8vo. Volume I: vii, 420 pp., engraved frontispiece, + engraved frontispiece of volume II bound at end of this volume by mistake / Volume II: vii, 511 pp., publisher’s original embossed cloth, faded and rubbed round corners, professionally rebacked with new spine & endpapers, light foxing to frontispieces and titles, otherwise set in very good condition, Richard Bentley, London, first edition, 1838.

Synopsis

James Baillie Fraser (1783 – 1856) was a Scottish traveller and author. In early life he went to the West Indies and from there travelled to India. In 1815 he made a tour of exploration in the Himalayas, accompanied by his brother William (d. 1835).
When Reza Kuli Mirza and Nejeff Kuli Mirza, the exiled Persian princes, visited England, Fraser was employed by the Foreign Office to look after the Princes during their stay in England and their return journey as far as Constantinople. Fraser travelled more extensively in Persia than any other European who has left a record during the first three quarters of the 19th Century. His travel books are all informative and useful. A major drawback to Fraser’s work is that despite his having been involved with Persia for over 25 years, his knowledge of the language was limited. A Winter’s Journey is another useful book by a knowledgeable and observant traveller to Iran in 1833. As in some of his other travels the exact purpose of his visit is not clear.
Bibliographic reference: Cyrus Ghani pp 140-141.