The Totall Discourse of the Rare Adventures,

The 1906 fine-press reproduction of the first edition of 1632 of Lithgow's The Totall Discourse.

This book is probably the earliest authority for coffee-drinking in Europe, Turkish Baths, a pigeon post between Aleppo and Baghdad, Turkish tobacco-pipes, artificial incubation, and the importation of currants from Zante to England. Lithgow (1582-1645?), tailor, later traveller, was born in Lanark. This classic account first appeared in 1614 and went through numerous additions being constantly added to as Lithgow made more travels. He visited Italy, the Ionian Islands, Athens, Crete and the Aegean Archipelago in 1609 and stayed for a time on Chios, where he met two French merchants whom he joined to visit Greek monuments and antiquities. Lithgow travelled some 36,000 miles as described in this work. He was imprisoned and tortured in Spain, released at the intervention of James I, and again imprisoned in London for assaulting the Spanish Ambassador.

Deluxe issue of one hundred copies in handmade paper; 8vo (23 x 15.5 cm); signed by publisher to limited edition page, 12 plates including frontispiece; publisher's vellum backed cloth boards, gilt vignette to upper board, gilt lettering to spine, top edge gilt, a fine copy; xxxi, 449 pp.