FRESHFIELD, Douglas W. The Exploration of the Caucasus, with - Lot 22

FRESHFIELD, Douglas W. The Exploration of the Caucasus, with illustrations by Vittorio Sella, 2 vols, Edward Arnold, London and New York, 1896 2 vol. in-4 (28.5 x 20 cm), text in English XXIV-278 pp. 41 plates including 2 fold-outs + VIII-295 pp. 43 plates including 6 fold-outs, publisher's green half-percaline, gilt title on spine and flyleaf, gilt floral decoration on boards, gilt head (spines faded, light rubbing to binding, a few loose quires, a few scattered freckles). Precious first edition. The first volume is illustrated with 39 copper-engraved plates, a fold-out color map and a panoramic view. The second volume is also illustrated, with 37 copper-engraved plates hors texte, 3 fold-out maps, one of which is inserted in a pocket on the lower counter-pane, and 2 panoramic views, one of which is accompanied by a plate with the legend. A total of 84 plates for the two volumes. Numerous in-text vignettes. Douglas William Freshfield (1845-1934) was an English mountaineer, explorer, writer and historian. After climbing several peaks in the Alps, he went to the Near East in 1868, then to the Caucasus, where he made several successful ascents. He returned to the Caucasus in the late 1880s, where a peak now bears his name, and produced the first detailed map of the central Caucasus range. In this book, which remains a classic of mountaineering, most of the illustrations are by the famous Italian photographer Vittoria Sella (1859-1943). Sella took part in a large number of expeditions to non-European mountain ranges, and his photographic skills are recognized as exceptional.