Bücher der Reihe Cambridge Library Collection - Travel and Exploration in Asia

The journal of Augustus Raymond Margary's groundbreaking journey from Hankow in the Hubei province of central China, to Bhamo in Upper Burma was published in 1875, soon after his death. Margary was part of the Chinese consular service and had lived in China since 1867, working as an interpreter. This journal begins in August 1874 at the start of his journey, the purpose of which was to meet Colonel Horace Browne to act as his interpreter as he attempted to open an overland trade route between China and India. Margary was the first Englishman successfully to complete the 1,800 mile trip through Szechwan to Yunnan, doing so in six months. On the return trip, he and two servants made a diversion, hearing of danger on his proposed route, but were murdered in the town of Manwyne, leading to public outrage and commemorative publication of accounts of his life and travels.

In 1873, the Christian missionary Isabelle Williamson set out from Chefoo (Yantai),China, to spread the gospel to Chinese women. Her four separate journeys along the ancient roads of Shandong Province and Beijing are recorded in Old Highways in China (1884), a chronicle of the everyday lives of the women to whom she preached. 'My interest was chiefly in the women', Williamson explains, 'and I looked at all through a woman's eyes'. Reserving her missionary work for another publication, Williamson devotes this keenly observed book to the details of life in the villages she visited - the work, play, rituals, and stories of women and girls. It also describes Williamson's own remarkable travels, set against the stunning natural backdrop of northern China. An important witness to women's missionary work in China, her book is also testament to the intelligent eye of its author as she seeks to portray 'China's daughters'.

Filled with anecdotes and observations (occasionally tinged with condescension), this 1889 book is an entertaining account not only of the journey but of the lands, people and customs that de Windt and his companion encountered while travelling overland from Beijing to the coast of France.

Isabella Bird (Mrs Bishop, 1831-1904) wrote best-selling travel books on America, Hawaii, the Far East and Persia. This two-volume work, published in 1898, arose from Bird's travels in Korea and China between 1894 and 1897. She provides vivid descriptions of the Korean people, their way of life and customs.

A pioneering piece of travel writing, Anne Katharine Elwood's Narrative of a Journey Overland (1830) describes sights from cathedrals to pyramids, and deserts to termites. Volume 1 covers her journey to Bombay via France, Italy and Egypt, and constitutes a unique account of interest to travellers and historians alike.

James Silk Buckingham (1786-1855) was a writer who travelled extensively and published accounts of his adventures in places such as India, Persia, Egypt, and Palestine. He served as an M.P., and was a supporter of political and social reforms. His two volumes of autobiography appeared in 1855.

In 1755, naturalist Stepan Krasheninnikov published this account of an expedition to Kamchatka in 1733-43 to extend scientific and geographical knowledge of eastern lands. Published in English translation in 1764, the work is a fascinating and detailed account of a huge area virtually unknown to the western world.

The Carmelite missionary Paolino da San Bartolomeo (1748-1806) arrived in India in 1776. A noted orientalist, he was among the first to note the relationship between Sanskrit and European languages. Published in 1800, this English translation of a 1796 work presents his observations on Indian geography, language and culture.

In 1783, at the opportunity presented by a new Panchen Lama, Samuel Turner (1759-1802) led a deputation from Bengal to Tibet and Bhutan in the hope of promoting British-Indian trade. Originally published in 1800, his insightful first-hand description of these countries remained the only such English-language work for decades.

Later famous as Second Secretary to the Admiralty and a supporter of Arctic exploration, Sir John Barrow (1764-1848) joined Lord Macartney's British embassy to China in 1792-4. During this time he visited Cochinchina (now Vietnam). This 1806 illustrated travelogue covers the embassy's voyage via Brazil and Java.

Sailor Edward Brown had taken command of a Chinese-crewed ship when it was captured by pirates. In this engaging account, published in 1861, Brown recounts his months in captivity and the places he was taken, giving a vivid picture of Cochin-China (Vietnam) during the Second Opium War (1856-60).

Displaying a profound understanding of the local flora, fauna, history and people, William Marsden (1754-1836) provides an important account of a little-known part of Indonesia. Illustrated with botanical drawings, maps and local scenes, the third edition of 1811 is reissued here.

The botanist Robert Fortune (1813-80) was sent to China by the East India Company in 1848 in order to obtain tea samples for the plantations in the Himalayas. This account of his adventures there, first published in 1852, provides a glimpse into his enchanting and often bizarre experiences.