The first edition of the earliest Spanish publication featuring Russian exploration voyages. It is a relatively rare geographical work on Russia and Northern Asia. The book's title page mentions that the book has been translated from French, without specifying the source work. However, it's derived from the French edition of Strahlenberg's Das Nord-und Ostliche Theil von Europa und Asia (1730). This Spanish edition is expanded with subsequent Russian discoveries, marking the earliest Spanish reference to this significant exploration of Northern Asia. This edition contains the most significant Russian voyages of exploration and discovery in the eighteenth century (the early settling of Kamtschatka, Bering´s voyage, and others), up to the time of publication.
Philipp Johann Strahlenberg (1676-1747), was a Swedish officer who spent nearly a decade in Russia, allowing him to compile most of the information found in this book. His profound knowledge of the region and his detailed descriptions of Tartary and Northern Asia establish it as a foundational reference text. Born in Stralsund, then part of Sweden, as Philip Johan Tabbert, he later adopted the name von Strahlenberg after being ennobled in 1707. Joining the Swedish army in 1694, he rose to the rank of captain by 1703. During the Great Northern War, he was captured by Russian forces at the Battle of Poltava in 1709 and spent a decade as a prisoner of war in Tobolsk, Siberia. During his captivity from 1711 to 1721, he extensively studied Siberian geography, anthropology, languages, and customs.
The binding is worn and stained and nearly detached from the book block. Slight foxing throughout, with a large black ink stain to the upper outer corner of the book block, not affecting the text, some worm holes in the gutter margin, not affecting the text. Otherwise in good condition. Palau 196168; WorldCat 1063922766, 433569478, 807715984, 29614101 (8 copies).