Discovery of Lakes Rudolf and Stefanie (Two Volumes) A Narrative of Count Samuel Teleki's Exploring & Hunting Expedition in Eastern Equatorial Africa in 1887 & 1888

London: Longmans, Green & Company. Very Good. 1894. First Edition. Hardcover. First English Language Edition. Translated from the original German into English by Nancy Bell, one of the most noted translators of her day. Volume I: large octavo, pp xx, 435, frontispiece of Count Samuel Teleki von Zek, 21 black and white illustrated plates, 71 illustrations in the text, very large full color fold-out map, errata. Volume II: large octavo, pp xii, 397, frontispiece map showing the route of the expedition, 13 illustrated plates, 72 illustrations in the text, very large full color fold-out map, errata, appendix, index. Both volumes bound in publisher's brown cloth with gold decorations and spine titles. Spines on both volumes slightly slanted. All corners gently rubbed, ends of spines gently bumped. Volume II has a small dent to the spine. No cracked hinges. Binding sound. Both very large full color fold-out maps are clean and beautiful. The map in Vol I has some rubbing to the left inset map (not the main map) with a small loss. Both maps are backed with strong cloth tape along the left margin to prevent tearing when you unfold them. Neither map has any tears. Mild to moderate age spotting throughout both volumes that affects most pages. Pages with plates also spotted, but spotting is confined to the margins for almost all plates. An important title for both exploration and sporting/hunting. Czech says of this set "An excellent work of exploration and sport, this set represents African adventure at its finest." The expedition hunted buffalo, rhino, elephant, eland, and a variety of plains game. Howgego tells us that Count Samuel Teleki was a member of a prominent Hungarian family who was a wealthy member of the Hungarian Upper House. Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria, son of Emperor Franz-Joseph I, recommended that Teleki turn his proposed African hunting safari into an exploration expedition as well as a hunting safari and he did so. Ludwig Von Hohnel was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Navy and member of the expedition, it was Hohnel who organized the expedition (no expense spared) and then wrote this book. Teleki and Hohnel were the first Europeans to set foot on Mount Kenya and climbed to an altitude of 4,300 meters. They discovered the last of the great African lakes to be discovered by Europeans and named them Lake Rudolph and Lake Stefanie. Lake Rudolph is now named Lake Turkana. The expedition had numerous difficulties and violent confrontations with Africans, exacerbated by Teleki's rough treatment of his own porters and tendency towards violent confrontation. For part of their journey, they had trouble in areas that the pacifistic Joseph Thomson had earlier crossed without incident. The expedition brought back more than 400 ethnographical objects, mostly from the Maasai and Kikuyu tribes as well as a large collection of plants and animals. Many of the illustrations in this book were drawn using photographs Hohnel took on the expedition, the most important of the photos were destroyed in WWII. Ships same or next business day. Please note this is a 2 volume set of slighty oversize hardbacks - international shipping will require substantial extra charges in addition to those quoted by this website. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall .