Firmin-Didot

First edition (see Sabin 97501).

A light dampstain to the right margin of the opening leaves.

Half brown cloth binding, smooth spine with a brown sheep lettering-piece, boards with marbled paper; a modest later binding.

After distinguishing himself—at times infamously—during the wars of the French Revolution, notably in Vendée, Louis-Marie Turreau [1756–1816] later served in Italy and captured the city of Susa.

He held the post of Ambassador to the United States from 1804 to 1811 and was created Baron of the Empire upon his return. His Aperçu of 1815 offers a bitter critique of the federal government. Turreau’s name is inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile (see Hoefer).

First edition.
Small corner losses to the boards, clean and appealing interior condition.
Bradel binding in full combed paper, smooth spine with a black morocco label lettered lengthwise, binding signed by Thomas Boichot.

Rare signed autograph inscription by Ferdinand de Lesseps "à mon ami 'chéri' Rousseau".
 

First edition published in book form, expanded with the French translation established by G. Pauthier. (cf. Cordier, "Sinica", 1399-1340.)

A portion of the work had first appeared in 1832 in the "Revue Encyclopédique" of May–June, and was also issued separately in a 23-page printing.

The text is presented in French with a Latin version and the Chinese text facing.

The Chinese characters were produced using movable types engraved on steel punches and cast by Marcellin-Legrand, engraver to the Royal Printing Office.

A small angular loss at the foot of the lower cover required a minor restoration on the last page of the volume; slight, inconsequential tears at head and tail of spine.

First edition, illustrated with 11 lithographed plates by Théodule Devéria and printed by Kaeppelin.

Some occasional foxing.

Rare.

First edition, cf. Blackmer 133. Not in Atabey.

Contemporary romantic binding in navy-blue half sheep, spine gilt with decorative romantic tools, gilt rolls (partly faded) at head and foot, gilt fillet framing the boards decorated in blind with romantic arabesques, gilt-stamped plaque of the "Lycée impérial du Mans" to upper board, some wear along board edges, endpapers and pastedowns of marbled paper, marbled edges, gilt tooling at head and foot of the boards’ edges mostly rubbed. A handsome romantic binding of the period.

A near-spotless copy, attractively preserved in a period romantic binding.

First edition of this magnificent work, one of Gustave Le Bon’s (1841–1931) contributions to anthropology, in which he applied his pioneering theories to the Arab world. One of the few copies printed on japon paper, unrecorded in bibliographies.

Illustrated with 10 chromolithographs, 4 maps, and 366 engravings, including 70 large plates, after the author’s photographs or the most reliable documentary sources. Cf. Vicaire V, 134.

Contemporary half cherry-red shagreen, spine with five raised bands adorned with gilt fillets and double gilt compartments, double gilt fillet frame on marbled paper-covered boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, top edge gilt.

Minor superficial rubbing to spine ends.

A rare and attractive copy on japon paper, handsomely bound in contemporary period style.

New edition, illustrated with two folding maps bound at the end. (cf Gay 91.)

Some foxing, spine with restored sections.

Preceded by an introduction and followed by geographical and historical studies on Arabia by M. Jomard.

Contemporary half tan calf, spine decorated with gilt and blind fillets, gilt roll at foot, modern black morocco labels for title and volume numbering, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers.

First edition of the French translation of this remarkable study originally published in Vienna in the *Mines de l'Orient*.

The work, translated and enriched with observations and explanatory notes, followed by a dissertation on the location of the Pallacopas by J. Raimond, is illustrated with six folding plates at the end (rather than four, as stated on the title page).

Contemporary binding in green half sheep, spine slightly faded, gilt-stamped with a sphinx, gilt title, cat's-eye marbled paper-covered boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, modern binding.

Some foxing, mainly affecting the opening leaves.

Rich provides "une description très détaillée de toutes les ruines et de tous les tertres [...] qui s'étendent à une grande distance sur les deux rives de l'Euphrate" (Michaud).

His work on Babylon is regarded as the starting point of Mesopotamian archaeology (Chahine, 4032).

First edition, illustrated with portraits, views, and in-text plans (cf. Tailliart 1966).

Scattered light foxing.

Bound in half havana shagreen, spine with four raised bands decorated with gilt dotted fillets and compartments adorned with gilt decorative tools, marbled paper-covered boards, combed paper endpapers and pastedowns, gilt top edge. Original wrappers and spines preserved, with small losses and some soiling.

