12mo. [1], 260 pp., / 201 pp., [2], half-titles, contemporary full calf, slightly rubbed round edges, title gilt on raised decorated spine, marbled endpapers, speckled edges, occasional foxing, otherwise copy clean and in very good condition, Delalain, Libraire, Paris, first edition, 1769.

Synopsis

This work was translated from the German edition of 1762 into French by Marc Antoine Eidous. The original edition, in Swedish, appeared in 1757 under the title Iter Palaestinum.
Hasselquist was a student of Linnaeus, who inspired him to undertake the study of the natural history of Palestine. Linnaeus helped him raise money to finance the journey, and he left Stockholm in August 1749 on a ship of the Swedish Levant Company. Hasselquist disembarked at Smyrna, which was the starting point for his extensive travels, he died there in 1752. Linnaeus arranged for the posthumous publication of the work – Hasselquist had been in continuous communication with him. Part 1 contains Hasselquist’s diary and the letters he wrote to Linnaeus; part 2 contains his observations on the natural history of the regions he visited. His work is the first systematic natural history of the Holy Land.
Bibliographic references: Blackmer 792; Rohricht 1435; Tobler 130.