Travels in Brazil, in the Years 1817–1820 2 Volume Set: Undertaken by Command of His Majesty the King of Bavaria (Cambridge Library Collection - Latin American Studies) - Tapa blanda

First published in 1824, this is a two-volume English translation of part of the account by German naturalists Johann Baptist von Spix (1781–1826) and Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794–1868) of their Brazilian expedition, one of the nineteenth century's great scientific enterprises. Despite debilitating conditions, they accumulated a spectacular collection of specimens, including dozens of live animals and over 10,000 other examples of flora and fauna. Although no further volumes appeared, this wide-ranging work formed part of the library aboard the Beagle during Darwin's famous voyage. Volume 1 recounts the early stages of the expedition, focusing on the voyage from Trieste to Rio de Janeiro. It contains studies of flora and fauna in Malta, Gibraltar and Madeira. Volume 2 covers the expedition's progress from São Paulo, through the state of Minas Gerais, to Villa Rica (now Ouro Preto) up to May 1818.