Second English edition of a famous voyage to South Africa, Indonesia, Japan, and Ceylon in the years 1770 to 1779, to collect botanical and zoological specimen. This edition includes a fourth volume that was not a part of the first English edition. The work documents the author's botanical discoveries, of which many were new to science, and also contains "material of great ethnographical interest" (DSB).
The Swedish Carl Peter Thunberg (1743-1828) studied medicine and natural sciences under Linnaeus in Uppsala. In 1770, he received a travel scholarship to continue his studies in Paris. On his way there, he met the Burman family in Amsterdam, via whom he was offered the extraordinary opportunity to travel to Japan on a Dutch merchant vessel to collect plants for the Amsterdam botanical garden. Japan was closed to all foreigners except the Dutch, so in order to pass for a Dutchman, Thunberg stayed three years in the Cape Province to learn the language. In this period, he made three journeys to the interior of the country, collecting and describing more than 3000 species, including about 1000 new to science. In 1775, he travelled to Java, where he stayed half a year, and in August 1775, he arrived in Japan. Although his movements were restricted, he nevertheless managed to collect specimens via his interpreters. He left Japan in 1776, and travelled home via Java, Ceylon, and South Africa. "His narrative affords considerable information respecting the natural history of [Africa], together with notes on the Hottentots, Kaffirs, and slaves, and general remarks on the state of the Cape at this period." (Mendelssohn).
With the armorial bookplate of Sir Richard Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 1st Baronet (1732-1807) mounted on the front pastedown of each volume, and his name written at the head of the title page of each volume in a contemporary hand. The spines show some traces of use. The plates, and the leaves that come into contact with them, are somewhat browned and foxed. Otherwise in good condition.