7493 0876

Exploration & Travel

Rare books and manuscripts of Exploration and Travel across the world. From first editions of Captain Cook to works signed by Ernest Shackleton, and from the plains of India to the deserts of the Sahara, these works chart the history of mankind recording the places and people they saw.

See: Africa, Antarctica, Arabia & the Middle East, Arctic, Australasia, the Pacific & Voyages, Central Asia, East Asia, Europe, Greece, Turkey & the Ottoman Empire, Mountaineering, Russia & the Caucasus, South Asia, Southeast Asia, The Americas

970 results
Filter
Sort by
  • An unrivalled collection of material revealing the history of Qatar from 1820 to 1960, focussing on primary documents from Qatar's first maritime treaty with Britain in 1820 up to the abdication of Ali bin Abdullah in 1960.
    An unrivalled collection of material revealing the history of Qatar from 1820 to 1960, focussing on primary documents from Qatar's first maritime treaty with Britain in 1820 up to the abdication of Ali bin Abdullah in 1960.

    [ARABIAN GULF; QATAR]. TUSON, Penelope.
    Records of Qatar Primary Documents: 1820-1960. 1991.
    $5,727.00

  • Survey of the Shores and Islands of the Persian Gulf 1820-1829, the first systematic examination of the coastal topography of the Arabian Gulf with 55 maps and views.
    Survey of the Shores and Islands of the Persian Gulf 1820-1829, the first systematic examination of the coastal topography of the Arabian Gulf with 55 maps and views.

    [ARABIAN GULF]. COOK, Andrew (editor).
    Survey of the shores and Islands of the Persian Gulf 1820-1829. 1990.
    $4,717.00

  • The 1685 Longhi edition of this important work L'Origine del Danubio, with an early map of the Danube and early plates depicting Constantinople.
    The 1685 Longhi edition of this important work L'Origine del Danubio, with an early map of the Danube and early plates depicting Constantinople.

    BIRKEN, Sigmund Von.
    L'Origine del Danubio 1685.
    $3,706.00

  • First edition, number 278 of an edition of 315 copies, of which 300 were for sale.
    First edition, number 278 of an edition of 315 copies, of which 300 were for sale.

    LAWRENCE, T.E.
    Revolt in the Desert. 1927.
    $3,032.00

  • First trade edition, first impression of T.E. Lawrence's classic memoir <em>Seven Pillars of Wisdom</em>, in the original dust jacket.
    First trade edition, first impression of T.E. Lawrence's classic memoir <em>Seven Pillars of Wisdom</em>, in the original dust jacket.

    LAWRENCE, T.E.
    Seven Pillars of Wisdom. 1935.
    $641.00

  • A near-fine copy of With Clive in India, an adventure novel by G.A. Henty, given as an academic prize in 1899.
    A near-fine copy of With Clive in India, an adventure novel by G.A. Henty, given as an academic prize in 1899.

    HENTY, G.A.
    With Clive in India [n.d. c.1899].
    $203.00

  • First edition of the three-volume Tut-Ankh-Amen, Howard Carter's account of the most famous archaeological discovery of the 20th century.
    First edition of the three-volume Tut-Ankh-Amen, Howard Carter's account of the most famous archaeological discovery of the 20th century.

    CARTER, Howard; MACE, A.C.
    The Tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amen 1923-1927-1933.
    $6,064.00

  • A handsome first edition of The Great Boer War by Arthur Conan Doyle.
    A handsome first edition of The Great Boer War by Arthur Conan Doyle.

    CONAN DOYLE, Arthur.
    The Great Boer War 1900.
    $1,146.00

  • A guide to Shanghai, 1939 first edition, written by Ellen Thorbecke, beautifully illustrated by Friedrich Schiff in Art Deco design, including photographs taken by the author.
    A guide to Shanghai, 1939 first edition, written by Ellen Thorbecke, beautifully illustrated by Friedrich Schiff in Art Deco design, including photographs taken by the author.

    THORBECKE, Ellen; SCHIFF, Friedrich (illustrator).
    Shanghai. [1939].
    $674.00

  • Norman H. Hardy's The Savage South Seas, one of the most attractive Black colour plate books, 1907.
    Norman H. Hardy's The Savage South Seas, one of the most attractive Black colour plate books, 1907.

    HARDY, Norman H. (illustrator); WAY ELKINGTON, E.
    The Savage South Seas. 1907.
    $203.00

  • A guide to Hong Kong, 1938 first edition, written by Ellen Thorbecke, beautifully illustrated by Friedrich Schiff in Art Deco design, including photographs taken by the author.
    A guide to Hong Kong, 1938 first edition, written by Ellen Thorbecke, beautifully illustrated by Friedrich Schiff in Art Deco design, including photographs taken by the author.

