#RA62
1928
Third edition without changes. Octavo (ca. 23x16,5 cm). 128 pp. With a portrait of Miklouho-Maclay and 5 illustrations in text. Original illustrated publisher’s wrappers, slightly rubbed and age-toned; spine with a couple of minor tears. Overall a very good copy. Photo: ca. 8,5x5,2 cm (3x2¼ in) mounted on original studio card ca. 10,3x6,1 cm (4x2½ in) with printed credentials on the mount.
Very rare Russian imprint with only four paper copies found in Worldcat (Library of Congress, State Library of Berlin, New York Public Library, Desing Museum Danmark). An illustrated edition of the diaries of a famous Russian ethnographer of native people of New Guinea, Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay, supplemented with the original cabinet portrait of the author, by Saint Petersburg studio of Wilhelm Wesenberg.
The majority of the book is dedicated to Miklouho-Maclay’s first travel to New Guinea, when for over a year (September 1871 – December 1872) he lived on the coast of the Astrolabe Bay (Madang province in the north-east of the island). Miklouho-Maclay became the first European to survey this part of New Guinea, which he called Maclay Coast (since 1914 – Rai Coast). In 1875 and 1884, he petitioned the Russian government to establish a Russian protectorate on the Maclay Coast, and though the project was reviewed by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it didn’t receive approval as in December 1884, the German Empire announced the creation of a protectorate over northern New Guinea and adjacent islands.
The diary describes the first Miklouho-Maclay meeting, relations and medical assistance to the natives of the Astrolabe Bay, his studies of the Bongu language and scientific observations, native customs, celebrations, family life, &c. The last chapter overviews Miklouho-Maclay’s travel to southwestern New Guinea in 1874 and his second and third stays on the Maclay Coast in 1876 and 1883. The illustrations reproduce Miklouho-Maclay’s original drawings of a native village, a communal “Buamramra” hut, a Papuan girl, a “telum” totem and an outrigger sailboat. The front wrapper is designed with elements of Soviet constructivism and includes a portrait of a Papuan youth and a traditional mask.
The book’s editor was Emilia Pimenova, a Russian writer, publicist, and journalist who supported Russian socialists and championed women’s rights. Wilhelm Wesenberg's (1839-1880) photo studio was founded in Saint Petersburg in 1865; after his death, his successors operated it as “Wesenberg & Co.”
Overall an early attractive illustrated edition of Miklouho-Maclay’s New Guinean diaries.
