First edition of the French translation established by Lallemant, illustrated with 3 folding maps with hand-colored outlines (cf. Gay 2788).
Bradel binding in full pink paper boards, smooth spine with laterally mounted paper title labels, contemporary binding.
Headcaps trimmed, some wear to the edges, marginal soiling on the lower cover, occasional foxing throughout.
Scottish surgeon and explorer Mungo Park (1771–1806) reached Pisania (Gambia) during a first expedition to Africa (1795–1797), where he stayed for a time to gather information on the Mandingo people and language. He then continued his journey to the Niger River, ascending it as far as upstream from Ségou; however, hostility from the Moors forced him to turn back. Irish explorer Daniel Houghton (1740–1791) undertook an expedition in 1790, commissioned by the African Society of London, aiming to reach Timbuktu via the Niger. He only got as far as the Falémé River and was likely killed by the Bambara people. Determined to reach Timbuktu after Houghton's failure, Mungo Park embarked on a second journey (1805), during which he died on the Niger.