    THORBECKE, Ellen; SCHIFF, Friedrich (illustrator).
    Hong Kong. [1938].
    $674.00

  • Gustav Schulz's photographs, taken on a trip to the Falklands in 1887, are accompanied by an information booklet on the islands, written by him. The photographs and booklet are contained in a green cloth gilt portfolio titled Falkland Islands. South America.
    Gustav Schulz's photographs, taken on a trip to the Falklands in 1887, are accompanied by an information booklet on the islands, written by him. The photographs and booklet are contained in a green cloth gilt portfolio titled Falkland Islands. South America.

    SCHULZ, Gustav.
    Falkland Islands. South-America. [n.d., c. 1890].
    $2,022.00

  • Sir George Watt's catalogue showing wares, wood work, ivory, leather, embroidery, carpets, fine arts, etc. displayed at the exhibition Indian Art at Delhi, 1903, first edition.
    Sir George Watt's catalogue showing wares, wood work, ivory, leather, embroidery, carpets, fine arts, etc. displayed at the exhibition Indian Art at Delhi, 1903, first edition.

    WATT, George (Sir).
    Indian Art at Delhi, 1903. 1903.
    $539.00

  • Revised second edition of A Thousand Miles Up the Nile by Amelia Edwards, a fine copy of one of the first general surveys of Egypt's ruins.
    Revised second edition of A Thousand Miles Up the Nile by Amelia Edwards, a fine copy of one of the first general surveys of Egypt's ruins.

    EDWARDS, Amelia.
    A Thousand Miles Up the Nile. 1889.
    $674.00

  • Special presentation copy to Leslie Gamage bound by Sangorski and Sutcliffe
    Special presentation copy to Leslie Gamage bound by Sangorski and Sutcliffe

    HUNT, John.
    The Ascent of Everest. 1953.
    $1,348.00

  • First edition of James Pattison Cockburn's Views of Quebec, a rare set of six views of Quebec during his time as an officer in the Napoleonic Wars.
    First edition of James Pattison Cockburn's Views of Quebec, a rare set of six views of Quebec during his time as an officer in the Napoleonic Wars.

    COCKBURN, Lieut. Col. James Pattison.
    Views of Quebec. 1833.
    $101,060.00

  • The Marsh Arabs of Lower Mesopotamia.
    The Marsh Arabs of Lower Mesopotamia.

    DOWSON, Valentine Hugh & BUXTON, Patrick Alfred.
    The Marsh Arabs of Lower Mesopotamia. 1921.
    $1,617.00

  • Rare survivals of early photographs of the newly married Samuel and Florence Baker between their return from the Nile and expedition on behalf of Khedive Ismail.<br />

    [BAKER, Samuel White].
    Samuel and Florence Baker Signed Pair of Carte-de-Visite. circa 1865-1869].
    $2,695.00

  • A rare pair of manuscripts revealing the attempts made to revive horse breeding in the Gujarat, especially the Kathiawar peninsula, and the Deccan, namely in Pune (Poonah) and along the Bhima River, in the 1820s and 1830s.
    A rare pair of manuscripts revealing the attempts made to revive horse breeding in the Gujarat, especially the Kathiawar peninsula, and the Deccan, namely in Pune (Poonah) and along the Bhima River, in the 1820s and 1830s.

    [INDIAN HORSES; BOWER, Colonel John].
    Summary of Proceedings regarding the improvement of the breed of horses in Guzerat &c. [circa 1813-1840]; 1838-39.
    $20,212.00

  • Manuscript Account Book of an East-India Company merchant.
    Manuscript Account Book of an East-India Company merchant.

    [EAST INDIA COMPANY; AGNEW, William].
    Manuscript Account Book of an East-India Company merchant. 1787-97.
    $10,106.00

  • Farewell Address to The Honourable J.B. Norton.
    Farewell Address to The Honourable J.B. Norton.

    [MADRAS; NORTON, John Bruce.]
    Farewell Address to The Honourable J.B. Norton. 1871.]
    $6,401.00

  • Farewell Address of the Native Inhabitants of Madras
    Farewell Address of the Native Inhabitants of Madras

    [MADRAS; LORD ELPHINSTONE].
    Farewell Address of the Native Inhabitants of Madras 29 August, 1842.
    $114,535.00

  • Manuscript Account of a Voyage to Melbourne, Australia in 1871 in the SS <em>Great Britain</em>.
    Manuscript Account of a Voyage to Melbourne, Australia in 1871 in the SS <em>Great Britain</em>.

    [AUSTRALIA].
    Manuscript Account of a Voyage to Melbourne, Australia in 1871 in the SS Great Britain. 1871.
    $3,706.00

  • Manuscript Founding Documents for the First Convent in India, the Mosteiro of Santa Monica in Goa.
    Manuscript Founding Documents for the First Convent in India, the Mosteiro of Santa Monica in Goa.

