The voyages & travels of Sir John Mandevile, Knight, … to the Holy Land, and to Hierusalem: as also to the lands of the Great Caan, and of Prestor John: to Inde, and divers other countries: ...London, Richard Chiswell, Benjamin Walford, Matthew Wotton, George Conyers, 1696. 4to. With a woodcut ship on the title-page and about 60 woodcut illustrations in the text (mostly about 5.5 x 8 cm) plus about 10 repeats. Gold-tooled, red goatskin morocco by Robert Riviere in London (ca. 1875/80), one of England's best binders.

[4], “139” [= 135], [5] pp.A rare 17th-century English edition, with about 60 different woodcut illustrations, of a classic and partly fictional 14th-century account of travels presented as voyages of Sir John Mandeville through Turkey, Egypt, Ethiopia, Syria, Persia, Arabia, India and the East Indies. It was originally written in French and is thought to have been compiled from various sources by Jehan d'Outremeuse (1338-1400) of Liege. It includes many well-known stories and illustrations of monstrous people and animals in exotic lands: a man with only one enormous foot that he can use as a parasol, a dog-headed man, a man with his face in his chest, a girl who turns into a dragon, griffins, nine-meter giants, ants that gather gold, diamonds that mate and give birth to baby diamonds and much more that spoke to the imagination. The book also includes genuine descriptions of the regions covered and gave many Europeans their first notions of the Near East, Middle East, India and East Indies. The part on Arabia includes an account of the birth of Mohammed.With early owner's inscription and bookplates, along with a loosely inserted signed autograph letter (ca. 1900). 8 leaves with their margins extended at the fore-edge and foot, the title-page and last page somewhat worn and dirty, but further in good condition, with a few minor fedects. The spine is slightly faded but the binding is still very good.l Arber, Term catalogues II, p. 593, item 8; ESTC R217088 (5 copies); Wing M417 (same 5 copies).