1827 1st ed Imprisonment INQUISITION Juan Van Halen TORTURE Voyages Caucasus

1827 1^st ed Imprisonment INQUISITION Juan Van Halen TORTURE Voyages Caucasus

A Spaniard of Dutch heritage, Juan Van Halen (1788-1864) entered the Spanish navy in 1803, sailing to Cuba and Mexico. In 1808 he became involved in the Peninsula Campaign, first fighting for the Spanish, then briefly joining the French after being taken prisoner, and finally returning to the Spanish side, boldly fooling the French into surrendering three forts by dressing as a French officer and presenting forged documents announcing a treaty. He received a promotion for this coup, but in 1817 fell victim to the Inquisition and was (according to his own account) imprisoned and tortured. Escaping to Russia, he spent 18 months as a colonel in the Caucasus Dragoon Regiment under General Yermalov in Tblisi, Georgia.

Despite some likely fictional elements, this1827 account of his adventures is generally regarded as based in truth. British traveler and scholar John Frederick Baddeley describes it as “one of the best of the early books of travel and adventure in the Caucasus” (Russian Conquest).

This rare 1827 edition of “Narrative of Don Juan Van Halen’s imprisonment’ includes 7 illustrations 5 of which are fold out engravings!

Item number: #7590

Price: $750

HALEN, Juan Van

Narrative of Don Juan Van Halen’s imprisonment in the dungeons of the Inquisition at Madrid, and his escape in 1817 and 1818: to which are added, his journey to Russia, his campaign with the army of the Caucasus, and his return to Spain in 1821 : in two volumes

London : Henry Colburn, New Burlington Street, 1827. First Edition.

Details:

• Collation: Complete with all pages
  • 2 Volumes
    • 1: xix, [1], 380 p., [2] leaves of plates (1 folded);
    • 2: xv, [1], 496 p., [5] leaves of plates (4 folded).
  • References: Abbey Travel #24; Russian Conquest of the Caucasus, p. 123
  • Language: English
  • Binding: Leather; tight and secure
  • Size: ~8.5in X 5in (21.5cm x 12.5cm)

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7590