All Round The World: An Illustrated Record of Voyages, Travels And Adventures In All Parts Of The Globe, by William Francis Ainsworth (1807-1896), published by William Collins, Sons, & Company. London & Glasgow 1870 edition - Illustrations and maps. Magnificent edition with impressive cover. The front cover has medallions with gilt embossing depicting the inhabitants of the different continents in their traditional dress.
Travel book of William Francis Ainsworth around the world. Accompanied by 200 illustrations and 6 folded color maps: Map of Asia, China, North Africa, Central Africa, Turkey and Northern Europe, and South America. The importance of Eretz Israel in the eyes of 19th century world travelers is prominently expressed here by an illustration of Jerusalem - a view from outside the Damascus Gate opening the book dealing with his tours of the five continents. The author documents his voyages in several countries around the world. Ainsworth was mainly interested in social life and customs of the different communities, as well as historic buildings and important sites. As he writes in the introduction, this is a book about geography, science and nature. Jerusalem, Sicily, China, Japan, the islands of the Indian Ocean, Mongolia, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Cuba, the Galapagos Islands, Dalmatia, the Maldives, Mount Athos, North America, South Africa, the Siberian plains and Morocco are just some of the countries and regions described in the text accompanied by many impressive illustrations throughout.
William Francis Ainsworth (1807-1896) A British geographer and geologist. He was born in Exeter and completed his studies at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1827. He lived in London and Paris, where he continued his studies at the École Nationale Supérieure Des Mines, while engaged in geological research in Provence. In his travels he went to Asia Minor, Mesopotamia and Syria, explored the Kurdistan Mountains in spring 1840 and arrived in Istanbul on a journey through Armenia. Due to financial difficulties, he had to return to Britain in 1841. After the mission to the Euphrates and Mesopotamia he published “Researches in Assyria, Babylonia and Chaldea” (London, 1838) and “Travels and Researches in Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Chaldea and Armenia” (London, 1842). Two years later, in 1844, he published his best known work "Travels in the Track of the Ten Thousand Greeks" relating to the march of the Ten Thousand. For several years he served as honorary secretary of the Syro-Egyptian Society, founded in 1844, and he worked to promote the Euphrates valley and Tigris valley route to India. He was a founder of the Western Hospital of London, and its honorary treasurer until his death at 11 Wolverton Gardens, Hammersmith, on November 27, 1896.
820 p. 31 cm. + 6 folded maps. Gilt leaf cutting. Detached front cover reattached with adhesive paper from inside, tears and missing tears on spine. Book body in very good condition.
