• Author: Pease, Sir Alfred Edward
• Title: Travel & Sport in Africa.
• Publication: London: Arthur L. Humphreys, 1902. 3 Volumes.
• Description: A massive and luxurious set featuring a detailed account of the author’s hunting and exploration expeditions, primarily in Somaliland and Algeria.
• Physical Features: The work is renowned for its high production quality, containing numerous photogravures, colored plates of mammals and birds (many by the famous artist Archibald Thorburn), and several large folding maps.
• Collector’s Note: This set is highly sought after by “Big Game” hunting collectors and naturalists for its detailed observations of wildlife and regional topography at the turn of the century.

Sotheby’s | Middle East | Central Asia – Oct 2005

The Library of a Gentleman

An Exploration of travel books of the Middle East, Central Asia & ElsewhereSotheby’s – The Middle East – “This exceptional collection, dispersed by Sotheby’s in October 2005, represents one of the most cohesive private libraries of travel literature to come to market in the early 21st century. Spanning the rugged mountain passes of the Caucasus to the high-desert courts of Khiva and Herat, these volumes document the era of the ‘Great Game’ and the intense Western fascination with the Silk Road.

The collection is distinguished by its focus on rare first-hand narratives, including the 1511 Latin edition of Varthema’s Novum Itinerarium and essential 19th-century accounts by officers like Captain James Abbott. Whether documenting political missions to the Khan of Khiva or early journeys through Persia, Central Asia and Georgia, this library serves as a definitive record of the explorers and diplomats who first mapped the cultural and geopolitical landscapes of the Middle East and Central Asia.”Missing page 19, 20

Missing Lot 27: Thomas Atkinson

• Author: Atkinson, Thomas Witlam
• Title: Oriental and Western Siberia: A Narrative of Seven Years’ Explorations and Adventures in Siberia, Mongolia, the Kirghis Steppes, Chinese Tartary, and part of Central Asia.
• Publication: London: Hurst and Blackett, 1858. First Edition.
• Description: This is a cornerstone work of Central Asian exploration. Atkinson was an artist and architect who traveled nearly 40,000 miles (often on horseback) through regions rarely seen by Westerners. The book is famous for its 20 lithographed plates (often tinted or colored) and numerous woodcuts based on his own sketches.
• Historical Context: His journey was remarkable because he traveled with his wife, Lucy, and their son (born during the trip), whom they named “Alatau” after a mountain range.

Missing Lot 28: Sir Alfred Pease

• Author: Pease, Sir Alfred Edward
• Title: Travel & Sport in Africa.
• Publication: London: Arthur L. Humphreys, 1902. 3 Volumes.
• Description: A massive and luxurious set featuring a detailed account of the author’s hunting and exploration expeditions, primarily in Somaliland and Algeria.
• Physical Features: The work is renowned for its high production quality, containing numerous photogravures, colored plates of mammals and birds (many by the famous artist Archibald Thorburn), and several large folding maps.
• Collector’s Note: This set is highly sought after by “Big Game” hunting collectors and naturalists for its detailed observations of wildlife and regional topography at the turn of the century.