'With Excellent Engravings'
THOMPSON, George.
Travels and adventures in Southern Africa ... Comprising a view of the present state of the Cape Colony. With observations on the progress and prospects of British emigrants. Second edition. London, Henry Colburn, 1827.
Two vols, 8vo, pp. xxi, [3], 450, with 1 folding plan and 14 aquatint and woodcut plates; vi, 430, with 1 folding plan, 1 folding map, and 8 aquatint plates; additional woodcut illustrations in text; occasional light foxing or spotting, a few closed marginal tears to plans; overall very good in contemporary half calf over marbled boards, gilt spines with black and red morocco lettering- and numbering-pieces; some rubbing to spines and extremities; armorial bookplates of William Herrick, ink inscriptions of ‘J. Perry’ at head of titles.
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Travels and adventures in Southern Africa ... Comprising a view of the present state of the Cape Colony. With observations on the progress and prospects of British emigrants. Second edition.
Second edition of Thompson’s account of his travels in South Africa following the first single-volume quarto edition of the same year.
‘This valuable work was written by a Cape Town merchant who resided in South Africa for many years, and who had travelled throughout the greater part of the Cape Colony and a considerable part of Bechuanaland, “partly from motives of business, partly from the impulse of curiosity” ... In 1821, Mr Thompson made a six weeks’ excursion to Albany. He visited Uitenhage, Graham’s Town, Bathurst, George and many other districts and settlements, and his clear, unbiased, and shrewd comments throw considerable light on the state of affairs in South Africa at this period. In 1823 and 1824 he proceeded to the Orange River and Bechuanaland, and his account of these regions is recognised as the most important description of this part of the continent published in the early part of the nineteenth century ... The work contains a number of excellent engravings, some of which were contributed by the naturalist Wehdemann, and others by Dr De Meillon and Dr Heurtley; there are plans of Cape Town and Graaff-Reinet, a map of South Africa showing the author’s route, and an appendix containing reproductions of valuable articles from the South African Journal and other sources’ (Mendelssohn).
Abbey, Travel, 330; Hosken p. 200; Mendelssohn II p. 493.