SAPIEHA, Leon (1881–1944)
THE VOLCANOES OF KIVU
Travel Memoirs
[and:]
THE ITURI FORESTS
Travel Memoirs
Kraków 1928–34, Gebethner and Wolff Main Warehouse, pp. 204, 237; a total of 5 maps, several hundred black-and-white illustrations in the text and on separate sheets; format 22 x 30 cm
Leon Sapieha (1881–1944) —prince, traveler, and landowner. He came from the Sapieha family, one of the oldest magnate families of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He studied at the Military Academy in Vienna, then managed the family estate and was involved in social activities. During the interwar period, he undertook numerous trips outside Europe, particularly to Africa, which resulted in publications of a memoir and travelogue nature. He authored accounts documenting the landscape, nature, and the lives of local people, as well as the experiences of a European traveler in regions little known to readers at the time.
An account of Prince Leon Sapieha’s hunting expedition to East and Equatorial Africa.
The first volume, “The Volcanoes of Kivu: Travel Memoirs, ” covers a route through Sudan, along the Nile, around Lake Edward, the Kivu region, and Rwanda. A special focus is placed on the description of the expedition to areas inhabited by gorillas and the account of hunting these animals. The author also describes his journey through Tanganyika and Zanzibar.
The second volume, “The Ituri Forests: Travel Memoirs, ” is devoted to the areas of the Belgian Congo, particularly the equatorial forests of Ituri, the Semliki Valley, and expeditions in search of elephants. It also includes an account of the first Polish settlers in Ituri and a description of the return journey through Uganda and Kenya. The publication combines travelogues, natural history observations, and documentation of life and the landscape of Africa during the interwar period.
CONTEMPORARY FULL-LEATHER HARDCOVER. SPINES WITH RAISED BINDINGS, EMBOSSINGS, GILDING, AND LABELS. COVERS DECORATED WITH A BLIND-EMBOSSED AND GOLD-EMBOSSED FRAME. END PAPERS MADE OF HAND-DYED MARBLED PAPER. PAGE EDGES DECORATED WITH THE SAME PATTERN. ORIGINAL PUBLISHER’S COVERS OF BOTH VOLUMES PRESERVED
Condition: Very Good/minor creases on the original covers; a BEAUTIFUL PIECE
