Marshall Rare Books
The State of Russia Under the Present Czar…
FIRST EDITION, ownership note to title head (‘Robert Furnellto’), folding map by Hermann Moll, some foxing, contemporary calf boards, tooled border, rebacked, original spine preserved, corners worn, 8vo, London, for Benjamin Tooke, 1716 An important and influential work which reflects the contemporary views of a foreigner directly engaged in Peter the Great’s attempts to reform and Westernise Russia.
FIRST EDITION, ownership note to title head (‘Robert Furnellto’), folding map by Hermann Moll, some foxing, contemporary calf boards, tooled border, rebacked, original spine preserved, corners worn, 8vo, London, for Benjamin Tooke, 1716
An important and influential work which reflects the contemporary views of a foreigner directly engaged in Peter the Great’s attempts to reform and Westernise Russia.
Captain John Perry (1670-1733) was admitted into the Russian service in April 1698, after being introduced to the visiting tsar of Russia by Lord Carmarthen. Perry spent thirteen years working on hydraulic engineering projects. The first being the construction of the Volga-Don Canal (1698-1701) which enabled Man-Of-War to travel between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. He led the construction of the floodgates on the Voronezh River and began to build the gateways on the Slavyanka River. In 1715 he returned to England, without being paid for his labour. This account was originally written in the hopes of gaining employment and redress for his unpaid work in Russia, which he describes in detail.
Captain Perry was a keen observer and articulate writer who produced a vivid picture of Russian life, both at a Royal and humble level. Perry’s narrative contrasts with the tsar’s progressive, expansionist aims, his work being constricted by bureaucratic officialdom and a corrupt nobility. The work was incredibly popular, with numerous translations into European languages, including Russian in 1871.
The work includes “A New Map of the Empire of the Czar of Russia. With Improvements and Corrections of Capt. John Perry” by Hermann Moll. The map shows the Eastern Ocean and “Parts Unknown” in Russia’s still unexplored extreme eastern territories.
ESTC: T105640, Cox, I, p. 192.