Mungo Park - Travels in the interior districts of Africa: performed under the direction and patronage of the - 1807

A very RARE and beautiful book!!! only fifth 1807 edution selling worldwide!!! "Travels in the interior districts of Africa: performed under the direction and patronage of the African Association, in the years 1795, 1796, and 1797 . Fifth edition. " With frontispiece portrait of the author- a little ancient water sign on upper margin-see photo, large folding map ('The route of Mr Mungo Park'), and 4 engraved plates (3 folding); some foxing to title, frontispiece and plates, and occasionally elsewhere; overall very good condition for age. Externally rebacked, a little wear around edges and corners, inside overall very good, giant folding map in very good condition. One pages with a lttle piece of corner cut-see photo, one upper margin of a page a bit cut-see photo. Plates at the end with some stains but overall still very attractive. At end a vocabulary of the Mandingo Language. Fifth edition of Park's account of his momentous expedition to the Niger River on behalf of the African Association. 'HisTravels, published in 1799, was a best-seller. Three editions were printed during the first year, and it was immediately translated into French and German, and eventually other languages. Written in a straightforward, unpretentious, narrative style, it gave readers their first realistic description of everyday life in west Africa, depicted without the censorious, patronizing contempt which so often has disfigured European accounts of Africa' (ODNB). 'Until the publication of Park's book . hardly anything was known of the interior of Africa, apart from the north-east region and coastal areas . Park's Travels had an immediate success . and has become a classic of travel literature' (PMM). The plates include 'A view of Ali's tent at the camp of Benowm', 'A view of Kamalia', and two botanical engravings depicting the Rhamnus Lotus and Shea Tree. Rarity