A handsome copy of Temple’s travels in North Africa. His is one of the most detailed English accounts from the first half of the nineteenth century and includes many fascinating observations, such as those regarding the first years of French colonial rule in Algiers.
It was well received upon publication and became a useful source for scholars and later visitors to the region. For many years it featured in the bibliography of the John Murray Handbook for Travellers in Algeria & Tunis, receiving the following plaudits: “An admirable and scholarly account of his journeyings in the two countries during 1832-33. The original drawings made during his expedition are numerous and of great interest.” (Third edition, London, 1887, p.333). Victor Guérin was also impressed by the book, remarking “Cet ouvrage est, avec celui de Shaw, le plus savant et le plus exact que nous ayons sur settee matière.” (Voyage Archéologie dans la Regency de Tunis, Paris, 1862, vol.I, p. xii).
Sir Grenville Temple, 10th Bt (1799-1847) had a military career (advancing to Lt-Col in 1841) but spent time unattached to travel, always recording his experiences with brush and pen. He was an engaged traveller and made an effort to learn the languages of the Eastern Mediterranean. The present work includes the Arabic (printed typographically) of many place names and a lithographic reproduction of a handwritten note by the Sheikh of Gasfa (plate facing p.357 of vol.II).
Rare in commerce. The only copy to appear in auction records over the last fifty years was sold at Sotheby’s (Brooke-Hitching sale) in 2015 for £1,063.
