Forbidden Jungle Ross Salmon 1957 First Edition Illustrated Dust Jacket
 
Title & Bibliographic Details
Title: Forbidden Jungle
Author: Ross Salmon
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Limited, London
Date: 1957
Edition: First Edition, first published 1957
Printer: C. Tinling and Co., Ltd., Liverpool, London and Prescot
Language: English
Format: Hardcover with original illustrated dust jacket
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
Forbidden Jungle is Ross Salmon's account of his expedition into the mountainous jungle country of the Sierra de Motilon, on the borders of Colombia and Venezuela, where he sought contact with the Motilon Indians.
The narrative describes an arduous journey through remote South American landscapes, including the Guajiro Peninsula, the Llanos cattle country, the Sierra Nevada and Motilon territory. The contents follow the expedition from the ominous discovery of the crossed arrows through encounters with different Indigenous communities and the eventual retreat from the jungle.
The book is particularly appealing for its combination of first-hand adventure narrative, travel writing and ethnographic observation, illustrated with numerous photographic plates and maps.
The original dust-jacket blurb presents the expedition as Salmon's attempt to study the Motilon people and investigate the legends surrounding their remote territory. The jacket also describes the cover illustration as an artist's impression of Salmon's first contact with the tribe.
 
About the Author
Ross Salmon (1922–2004) was an English adventurer, author, broadcaster and former Royal Navy officer who became known for his South American ranching experiences and television appearances. He wrote numerous books based on travel, adventure and his experiences in South America. 
His adventurous career included service during the Second World War, followed by work on ranches in South America. His later writing and broadcasting drew heavily upon these experiences.
 
Binding & Exterior Description
The book is bound in green cloth over boards and spine, with gilt lettering to the spine.
The binding remains intact, robust and in good condition for its age, with only light general wear. There are very light marks to the cloth and some minor rubbing consistent with age and handling.
The original illustrated dust jacket is present and retains its original printed price of 17s 6d net. It remains attractive overall, with some rips, creasing and light foxing, small marks and light wear to the edges and a patch of rubbing to the spine. Despite these minor imperfections, the jacket is well preserved for a 1957 adventure book and adds considerably to the desirability of the copy.
 
Interior Condition
The pages are predominantly uncreased and very clean for their age, with only very occasional small marks and a small amount of light tanning.
A small number of pages have extremely small edge tears. These are minimal and do not affect the text or illustrations.
There is a very small amount of rubbing or wear to the inner margins of the plates following page 160 (see photo). The binding remains secure and tightly bound, with an extremely light partial crack at the gutter near page 16.
 
Illustrations & Maps
The book is particularly well illustrated.
The front endpapers and pastedowns contain illustrated maps, while the text is accompanied by numerous photographic illustrations on plates, all present and checked.
There are also three maps within the text, on pages 21, 85 and 133, all present.
 
Physical Details
Pagination: All 191 pages present
Dimensions: Approximately 21 × 14 × 2.5 cm
Weight: Approximately 368g
Dust Jacket: Original illustrated jacket, unclipped, priced 17s 6d net
Illustrations: All photographic plates plus three maps within the text present.
Endpapers: Illustrated maps
 
Collector Summary
A strong first-edition copy of Ross Salmon's Forbidden Jungle, documenting his adventurous expedition into the remote jungle territory of the Motilon Indians. Particularly attractive for its original illustrated dust jacket, illustrated map endpapers, numerous photographic plates and three maps within the text.
A good choice for collectors of exploration, South American travel, adventure writing, ethnographic books and mid-century illustrated travel literature.