FASCINATING DESCRIPTION OF FAR EAST BY TWO CARMELITE FRIARS
«Perhaps the most important of the 17th century Italian travellers»

MURCHIO, VINCENZO MARIA-SEBASTIANI, GIUSEPPE MARIA. Il viaggio alle Indie Orientali del Padre F. Vincenzo Maria [...]Procurator Generale de’ Carmelitani Scalzi [...]con la Nuova Aggiunta della Seconda Speditione all’Indie Orientali di Monsignor Sebastiani. Venetia [Venice], Appresso Antonio Tivani, 1683.

4° (225x170 mm), publisher's paperboard binding (spine renewed), pp. [24], 516, [20, last blank], 147, [5].

UNTRIMMED COPY OF THE FASCINATING AND ENCHANTED REPORT OF TRAVELS TO FAR EAST WRITTEN BY TWO CARMELITE FRIARS OF XVII CENTURY.

Published for the first time in 1672, Viaggio all’Indie Orientali (Travel to Eastern India) by Vincenzo Maria Murchio enchanted the European audience for the fascinating description of landscape, people and culture of Asia, from Turkey to India. Far for linger only on events description, the text describes Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Persia and India with deep details on geographical conformation, architecture, flowers and animals, gastronomy and religious habits of people.
In this edition for the first time the work by father Vincenzo Maria comes with the first edition of the report of the mission by father Giuseppe Maria Sebastiani, Carmelite himself, bishop of Città di Castello. During his second travel to Easter India, he crossed Syria, Babylon, visiting Nineveh and then reaching GOA, Portuguese colony in India describing his travel in his work. In his return travel he visited Iraq, describing Bagdad.

PROVENANCE: I. Handwritten ownership signature at leaf 438, at lower margin: Libro di mè Giovanni Zaffanelo, («This book is mine, Giovanni Zaffanello»).
II. Handwritten purchase note in sepia ink, at verso of last leaf of first work, Adì 29 Maggio 1792 ho compratto questo Libro in piazza di Vicenza e mi costa Fio[ri] ni cint 10ti [?]quindici giorno secondo della Pentecoste («The day 29 May 1792 I bought this Book in the square of Vicenza and it costed 15 florins»).

REFERENCES: ICCU, IT\ICCU\VEAE\003712. 4 copies in USA (Indiana University, Ohio University, Harvard, and Yale). Atabey: «Perhaps the most important of the 17th century Italian travellers».

Condition: Light waterstain at outer margin of first leaves. Very good copy, untrimmed in its original paper boards.