Scottish artist W. G. Burn Murdoch (1862 1939) joined a whaling expedition to Antarctica that left Dundee in 1892. He was on board the barque Balaena, the largest of the ships in the group, and under the command of Captain Fairweather. They were searching for the valuable Bowhead whale, which had been sighted on Ross' 1839 43 Antarctic expedition. Although unsuccessful at achieving this aim, the ships returned in 1893 loaded with seal pelts. First published in 1894, this is Murdoch's account of the expedition, illustrated throughout with his sketches. He documents each stage of the voyage,...

Kate Marsden (1859 1931), the youngest of eight children from a poor family, was a highly committed nurse. She cared for soldiers in the Russo-Turkish War in 1877 8, and undertook missionary travels to various countries, but she was especially concerned about the plight of those suffering from leprosy. This volume, published in 1893, describes her remarkable journey to Siberian leper colonies. At first she travelled by sledge with a friend, but continued alone on horseback, facing appalling weather conditions with her customary courage. Her commitment to leprosy sufferers led her to found the...

This 1817 book by 'A. M. Philalethes' traces the history of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) from the classical period to 1815, providing details of the religion, laws and manners of the people. An appendix contains an account, originally published in 1681, by Robert Knox (1641 1720) of his nearly twenty-year captivity on the island. The identity of the pseudonymous 'Philalethes' is not certain: he may have been Robert Fellowes (1770 1847), who, however, never visited Ceylon, or the Revd G. Bissett, who did. The book, which includes topographical notes and a collection of moral maxims and ancient...

The French explorer, author and legislator Gabriel Bonvalot (1853 1933) received funding from the French government to lead two expeditions to Central Asia in the 1880s. This two-volume English translation by C. B. Pitman of the French original was published in 1889 and is a richly illustrated account of the second of the two Asian expeditions, in which Bonvalot and the scientist Guillaume Capus attempted to enter Afghanistan. Although the party was detained and sent back to Samarkand upon entering Afghanistan, they refused to concede defeat, as Bonvalot was determined to reach India via a...

The French explorer, author and legislator Gabriel Bonvalot (1853 1933) travelled widely in Central Asia in the 1880s. This two-volume English translation by C. B. Pitman of the 1889 90 French original was published in 1891. It describes Bonvalot's expedition across Europe and Asia to French Indochina. Accompanied by Prince Henri d'Orleans whose father, the Duc of Chartres, financed the expedition, Bonvalot left Paris in July 1889. In Volume 1, the expedition crosses first Russia and then Siberia, making its way south to Tibet. The obstacles encountered are considerable, with temperatures...

Clarke Abel (c.1780 1825) was Chief Medical Officer accompanying Lord Amherst's unsuccessful diplomatic embassy to China in 1816. Encouraged by Sir Joseph Banks, he acted as official naturalist to the expedition, which penetrated further into China than had been possible for previous western visitors. Although most of his large collection of botanical and mineralogical specimens was lost during the return voyage, survivals included several new species, some of which were named after him. This work, published in 1818, made Abel's reputation, and he was elected to the Royal Society the...

As trade between the East and the West grew in the mid-nineteenth century, increasing numbers of Westerners travelled to China and Japan, and in 1867 this guide to the key port cities such as Hong Kong and Nagasaki was published in both Hong Kong and London. Its editor, Nicholas Belfield Dennys (?1813 99) claimed it was the first such comprehensive handbook printed for public distribution. Intended for visitors and new residents, the guide was originally typeset in China, allowing place names and other words to be printed in Chinese characters. The specially commissioned maps were also...

As Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy, Sir Edward Reed (1830 1906) oversaw the final move from wooden to ironclad ships. Upon resigning from the Navy in 1870 he designed warships for Germany, Chile, Brazil and Japan, and was invited to Japan in 1879 to advise its government on plans to strengthen its navy. Eleven years after the restoration of the monarchy, the country was embarking on a period of rapid industrial and military development. Published in 1880, and part history, part travel narrative, Reed's book gives a fascinating insight into Japan during a key period in her history and is...

As Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy, Sir Edward Reed (1830 1906) oversaw the final move from wooden to ironclad ships. Upon resigning from the Navy in 1870 he designed warships for Germany, Chile, Brazil and Japan, and was invited to Japan in 1879 to advise its government on plans to strengthen its navy. Eleven years after the restoration of the monarchy, the country was embarking on a period of rapid industrial and military development. Published in 1880, and part history, part travel narrative, Reed's book gives a fascinating insight into Japan during a key period in her history and is...

This two-volume work, published in 1844, is a memoir of time spent in China by Captain Arthur Cunynghame (1812 84), aide-de-camp to Major-General Lord Saltoun, Commander of the East India Company's troops in China. In Volume 2, the author is invited to visit Ning-po, recently given the status of a 'treaty port', and he subsequently travels to both Hong Kong and Canton (Guangzhou), both now open to international trade. Cunynghame next accompanied Saltoun to the Philippines, and gives a fascinating account of life in Manila. Ordered home in 1844, he travelled via Hong Kong and Malaya to...