# Is "The Lake Regions of Central Africa: A Picture of Exploration" by Richard F. Burton a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Lake Regions of Central Africa: A Picture of Exploration by Richard F. Burton (Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts, 1860) is identified by: The true first edition was published in two octavo volumes (pagination xvi, [2], 412; vi, [2], 468 pp.), illustrated with twelve chromoxylographed plates and a large engraved, tinted folding map bound at the rear of volume II. Burton's findings were first laid before the public in his paper 'The Lake Regions of Central Equatorial Africa,' printed in the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, vol.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first edition was published in two octavo volumes (pagination xvi, [2], 412; vi, [2], 468 pp.), illustrated with twelve chromoxylographed plates and a large engraved, tinted folding map bound at the rear of volume II. The true first issue is bound in plum-colored cloth; unsold sheets were subsequently rebound in red cloth for remainder sale, which is markedly more common on the market
- A later state of the first edition can be identified by twenty-two pages of undated publisher's advertisements added at the rear of volume II alongside the map
- Publisher imprint reads Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard F. Burton |
| Publisher | Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts |
| Year | 1860 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first edition was published in two octavo volumes (pagination xvi, [2], 412; vi, [2], 468 pp.), illustrated with twelve… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The true first edition was published in two octavo volumes (pagination xvi, [2], 412; vi, [2], 468 pp.), illustrated with twelve chromoxylographed plates and a large engraved, tinted folding map bound at the rear of volume II. The true first issue is bound in plum-colored cloth; unsold sheets were subsequently rebound in red cloth for remainder sale, which is markedly more common on the market. A later state of the first edition can be identified by twenty-two pages of undated publisher's advertisements added at the rear of volume II alongside the map.

## Is this the true first?
Burton's findings were first laid before the public in his paper 'The Lake Regions of Central Equatorial Africa,' printed in the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, vol. 29 (published April 1860) and drawn on directly for the book's topographical material; because that journal printing preceded or was closely contemporary with the two-volume Longman edition, specialist dealers sometimes market a set of the Journal as the true first appearance of the text, though the two-volume book remains the standard first edition normally collected under this title.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Lake Regions of Central Africa: A Picture of Exploration* by Richard F. Burton a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-lake-regions-of-central-africa-a-picture-of-exploration
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.