The Life of Sir Richard Burton

London: Everett & Co, 1906. Cloth. Good. 9" by 6". Various. The complete two volume biography of Sir Richard Francis Burton, with numerous photographs throughout. The scarce second edition. Published a month after the first edition. In two volumes, uniformly bound in the publisher's original cloth. Volume one contains a frontispiece and thirty full-page plates. Volume two contains a frontispiece, and thirty-two full-page plates. Collated complete. A detailed biography of Sir Richard Francis Burton. Burton was a renowned British explorer, writer and orientalist scholar. He wrote numerous works on his travels and is best known for his journey to Mecca, in which he disguised himself as a Muslim man, at a time when non-Muslims were strictly forbidden. This biography by Thomas Wright was written in order to provide a much more detailed and realistic view of Burton's life than the one written by Lady Burton. A half title is present in volume one. With a bookseller's bookplate to the front paste-downs. In the publisher's original, full cloth binding. Externally, sound with shelf wear to the edges and marks to the boards. Fading to the spines. The hinges in volume one are starting but still generally firm. The front hinge in volume two is weak but still attached. Both volumes have a bookseller's bookplate to the front paste-down. The one in volume one has some wear to it, and the remnants of a label. The odd spot and light offsetting to the paste-downs and free endpapers. Internally, binding strained. Pages 17-20 are loosening, as well as pages 233-235. Spotting throughout. Several marks throughout including a small ink mark to the reverse of the plate on page 36 and to page 241, and some light staining to the edges of some plates. Small puncture to the plate on page 59. Some small closed tears to the edge of the plate on page 213. Good