110 - William Macmichael: Journey from Moscow to Constantinople in the years 1817, 1818. London, 1819

William Macmichael: Journey from Moscow to Constantinople in the years 1817, 1818. London, 1819 First edition, in large Quarto, contemporary leather over boards, upper joint weak, complete, 6 fine aquatints 272p., text clean and bright, some very light spotting in very few pages, overall in very good condition. Macmichael travel began in Moscow in December 1817, he traveled south crossed into Moldavia and Wallachia, stopping in Bucharest before crossing the Danube into the Ottoman Empire and reaching Constantinople. As a physician, Macmichael paid particular attention to the plague, which was a constant threat in the Balkans at the time. He provides detailed accounts of quarantine procedures and the state of military hospitals in Russia. The book is noted for its early 19th-century commentary on the Jewish populations in Eastern Europe and the cunning character of the Russian peasantry compared to the Ottoman subjects. Macmichael was accompanied by Thomas Legh, an MP and explorer. While Macmichael returned to England via Marseilles, Legh continued into the Levant. The final chapter of the book is actually written by Legh, detailing his travels to the Eastern Mediterranean, providing some of the earliest English accounts on some sites.It is prized for its six aquatint plates based on Macmichael’s own drawings. A classic fine travel to the Levant. References: Atabey 747, Blackmer 1054