HUC (Évariste-Régis). Souvenirs of a journey in Tartary, Thibet and China, during the years 1844, 1845 and 1846. Paris, Adrien Le Clère & Cie, 1850. 2 volumes in-8, fawn calf, two gilt fillets and one cold stipple, coat of arms in the centre of the first plate, smooth spine decorated with grotesque decoration, red title page, decorated edges, marbled edges (English binding of the period). First edition, illustrated with a map of China by A.-H. Dufour folded out of the text. A Lazarist missionary, Father Huc (1813-1860) left in 1839 to evangelise China. He explored the deserts of Tartary and managed to reach Lhasa in Tibet, from where he was expelled in 1846. This excellent travel account and its sequel (The Chinese Empire, 1854) were reprinted several times in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The work is, moreover, "highly esteemed because of the curious observations it contains from the occult point of view", according to Caillet. A very fine copy bearing the arms of a member of the Order of the Garter, the highest British order of chivalry. Slightly missing headpieces, some foxing. Cordier, BS, 2119 - Caillet, n°5292.