Beautifully bound later English edition of The surprising adventures of Baron Munchausen by Rudolf Erich Raspe (1736-1794), first published in Oxford in 1786. Raspe was a German librarian, writer, and scientist, and is best known for his present collection of tall tales, which was originally a satirical work with political aims. The work contains stories about the fictional character "Baron Munchausen", which is based on Karl Friedrich Hieronymus baron von Münchhausen (1720-1797), a German nobleman who served in the Russian army against the Ottomans. He is known for telling tall tales about his adventures, which were then used as a source for fantastical folktales and literary fiction.
The preposterous stories rapidly grew, and Raspe himself even had nothing to do anymore with the "sequel" that was added as a second volume in 1792. It was dedicated to the famous Africa explorer, James Bruce of Kinnaird, whose extensive account of his travels had first been published in 1790. In the present edition, Raspe's own work on Munchausen occupies the first part, 96 pages, illustrated with a portrait, dated 1792, and 8 folding plates. The rest of the book contains the "sequel" with Munchausen's adventures in Africa, illustrated with 19 full-page engravings. The book is complete as published notwithstanding the promise on the title of 40 copperplates, which is counting the various scenes shown on the plates, and including the portrait.

With a small black stamp "bound by Wallis" in the top outer corner of the verso of the first flyleaf. The hinges of the binding and the edges and corners of the slipcase show slight signs of wear, the majority of the second folding plate is detached but still present, the fifth folding plate is partially torn along a folding line. Otherwise in very good condition. Wackermann 3, 33; Schweizer, Englisch, 24; Eggert, Cat. 74, no. 70 (bound with a Caspar Hauser).