    [FIRST INDIA CONVENT].
    Manuscript Founding Documents for the First Convent in India, the Mosteiro of Santa Monica in Goa. 1874.
    $4,717.00

  • An Album of Sketches and Drawings Around the World Owned by a French Lady of Court.
    An Album of Sketches and Drawings Around the World Owned by a French Lady of Court.

    [COLOMBIA; ROWE, George James et al].
    An Album of Sketches and Drawings Around the World Owned by a French Lady of Court. 1826-1829.
    $2,493.00

  • A Geographical Analysis of the Date Palm Industry of Iraq.
    A Geographical Analysis of the Date Palm Industry of Iraq.

    AL DABBAGH, Abdullwahhab H.
    A Geographical Analysis of the Date Palm Industry of Iraq. 1948].
    $2,359.00

  • Manuscript Trench Orders of Mesopotamia Campaign,
    Manuscript Trench Orders of Mesopotamia Campaign,

    [SIKH; WWI]
    Manuscript Trench Orders of Mesopotamia Campaign, 1917.
    $1,146.00

  • A War Diary 1914-1915.
    A War Diary 1914-1915.

    LOWTHER, Sir Cecil.
    A War Diary 1914-1915. August 13th 1914 - August 21st 1915.
    $3,706.00

  • A rare firsthand account of France in the immediate aftermath of Napoleon's abdication in 1814, kept by Frederick Shaw, a British soldier as he marched home across the country having served in the final battles of Wellington in south-west France.
    A rare firsthand account of France in the immediate aftermath of Napoleon's abdication in 1814, kept by Frederick Shaw, a British soldier as he marched home across the country having served in the final battles of Wellington in south-west France.

    SHAW, Frederick.
    Manuscript journal of a British soldier marching home through France in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. 1814.
    $2,022.00

  • Zhou Peichun was a famous Beijing folk artist and export painter in the late Qing Dynasty.
    Zhou Peichun was a famous Beijing folk artist and export painter in the late Qing Dynasty.

    ZHOU PEICHUN.
    Album of Chinese Export Watercolours Depicting the People of Beijing. fl.1880-1910.]
    $16,844.00

  • a collection of signed printed ephemera from Shackleton's first Antarctic expedition, with the provenance of the Ship's chief engineer.
    a collection of signed printed ephemera from Shackleton's first Antarctic expedition, with the provenance of the Ship's chief engineer.

    [SHACKLETON, Sir Ernest. NIMROD EXPEDITION].
    Signed Menus and Ephemera of Henry Dunlop, 1907-1913.
    $26,276.00

  • How I Found Livingstone.
    How I Found Livingstone.

    STANLEY, Henry Morton.
    How I Found Livingstone. 1872
    $2,359.00

  • First edition of the The Lushai Expedition by RH Woodthorpe, a first hand account of the punitive Lushai Expedition of 1871-1872 in retaliation for several border raids and abductions from the hill tribes of Northeastern Assam.
    First edition of the The Lushai Expedition by RH Woodthorpe, a first hand account of the punitive Lushai Expedition of 1871-1872 in retaliation for several border raids and abductions from the hill tribes of Northeastern Assam.

    WOODTHORPE, R.G.
    The Lushai Expedition. 1871-1872. 1873.
    $539.00

  • A first English edition of The Silk Road by Sven Hedin, which deals with the exploration of the region around Lop-Nor in Eastern Turkestan; Hedin travelled by car across the Gobi Desert along the Imperial Highway.
    A first English edition of The Silk Road by Sven Hedin, which deals with the exploration of the region around Lop-Nor in Eastern Turkestan; Hedin travelled by car across the Gobi Desert along the Imperial Highway.

    HEDIN, Sven.
    The Silk Road. 1938.
    $169.00

  • Scarce souvenir book of Colorado and related Western imagery including several panels of indigenous American peoples, Buffalo Bill, Navajo Jack, Denver, Colorado Springs, and much more.
    Scarce souvenir book of Colorado and related Western imagery including several panels of indigenous American peoples, Buffalo Bill, Navajo Jack, Denver, Colorado Springs, and much more.

    [COLORADO; NATIVE AMERICANS].
    Out West. c.1897.
    $337.00

  • First edition of V.C. Scott O'Connor's beautifully illustrated The Silken East. A Record of Life and Travel in Burma, an account of two residences there, the first from 1891 to 1896; the second in 1899.
    First edition of V.C. Scott O'Connor's beautifully illustrated The Silken East. A Record of Life and Travel in Burma, an account of two residences there, the first from 1891 to 1896; the second in 1899.

    O'CONNOR, V.C. Scott.
    The Silken East. A Record of Life and Travel in Burma. 1904.
    $1,011.00

Cart
Your cart is empty
Have an account?
Log in to check out faster.