Several chapters in the second volume are devoted to Medina and Mecca, including an account of the Wahhabis, a detailed description of the mosques of Medina and Mecca, pilgrimage rituals, etc. The author, a retired plenipotentiary minister and former chief interpreter to the Army of Africa, was the private secretary to Abd el-Kader: "Il fait un récit détaillé de son long séjour auprès de l'Emir, de la situation qui lui fut faite, de la confiance d'Abd-el-Kader en lui, de sa conversion à l'Islam, des persécutions dont il fut l'objet, de son emprisonnement à Tlemcen, du mariage avec une Mauresque que lui imposa l'Emir, enfin de son retour chez les Français. À nouveau des aventures singulières dans le pèlerinage qu'il fait à La Mecque en passant par la Tunisie et l'Égypte où il est chargé d'une mission politique : il courut les plus graves périls" [Tailliart].

First separately issued edition, illustrated with a large folding map, issued as a plate outside the text (cf. Sabin 94850).

The work was first published in 1838 in the Notices statistiques sur les colonies françaises.

"La lecture des documents officiels réunis dans la Notice statistique laissera déjà dans tous les esprits cette conviction que la Guyane française offre de nombreux éléments de richesse et de prospérité, et que, pour les avoir laissés improductifs pendant deux siècles, la France ne peut avoir renoncé à les mettre un jour en valeur".

Some light foxing, otherwise a pleasing copy.

Second edition, after the original published in 1791. 2 large folding plates at the end of volume 2 with multiple figures.
Contemporary red Bradel binding in temporary boards. Smooth spine decorated with fillets. Brown shagreen title label. Gilt volume numbering. Volume 1: dampstain traces at mid-page from page 32 to 50, and p. 422 to 433. Humidity traces thereafter to page 250. Volume 2: light dampstain traces in upper margin p. 158 to 209, very faded thereafter. Dampstain traces in upper section on the 2 folding plates. Some signatures uncut. Rubbing traces.
One of the most important treatises on the subject, which remained for a long time the manual for dye workers. Berthollet is, after Lavoisier, undoubtedly the most important chemist of the 18th century. We owe him numerous discoveries in the field of dyeing, notably the bleaching of canvas with chlorine, Javel water.

New edition.

Full glazed eggplant calf binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt romantic arabesques, gilt roulettes on headcaps, quintuple gilt fillet frames on boards enhanced with decorative motifs stamped in blind, double gilt fillets on leading edges, one slight harmless nick to upper corner, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt edges, elegant romantic binding. Some minor foxing of no consequence.

Handsome copy.

First edition of the French translation for volumes 2, 3 and 4; second edition of the French translation for volume 1. (Not listed by Gay).

A few occasional spots, not affecting the overall freshness of the copy.

Bound in uniform olive green half percaline, smooth spines with gilt floral device and double gilt rules at foot, boards covered with decorative patterned paper, mauve endpapers and pastedowns, inner hinges discreetly restored with adhesive or partly split, all edges red.

Illustrated with 53 black plates comprising 92 engravings, 4 chromolithographs, a fine folding map of Northern and Central Africa showing the explored areas and the route taken, and a frontispiece portrait of the author.

Illustrations distributed as follows:

Volume 1: a frontispiece portrait of the author and one colour plate.

Volume 2: (pagination jumps from 164 to 167 without loss), one colour plate and 18 black plates.

Volume 3: one colour plate.

Volume 4: one colour plate, 35 black plates, and a large folding colour map.

The four colour plates are titled: Taepe, point of confluence of the Benue and Faro rivers, 13 June 1851. – Herd of elephants near Lake Chad, 25 September 1851. – Arrival in Timbuktu, 7 September 1853. – Ashenoumma, 17 June 1855. Lithographed after the author's drawings and printed by J. Adam in Munich.

Note: the first black plate in volume 2 and the colour map in volume 4 need to be remounted.

Conducted between 1850 and 1855, Henri Barth's explorations "resteront à jamais célèbres dans les annales de la géographie": he provided accurate data on the entire region of Central Africa stretching from Bagirmi in the east to Timbuktu in the west, discovered the Benue River, and more.

A handsome, uniformly bound copy of this much sought-after work.