BURTON, Richard Francis. The First Four Chapters of Goa, and the Blue Mountains, with the articles which recently appeared in the Madras Mail and Madras Times on the Coming Exposition at Goa, &c. Madras: Higginbotham and Co., 1890.

BURTON, Richard Francis. The First Four Chapters of Goa, and the Blue Mountains, with the articles which recently appeared in the Madras Mail and Madras Times on the Coming Exposition at Goa, &c. Madras: Higginbotham and Co., 1890.

12° (202 x 123mm). Lithographic frontispiece portrait of Francis Xavier. Light pink boards backed in black cloth, cover title duplicating title-page, (boards lightly rubbed). Included in the lists is an A.L.s. loosely inserted to 'My Dear Capt. Burton' from 'Gerson da Cunha,' 'Bombay 1 January 1878' pleading with him to publish his work [the 1890 printing of 'The First Four Chapters' of Goa'?] before the anniversary of St. Francis Xavier's death on 3 December. Burton and da Cunha had met in Goa in 1876 and found they shared an enthusiastic scholarly interest in Camoens. Penzer p. 37-38. Casada 37.

FIRST EDITION, OF EXCEPTIONAL RARITY and a copy in remarkably fine condition. Burton's text covers p. 1-78 and articles from Madras presses October and November, 1890, p. 79-117, refer mainly to St. Francis and the public exposition of his body to take place in December that year. By 1923 Penzer had seen no copy offered for sale. There have been no copies at auction in the last 25 years. Penzer p. 38-39. Spink 2.