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1832. First edition - three volumes. lxiv, 272pp., a frontispiece portrait and 2 maps (1 folding) in volume 1; vii, 321pp., a frontispiece portrait, 3 other engraved plates and a 1 page catalogue in volume 2; vii, 354pp. frontispiece illustrations and 1 other engraved plate in volume 3. Richard Lemon Lander (1804-1834) was a Cornish explorer of western Africa. He and his brother John were the first Europeans to follow the course of the River Niger, and discover that it led to the Atlantic. Lander's explorations began as a servant to the Scottish explorer Hugh Clapperton with whom he went in 1823 to the Cape Colony, and then on to an expedition to Western Africa in 1825. Commissioned by the British Government, Lander returned to West Africa in 1830, accompanied by his brother John. They landed at Badagri on 22 March 1830 and followed the lower River Niger from Bussa to the sea. After exploring about 160 kilometres of the River Niger upstream, they returned to explore by canoe the River Benue and Niger Delta. In the delta they were kidnapped by the locals at Igbo-Ora, and a large ransom demanded by the local king Obi Ossai of Aboh kingdom, which was paid. Despite this setback, they were successful in determining the great river's course and termination. They travelled back to Britain from Fernando Po via Rio de Janeiro in 1831.In 1832, Lander returned to Africa for a third and final time, as leader of an expedition organised by Macgregor Laird and other Liverpudlian merchants, with the intention of founding a trading settlement at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers. The three volume for sale contain Richard and John Lander's account of their expedition to the termination of the Niger, commencing with their departure from Portsmouth on 9th January, 1830, for Cape Coast Castle. The three volumes form volumes 28, 29 and 30 of the publisher's 'Family Library' series. The books are uniformly bound in the original light brown cloth covered boards with black titling on the spines and front boards and a list of other volumes in the series on the rear boards. The cases of the books are in very good condition with some expected signs of their age. There is shelf wear with some soiling on the boards and a water stain near the top edge of both boards on the first volume and a smaller water stain on the top edge of the front board of the second volume. There is light bumping to the corners and heavier bumping to the spine ends with a split of about 1/4" in the cloth on the top of the spine of volume 3. There is a thin split of about 1/2" on the top of the spine edges of volume 1 and top of the rear spine edge of volume 3. The contents are tight and clean apart from a few small marks. Volume 1 has a water stain on the top edge of the front and rear endpapers; a larger water stain on the half-title, frontispiece, title-page, and the first (small) map. The pages adjacent to the map also have a lighter water stain and some of the pages have a smaller light water stain on the fore edge. Volume 2 has a small water stain on the top edge of the frontispiece and first plate and adjacent pages. Volume 3 has some damage to pages 25/26 that has been repaired with some type of tape on page 26. There is a creas running across pages 21/22 and 25 to 28. A name has been written on the front free endpaper in all three volumes. PLEASE NOTE: Extra postage will be required to cover insurance.
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