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"The Prince of Travelers"
With 31 Full-Page Engravings
VALLE, Pietro della. Reiss-Beschreibung in unterschiedliche Theile der Welt, nemlich in T, Egypten, Palestina, Persien, Ost-Indien und andere weit entlegene Landschaften. Geneva, Johann Herman Widerhold, 1674.
Folio [33.5 x 21 cm], (11) ff., including half title, engraved title, title proper printed in red and black, allegorical engraved plate, author portrait, and 2 plates, 218 pp., 5 full-page engraved plates, (7) ff., the last blank; (2) ff., 236 pp., (6) ff., 7 plates; (2) ff., 244 pp., (7) ff., 6 plates, of which 1 is folding; (3) ff., 231, (1) pp., (8) ff. (the last of which is an itemized list of plates), 8 plates. Total of 31 plates, as called for by directions to binder. Bound in early yapp-edged vellum, title inked on spine, head and foot of spine and one corner torn. Ex libris of C.W.G.V.N. on front pastedown, early ownership signature on half title. Light toning, minor worming in gutter of later leaves, early repairs to final 2 leaves, but otherwise, very good.
$5,850 First German edition of Della Valle's account of his 11-year pilgrimage to Turkey, India and the Middle East, published as a series of 54 letters. In his discussion of travelers who set forth without any desire for monetary profit, but only to seek knowledge, Sir Henry Yule remarked, "The prince of all such travelers is Pietro de la Valle, the most insatiate in curiosity, the most intelligent in apprehension, the fullest and most accurate in description" (Yule apud Cox). Della Valle's wide-ranging letters are full of astute observations about local beliefs, diets, hair-styles, and rituals. He mentions the Indian habit of chewing paan or betel leaf, and becomes enamoured with a species of silky-haired cats in Persia, returning home with 4 pairs. He describes weddings, temple processions and ceremonies, especially the practice of sati (he actually speaks to a widow contemplating sati and tries to dissuade her, see pt. 4, p. 94 and plate facing p. 92).
In his youth, Della Valle (1586-1652) was a poet, orator, a soldier in the papal service, and a member of the Roman Academy of the Umoristi. Following an unfortunate love affair, he embarked from Venice in 1614 and sailed to Constantinople, where he spent a year learning both Turkish and Arabic. On 25 September, 1615, he traveled to Alexandria, thence to Cairo, and in the spring of 1616 on to Jerusalem. After visiting the Holy Places he continued his journey to Damascus, Aleppo, and Baghdad. Here he married a Syrian Christian named Maani who accompanied him on his travels during the succeeding years. It was probably on account of his marriage that he visited Persia, for the parents of his wife had been robbed by Kurds. In 1618 he was hospitably received in Northern Persia by the Shah Abbas the Great whom he followed to the capital Ispahan. He acted as mediator between the shah and the Christians of Persia. During the next four years he explored Persia; then in October, 1621, he started for Perseopolis and Schiras. He was prevented from continuing his journey as far as India by the war between the Portuguese and Persians. His wife died on 30 December, 1621, and he kept her body with him until his return. In 1622 he took part in the siege of Ormus from which the Portuguese were driven. He then spent two years (1623-24) in India, where his headquarters were Surat and Goa. In 1625 he started on the return journey by way of Muscat, Basra, Aleppo, Cyprus, and Naples, and arriv-ed at Rome, 28 March, 1626 (Klemens Löffler, Catholic Encyc-lopedia).
Della Valle returned to Rome where he married a woman -who had been his companion on the latter part of his journey. He died having only published the first volume of his travels (Rome, 1650); the later three were issued in two parts by his sons (1658, 1663). The complete work was quickly translated into French, English and Dutch, followed by this German edition-which, our translator assures us, was taken from the original Italian.
OCLC records Dartmouth, Chicago, Princeton, Harvard, Indiana, NYPL, Cleveland PL, and V&A.
* Röhricht 947; Tobler p. 95; cf. Atabey 1269-71; cf. Blackmer 1712.
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