A fascinating and detailed account of a huge area virtually unknown to the western world, published in English in 1764.

The Book of Ser Marco Polo describes the thirteenth-century travels of Marco Polo through Asia, Persia, China and Indonesia.

A late eighteenth-century account of Sumatra, (reissued here in its 1811 third edition) by an orientalist and public servant.

Illustrated with photographs, maps and drawings, this 1905 publication provides an eyewitness account of the recent British expedition to Tibet.

Eden's candid letters represent thousands of nineteenth-century women who dutifully accompanied their men to outposts of the British Empire.

In this 1821 work, Graham vividly describes and illustrates the social life, culture, and attractions of south and east India.

This account of Kabul was published posthumously in 1842, after its author was murdered in the Afghan capital.

This volume, first published in 1880, translates the first detailed description of the geography and indigenous culture of South America, written by Joseph de Acosta (1540-1600) and originally published in Spanish in 1590.

In this 1896 work, George Mackay (1844-1901) describes his experiences during many years of living in Formosa (now Taiwan).

Among the Tibetans recounts Isabella Bird's travels and experiences in the Himalayas, and her encounters with the native people.