Down the Amur - Peking - The Forbidden City.

The Burton Holmes Travelogues, vol. 9. First edition. Colour frontispiece, numerous photographic plates and illustrations. 4to. Original half-calf. A very good copy. 336pp. New York, McLure Co. 

Burton Holmes (1870-1958) was an American traveller, photographer and film-maker and one of the first to make a living by combining all three occupations, writing books about his experiences and giving public lectures about the countries he visited. The Burton Holmes series of Tavelogues ran to 12 volumes. He arrived in Peking in 1901 and most of this volume is dedicated to the description of the capital. He managed to get access to the Forbidden City which had been occupied by the Allied troops. The book is particularly valuable for the copious images that give a vivid sense of daily life in the capital. Holmes was not afraid to release the shutter and includes, for example, images of Eunuchs in the Palace serving tea to foreign visitors.

Stock Code: 224426