TURNER, Samuel. An Account of an Embassy to the Court of the Teshoo Lama, in Tibet; containing a Narrative of a Journey through Bootan, and Part of Tibet. London: W. Bulmer and Co. 1800.
4to. Contemporary full calf, spine ornamented in gilt and with red morocco lettering-piece, gilt-ruled ornamental borders to boards, marbled endpapers; pp. xxviii, 473; one folding engraved map, 13 copper-engraved plates including one folding; binding with a little wear and restorations; a few plates with a little brown-spotting, otherwise a very clean and attractive copy.
First edition of the ‘first eye-witness report on Tibet and Bhutan to be published in English’ (ODNB). ‘The book remained the only account of those countries available to English readers until the publication in 1876 of the journals of George Bogle and Thomas Manning. Through the editions that quickly followed in French (1800), German (1801), and Italian (1817), the book had a considerable impact on the European imagination’ (ibid.). A first embassy under George Bogle had been sent by the British to Tibet in 1774, but with the advent of a new Lama, Turner was asked by Warren Hastings to make a second embassy to the country in 1783. The same route was followed in both instances: from India, a crossing was made of the Bhutan Himalaya from Bhutan to Gyantse and Shigatse via the Chumbi Valley and Tang La. The plates accompanying Turner's account of the journey show views along the route, as well as a facsimile of Umin and Uchen script. ‘Captain Turner’s journey to Tibet in 1783 was a followup to that of George Bogle’s mission of 1774 … The object of Turner’s passage through Bhutan and his visit to the Tibetan Court was to ascertain the nature of the relationships of Bhutan with Tibet, and of the latter with China. The subsequent narrative is a leisurely paced and highly detailed portrayal of the area’s natural history, observations on social and cultural characteristics, and glimpses of beautiful mountain scenery. For example, Turner’s prose records his delight at the discovery of a strawberry patch, his wonderment over the antics of a group of monkeys, and his respect for the Tibetan Regent. Although the political consequences of the trip proved negligible, the descriptions of Bhutan and Tibet continue to retain an interest as do Turner’s remarkable full page illustrations’ (Riddick).
ESTC T136507; Riddick 62; Yakushi (3rd ed.) T277a.
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