A Journey to the Tea Countries of China; including Sung-Lo and the Bohea Hills; with a short notice of the East India Company's tea plantations in the Himalaya Mountains -
Robert Fortune
1852 - John Murray, London - First Edition
A superior and thus rare first edition of this scarce account by one of the greatest 19th century plant hunters. Fortune returned to China in 1848 on behalf of the East India Company to collect plants and seeds of the tea-shrub. The tea growing methods of the Chinese were secret so he had to disguise himself as a Chinese native, and by so doing, learnt their methods and also obtained large numbers of plants and seeds, which in 1851 he successfully introduced into the north-west provinces of India.
In this work Fortune provides excellent descriptions of Hong Kong and China, of Chinese customs, industry, language and flora, missionary activity, opium consumption, and the cultivation and processing of tea. With a full page map of China outlined in colour, and illustrated with three lithographic plates (two of which are tinted), extra woodcut title page, one full page woodcut, and 11 in-text woodcuts. Scottish botanist Robert Fortune (1813-80) travelled extensively in Asia, gathering plant specimens for the Royal Horticultural Society and introducing many oriental plants into Britain. Fortune arrived in Hong Kong in 1843 and spent three years traveling throughout China. He became proficient enough with speaking Mandarin that he was able to adopt the local dress and move among the populous largely unnoticed. By shaving his head and adopting a ponytail, this rather gruff Scotsman was able to effectively blend in. So well in fact, that he able to enter the forbidden city of Souchow (now Wuhsien) unchallenged.
Provenance: Sir Richard Rawlinson Vyvyan (1800-79), 8th Baronet, Fellow of the Royal Society, and Fellow of the Geological Society. With his name to the title page, and blind embossed library plate to the illustrated title page. Small binders plate of Remnant and Edmonds, London to rear pastedown.
References: Bibliotheca Wittockiana, Western Travellers in China Discovering the Middle Kingdom, 69. Cordier, Bibliotheca Sinica, 2116. Mueller 81 f. Abbey, Travel, 529. Hill, Pacific Voyages, (2004) 630.
Octavo (book size 23.1x15.4cm). pp. xv [1] 398, 32 (publisher’s catalogue dated January, 1851). In publisher’s green cloth, decorated and lettered in gilt to spine including two vignettes, front board with gilt blocked vignette of mast flying flag lettered with title, multiple blind fillet borders in blind to front and rear boards, rear board with blind embossed centre pattern, pale grey-green coloured endpapers. Condition: Near fine, partially unopened, light scattered foxing to a few pages, rubbing to corners and folds of covers. Ref: 112164 Price: HK$ 15,000
In this work Fortune provides excellent descriptions of Hong Kong and China, of Chinese customs, industry, language and flora, missionary activity, opium consumption, and the cultivation and processing of tea. With a full page map of China outlined in colour, and illustrated with three lithographic plates (two of which are tinted), extra woodcut title page, one full page woodcut, and 11 in-text woodcuts. Scottish botanist Robert Fortune (1813-80) travelled extensively in Asia, gathering plant specimens for the Royal Horticultural Society and introducing many oriental plants into Britain. Fortune arrived in Hong Kong in 1843 and spent three years traveling throughout China. He became proficient enough with speaking Mandarin that he was able to adopt the local dress and move among the populous largely unnoticed. By shaving his head and adopting a ponytail, this rather gruff Scotsman was able to effectively blend in. So well in fact, that he able to enter the forbidden city of Souchow (now Wuhsien) unchallenged.
Provenance: Sir Richard Rawlinson Vyvyan (1800-79), 8th Baronet, Fellow of the Royal Society, and Fellow of the Geological Society. With his name to the title page, and blind embossed library plate to the illustrated title page. Small binders plate of Remnant and Edmonds, London to rear pastedown.
References: Bibliotheca Wittockiana, Western Travellers in China Discovering the Middle Kingdom, 69. Cordier, Bibliotheca Sinica, 2116. Mueller 81 f. Abbey, Travel, 529. Hill, Pacific Voyages, (2004) 630.
Octavo (book size 23.1x15.4cm). pp. xv [1] 398, 32 (publisher’s catalogue dated January, 1851). In publisher’s green cloth, decorated and lettered in gilt to spine including two vignettes, front board with gilt blocked vignette of mast flying flag lettered with title, multiple blind fillet borders in blind to front and rear boards, rear board with blind embossed centre pattern, pale grey-green coloured endpapers. Condition: Near fine, partially unopened, light scattered foxing to a few pages, rubbing to corners and folds of covers. Ref: 112164 Price: HK$ 15,000