Roving Englishman in Turkey 1855 1st Ed. Rare Travel Book Victorian Leather Bound
 
Item Description:

The Roving Englishman in Turkey – Sketches from Life
Author: The Roving Englishman (E. C. G. Murray)
Publisher: G. Routledge & Co., Farringdon Street, London, 1855
Binding: Half-leather with marbled boards, intricate gilt tooled spine, raised bands
This exceptionally rare 1855 first edition of The Roving Englishman in Turkey is presented in a beautiful half-leather binding with marbled boards and endpapers, gilt-decorated panelled spine with raised bands, and all edges marbled. A fine example of mid-Victorian bookcraft.
 
Authorship & Background

This travelogue is attributed to Eustace Clare Grenville Murray (1824–1881), a British diplomat and journalist known for his witty, sharp travel narratives and political satire. This first edition volume includes observations on Ottoman Turkey. Murray wrote under the pseudonym The Roving Englishman and contributed to Charles Dickens’s magazine Household Words, from which this book is partially reprinted.
 
Murray, the illegitimate son of the Duke of Buckingham, lived a colourful life:
Born in 1824 in England. He was the illegitimate son of Richard Grenville, second Duke of Buckingham and Chandos.
Appointed attaché to Constantinople in 1852
Known for biting satire and social commentary
Publicly horsewhipped in 1869 by Lord Carrington for slander
Fled to Paris and lived in voluntary exile
 
This volume, published just a year after his acclaimed The Roving Englishman (1854), contains vivid observations of Ottoman Turkey during the decline of the Empire.
 
Features:
 
First edition, scarce
363pp + viii. All pages present
Contemporary ink inscription: Mary Anne Leathall, 1857
No other markings or annotations
Tight binding with minimal hinge wear
Clean, lightly tanned pages with only very occasional light foxing or small marks
Some tiny edge tears not affecting text
A wonderful Victorian artifact and Turkish travel narrative
 
Condition Report:

Very good overall for age (170 years). Some edge/corner wear to boards, light spine rubbing. Pages clean and legible. Binding is strong with very minor rub at front hinge. A few pages with small, non-obtrusive creases. All content intact.
 
Measurements:

16.5 × 10.7 × 2.4 cm | Approx. 294 grams
 
Provenance:

Ink inscription reads Mary Anne Leathall, 1857 on the front flyleaf. While this name has not been confirmed as a notable figure, it reflects ownership history close to publication date.