Bourrit, Marc Theodore A relation of a journey to the glaciers Bourrit, Marc Théodore. A relation of a journey to the glaciers, in the dutchy of Savoy: translated from the French . . . by Cha. and Fred. Davy. London: printed for G. Robinson, 1776. (50), xxi(1), 256 pp. + an engraved dedication leaf and three plates. 8vo, contemporary mottled calf, spine gilt (very slight wear to top of spine). Second edition in English, preceded by a Norwich printing of 1775; the French text had appeared in Geneva in 1773. The author was a traveller, painter, writer, precentor of the church in Geneva, and enthusiast of the Alps. Bourrit made an attempt to climb Mont Blanc, but failed; the first successful ascent was made in 1786. This English version of his principle Alpine narrative has a remarkable 20-page list of subscribers (including those who subscribed to the Norwich printing). Among the 612 names is that of "Doctor Samuel Johnson, London;" nor is Johnson here in isolation, as the list includes such contemporaries as William Beckford, Edmund Burke, Charles Burney, "Miss" Burney, David Garrick, Catharine Macaulay, Joshua Reynolds, Horace Walpole, etc. Exactly why this unusual book should have attracted such a cluster of prominent names is not clear; neither the author nor the translators have any obvious connection to the Johnson circle. Among the preliminaries is a "table of the plates, design'd to follow this relation," which lists 21 subjects, but most of these were never executed; there are, in fact, three engraved plates (so numbered), along with an engraved leaf of dedication. A fine copy of a scarce book. Eddy and Fleeman 8b; Neete, Mountaineering and Its Literature, 101. Price: GBP 850.00 other currencies   order no. B111    inquire

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