TAYLOR, Bayard "A Journey to Central Africa" [G.P. Putnam & Co, 1854]

TAYLOR, Bayard. A Journey to Central Africa; or, Life and Landscapes from Egypt to the Negro Kingdoms.

New York: G.P. Putnam & Co, 1854 First edition. Octavo, 7.5" x 5.5", 522pp. With numerous wood-engraved illustrations in the text and a fold-out map in the rear. Publisher’s blind-stamped brown cloth with gilt cover vignette of camel/desert and gilt obelisk on spine. The name "Quilty" is written in pencil twice, once alongside "'58". Penciled tulip and bookseller's embossed stamp on FFEP. Textblock notably foxed. Hinges secure. Protected in archival mylar. Very Good.

Bayard Taylor was among the most celebrated American travel writers of the mid-19th century, known for bringing distant landscapes vividly to life for his readers. A Journey to Central Africa was based on his 1852–53 expedition up the Nile and into Nubia, making it one of the earliest substantial American accounts of the region. The book reflects both the era’s fascination with exploration and Taylor’s gift for combining detailed observation with a Romantic literary style. Its success helped establish him as an authoritative voice on foreign travel in the American literary market.