De Reyse en Optkeningh Van den Heer Boulaye le Gouz - Middle East, India, Oxford, Globe Theatre London.

"De Reyse en Optkeningh Van den Heer Boullaye le Gouz"

The Voyage and Observations of Boullaye de la Gouz

Published by Jacob Benjamijn in Amsterdam in 1660

[3],240,[1] (complete) with engraved Title page, 1 full page plate and 12 figures in text

Small Quarto in 4s: 3*,a4-gg4, 1

loss of paper (without text loss) to corner of 154, modern binding, some stains to pages, some minor losses, minor worming to inner margin of first 60 pages.

The title page is notable for containing an early depiction of London with the Globe theatre on the Southbank, as well as an unrecorded world map (not in Shirley)

François Boullaye le Gouz (1623-1668) was a French aristocrat, best known for publishing this early book on travel. 

He first set out on his extensive travels from Paris in 1643, describing his route through Florence, Rome, Venice, Constantinople, Armenia, Tehran, and Isfahan. In the Middle East he describes the Ottoman empire and their religion and customs. He later journeyed on with an embassy to India where he visited Surat and Gujarat as well as the Mongol King - Shah Jahan.

The books illustrations vividly describe the religion and Gods of India as well as the customs and flora of the region - one of the earliest European sources to describe this.

The work also contains an interesting account of a voyage though England and Ireland, where he visits and describes Oxford where Charles' government was based during the Civil war. He then goes on to visit Dublin, Copenhagen and Lithuania. His stay in Ireland, although brief (from May 15 to July 17 1644) occurred at an interesting time in and he gives a rare account by a Continental European of the customs and manners of Ireland at the time.

"The work is notable for its information on northern India and its relations to Persia, and for its inclusion of a summary of the Ramayana" -Howgego

1st Dutch edition, after the French editions of 1653 and 1657.

USTC: 4 copies only (All in Holland)