Travels in Northern Greece.

LEAKE, William Martin.

$6,500.00

Item Number: 63015

London: J.Rodwell, 1835.

First edition of Leakes work on Northern Greece. Octavo, 4 volumes, original cloth, 10 engraved maps and plans, some folding, and 44 plates, wood-engraved illustrations in text. In near fine condition with some toning and light wear to the extremities. Armorial bookplates to each volume. First editions in the original cloth are rare.

William Martin Leake was a British military officer and classical scholar specializing in reconstructing the topography of ancient cities. He was a founding member of the Royal Geographical Society and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1815. After his retirement in 1815, he devoted the rest of his life to topographical and classical studies. These volumes, first published in 1835, contain Leake's account of his four extensive journeys across northern Greece between 1804 and 1810. Using the form of a travelogue, Leake discusses contemporary Greek and Turkish culture and provides detailed descriptions of ancient archaeological sites and geography. Leake's precise observations and detailed descriptions were influential in shaping the study of classical topography, with these volumes providing valuable information for the ancient sites and contemporary culture of the region. Volume 1 contains two journeys undertaken in Macedonia, Illyria and Thessaly in 1804 and 1805.