Collecting Travel and Exploration Books — Voyages, Maps, and the Literature of Discovery

Travel and exploration literature is one of the oldest categories of book collecting, reflecting a deep human fascination with the unknown. From the medieval accounts of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta through the great age of European exploration, the Victorian era of adventure travel, and the modern tradition of literary travel writing, the literature of travel has produced some of the most valuable, beautiful, and historically significant books in the rare book market.

The Categories

Voyages of Discovery (15th–18th Centuries)

The great voyages of exploration produced books that are both historical documents and literary achievements:

Landmark titles:

• Marco Polo, Il Milione (c. 1300) — The foundational European travel narrative. Early printed editions (15th–16th century) are extremely rare and valuable.
• Columbus, Epistola de Insulis Nuper Inventis (1493) — Columbus’s letter announcing his discovery, published as a Latin pamphlet. One of the most important documents in world history.
• Richard Hakluyt, The Principal Navigations (1589, expanded 1598–1600) — The great compendium of English exploration narratives.
• Captain James Cook, A Voyage towards the South Pole (1777) and other voyage accounts — Cook’s three voyage narratives, often with engraved plates and maps, are cornerstones of Pacific exploration collecting.
• Lewis and Clark, History of the Expedition (1814) — The first published account of the Corps of Discovery expedition. First editions are extremely rare and sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Natural History Expeditions

Many of the greatest travel books combine exploration narrative with natural history observation and illustration:

• Alexander von Humboldt, Voyage aux régions équinoxiales du Nouveau Continent (1805–1834) — Humboldt’s monumental account of his South American expeditions, published over decades in multiple volumes.
• Charles Darwin, Journal of Researches (1839) — Later known as The Voyage of the Beagle, Darwin’s account of the HMS Beagle voyage. First editions are collected both as travel literature and as scientific milestones.
• Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago (1869) — Wallace’s account of his eight years collecting specimens in Southeast Asia.

Arctic and Antarctic Exploration

Polar exploration narratives form a passionate collecting subcategory:

• Sir John Franklin — Narratives of Franklin’s Arctic expeditions and the many search expeditions sent to find his lost 1845 expedition.
• Ernest Shackleton, The Heart of the Antarctic (1909) and South (1919) — Shackleton’s expedition narratives, particularly the limited signed editions, are among the most sought-after exploration books of the 20th century.
• Robert Falcon Scott, Scott’s Last Expedition (1913) — The journals of Scott’s fatal Terra Nova expedition.
• Apsley Cherry-Garrard, The Worst Journey in the World (1922) — Often considered the greatest polar exploration narrative.

Victorian and Edwardian Travel

The 19th century produced a golden age of travel writing:

• Richard Burton, Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Meccah (1855–56) — Burton’s account of his disguised pilgrimage to Mecca.
• David Livingstone, Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa (1857) — The most famous African exploration narrative.
• Isabella Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains (1879) — One of the great Victorian women travelers.
• T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1926) — Lawrence’s literary masterpiece of the Arab Revolt. The subscriber’s edition (1926, limited to approximately 211 copies) is one of the most valuable 20th-century books.

Mountaineering

• Edward Whymper, Scrambles Amongst the Alps (1871) — Including the account of the first ascent of the Matterhorn and its fatal descent.
• Sir Edmund Hillary, High Adventure (1955) — First edition accounts of the first ascent of Everest.
• Joe Simpson, Touching the Void (1988) — The modern classic of survival mountaineering literature.

Modern Literary Travel

• Robert Byron, The Road to Oxiana (1937) — Often considered the finest travel book in the English language. First editions are scarce.
• Patrick Leigh Fermor, A Time of Gifts (1977) and Between the Woods and the Water (1986) — Fermor’s account of walking across Europe in 1933–34.
• Bruce Chatwin, In Patagonia (1977) — The book that revived literary travel writing.
• Paul Theroux, The Great Railway Bazaar (1975) — Theroux’s first travel book, a landmark of the modern genre.

What Collectors Look For

Maps and Plates

Many travel books, particularly those from the 17th through 19th centuries, include maps, engraved plates, and illustrations that are integral to the book’s value. Collectors verify that all maps and plates called for in the collation are present — “complete as issued” — since plates are frequently removed for separate sale.

Folding maps are particularly vulnerable to damage: tears along fold lines, detachment from the binding, and loss of portions.

Condition in Travel Books

Travel books, particularly those taken on subsequent expeditions or used as practical references, often show more wear than drawing-room literature. Collectors accept a higher level of wear for genuinely rare travel books while still prioritizing the best available condition.

Provenance

Books owned by other explorers, by members of the expedition described, or by notable figures associated with the region visited carry significant provenance premiums.

Edition Identification

Travel books often went through multiple editions as public demand warranted reprints. First editions are preferred, and within first editions, issue points (variant bindings, maps, plates) can significantly affect value.

The Market

Price Ranges

Travel and exploration books span an enormous price range:

• Major landmarks (Columbus letters, Cook voyages, Lewis and Clark) — $50,000 to millions
• Important Victorian and Edwardian travel — $1,000–$50,000
• Modern literary travel first editions — $100–$5,000
• Minor or later editions of important titles — $50–$500

Where to Buy

• Specialist dealers — Several dealers specialize exclusively in travel and exploration (Maggs Bros., Hordern House, Shapero Rare Books)
• Auction houses — Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Bonhams regularly include travel books in their sales
• Book fairs — Major rare book fairs feature dealers with travel and exploration material

Collecting Strategy

Travel and exploration is a category where deep knowledge of the subject pays extraordinary dividends. Understanding the history of exploration — who went where, when, and what they published — allows collectors to recognize significant books that generalist dealers or casual sellers may overlook.

Regional focus — Collecting books about a specific region (the Arctic, East Africa, the Pacific Islands) allows deep expertise.

Expedition focus — Collecting all published accounts of a specific expedition (Cook’s voyages, the Franklin search, Shackleton’s expeditions).

Period focus — Concentrating on a specific era (Age of Discovery, Victorian exploration, modern adventure writing).

Travel and exploration books endure as collectibles because they embody a primal human drive — the need to see what lies beyond the horizon, to map the unmapped, to encounter the unfamiliar. The books that record these encounters are among the most exciting and historically significant objects a collector can own.