Later half calf over marbled boards, red morocco lettering piece, spine decorated in gilt
1806 · London
by Helms, Anthony Zachariah
London: Printed for Richard Phillips, 1806. First English Language edition. Later half calf over marbled boards, red morocco lettering piece, spine decorated in gilt. A near fine copy, armorial bookplate on front pastedown, faint glue mark at hinge, minor foxing.. xii, 287, [1] pp. [i.e. 253; pages 105-253 misnumbered 141-287. Illus. with 1 folding map. 16mo. With one page of advertisements. Originally published as "Tagebuch einer reise durch Peru" (Dresden, 1798). Anton Zacharias Helms (1751-1803) was a mining expert who joined the expedition to the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata led by Thaddeus von Nordenflicht at the request of the King of Spain to assist in improving the system for processing silver from the mining operations in Potosi. This is the best record of the expedition, and Helms writes not only about mining operations, but in the second section covers extensively the governments, geology, topography, peoples, history, and commerce of the region. An abridged version without the map and running 92 pages, was published the following year. Provenance: Coleccion Monclau (bookplate). Sabin 31265. Palau 112884 (1807 ed.). Kress B.5054. Goldsmiths'-Kress: 19189.6. Lowndes II: 902. See Hill (2004): 1349. Humphreys 563. Naylor A.4.
(Inventory #: 38738)