DOBELL, Peter.

Travels in Kamtchatka and Siberia

Item #74144

DOBELL, Peter. Travels in Kamtchatka and Siberia; with a Narrative of a Residence in China. London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, 1830. 1st ed. 2 Vols. vi,[iii],ix,351.[1, advertisements]; x,341pp. Two hand-colored aquatint frontises. Contemporary 3/4 green calf and marbled boards, ornamental gilt spine, red morocco spine labels, all edges marbled. Minor rubbing to boards, else fine. Bookplates of N. Norcliffe, armorial bookplate and gilt device on spines. A fine copy. Abbey, Travel 352. Hill 484. Peter Dobell (1772-1852) began his from Kamchatka across Siberia to Tomsk in 1812. This detailed, idiosyncratic narrative includes ethnographic observations, descriptions of nights spent with local families, notes on the wildlife encountered, and discussion of the problems caused by the weather. Dobell describes the work as intended to show "how rich and interesting a region is Siberia, heretofore only represented to the imagination in the most gloomy and unattractive colors." When in Siberia, he writes, "Our ears were tired with the singing of the cuckoo, our daily and nightly music ever since the snow had melted away." Dobell also lived in China for many years, observing Chinese society, traditions, trade and medicine. Dobell was the first to initiate the promotion of relations with the Russian Far East, particularly the Kamchatka peninsula region. Russia finally decided to establish its first diplomatic mission in Southeast Asia in 1817 - a Consulate General in Manila. Peter Dobell became a naturalized citizen and took the name Petr Vasilievich Dobel and was appointed as the Consul General in the Philippines. Establishing a formal Russian diplomatic mission was not easy as hoped because Spain's colonial government refused to recognize the Russian mission in Manila. However, a compromise was reached with Petr Valsilievich Dobel being allowed to stay and act in Manila as an unofficial representative of Russia in the Philippines.

Price: $4,000.00