Paraguay, Brazil and the Plate. Letters Written in 1852-1853
Cambridge: Macmillan & Co., 1856. Full Leather. Very Good+ binding. Item #10161
12mo. xxi, [1], 504 pp., frontis, folding map, illus. First edition. In later polished calf binding with gold fillet around the perimeter of the boards and spine decorated in gold; all edges gilt. A beautiful copy with only light rubbing to the board edges; spine a trifle darkened; previous owner name(?) on the verso of the half title has been neatly effaced; some pencil notes and underlining have been erased from the title page, otherwise clean throughout with only light age toning; folding map is very crisp.
Posthumously published, Mansfield's work includes a sketch of his life by Charles Kingsley, along with a map, portrait, and in-text illustrations throughout. Mansfield was one of the earliest Englishmen to visit the capital of Paraguay, and, according to his biographer in the DNB, "certainly the first to go there merely to take notes." In addition to his thoughts regarding the future of South America, the DNB highlights the "bright and careful descriptions of Paraguayan society, the scenery, the plant and bird life" contained in these letters, which include similar entries for the other stages of Mansfield's travels. Sabin 44362; Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Price: $500.00