"Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road."
(Jack Kerouac, On the Road)
Very rare original edition illustrated with 2 folding maps out of text.
Two small losses at the head and foot of the spine, otherwise an agreeable interior condition.
The work was composed with the collaboration of Dr. Mougeot.
Rare first edition of this doctoral thesis in medicine, presented and defended on Thursday, April 7, 1892. (Copies held in the BnF, BIUM, Bulac, and Strasbourg libraries according to the CCF.)
Spine restored and reinforced, lacking the rear cover, front cover partially detached. The work addresses various public health issues related to the legal departures of pilgrims from Tunisia and Algeria to Mecca for the annual Hajj.
Very rare, but as is.
Contemporary ownership inscription in the upper right corner of the first page.
First edition, printed in a small number of copies.
The work primarily discusses the potential for exporting French goods to Tonkin and China, as well as public works in Annam and the railway along the southern borders of China.
Georges Fillion served as a correspondent for Agence Havas with the French expeditionary corps in Tonkin.
A rare and appealing copy.
First edition of this occasional text, illustrated with 4 plates outside the text.
Spine faintly faded, a rare and attractive copy.
Archbishop of Algiers from 1867, Charles Lavigerie (1825–1892) would become in 1884 Primate of Africa through his exceptional accumulation of titles, including the restored See of Carthage.
He took an early interest in the excavations of the Carthage site.
Very rare first edition printed by the Bureaux de l'armée nationale (only two copies recorded in the CCF: ASOM and Nanterre).
A pleasant copy.
The pamphlet brings together the texts of two lectures: the first delivered on 19 June 1924 in Hanoi, the second on 10 December 1924 in Paris; both advocate for a systematic effort to provide indigenous populations with access to education.
A former captain in the colonial artillery, Paul Monet (1884–1941) was then head of the Annamite Students' Residence in Hanoi. He would soon gain attention for echoing Roland Dorgelès' stance on the exploitation of indigenous labour by French companies (Les Jauniers, 1930).
Very rare first edition of this short treatise advocating the cultivation of jute in Indochina, at a time when British India held an almost total monopoly over its production.
Single copy recorded in the CCF (ASOM).
Upper cover detached, with minor marginal tears and soiling.
Second edition of the French translation, expanded with a few remarks and illustrated with a map of the North Atlantic and 9 folding plates outside the text (natural history, views, Inuit types, etc.), cf. Sabin 22312n. "European Americana" 750/110. See Leclerc 717 for the first French edition published a year earlier.
The plates are captioned in both French and Dutch; the original English edition was published in London in 1748; the first French edition appeared in Paris in 1749.
The work opens with a historical account of earlier attempts to discover a route to the East Indies via the Northwest Passage.
Contemporary binding in full marbled calf, spine with gilt compartments decorated with floral tools, some fading to the gilt, modern havana morocco label, gilt roll tooling on the caps, gilt dentelle frame inside the boards, marbled edges, gilt fillets along the board edges.
The text begins with a chronicle of the various efforts made up to 1746 to discover the Northwest Passage.
Henry Ellis, the English traveller, was born in 1721 and died in Naples on January 21, 1806. As hydrographer and mineralogist, he took part in the 1746 expedition aimed at finding a northern route to the Indies and published this account, which includes valuable observations on Inuit customs. He was later appointed governor of Georgia and Nova Scotia.
Ink ownership inscription at the foot of the title-page.
A handsome copy.
Uncommon first edition, illustrated with historiated initials and 7 plates (see Brunet I, 710).
Not listed in Atabey, Blackmer or Hage Chahine.
Contemporary full marbled tan calf, spine with five raised bands richly gilt with floral motifs, joints and spine rubbed with traces of restoration, cherry morocco label, covers framed in triple blind fillet, margins of covers rubbed, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, red edges.
Joints rubbed, corners worn, some foxing.
Rare copy of this historical and numismatic monograph devoted to the small kingdom of Osroene (or Edessa), which long served as a buffer state between the Persian and Roman empires.
Born in Königsberg, Gottlieb Siegfried Bayer (1694–1738) taught Greek and Latin humanities at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences from 1726 to 1737.
Contemporary ownership inscription of Louis de Boisses at foot of title page.
Second edition with the text printed in two columns (see Cordier, Indosinica, 2288).
The first edition was published in 1868.
Contemporary quarter fawn mirabelle sheep binding, flat spine decorated with triple gilt fillets, some rubbing to spine, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, bumped corners.
Théophile Marie Legrand de La Liraÿe (1819–1873), a priest of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, was sent to Western Tonkin in 1843.
During the French intervention in Annam, he acted as interpreter to Admiral Rigault de Genouilly. After leaving the Missions, he continued in this role for the Governor of Cochinchina.
He died on 7 August 1873 at the military hospital in Saigon, leaving behind manuscripts now held in the Saigon library. A street in that city bears his name (see Archives des Missions Étrangères de Paris).
Some foxing, mainly affecting the first and last few leaves.
First edition of the French translation, illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of Iwakura Tomomi.
Contemporary binding in navy blue long-grain half morocco, flat spine decorated with gilt fillets and blind-stamped fleurons, red morocco lettering-piece running lengthwise, green cloth boards, minor fading and rubbing to covers, original blank wrappers preserved; modern binding.
Iwakura Tomomi (1825–1883) was a prominent figure of the Meiji era, whose influence played a key role in Japan's transformation.
Some handwritten annotations in ink and pencil on a pastedown, and an inscription in ink reading "Trautz (?) Kyoto. Jan 1935" on the endpaper.
Inscribed and signed by Leonardus Johannes Antonius van de Polder to Doctor Kniper, dated December 1922.
Bookplate of R.A. Scoales pasted on a pastedown.
Rare first edition, illustrated with a folding map bound at the end of the volume (cf. Backer & Sommervogel VIII, 827).
Only one copy recorded in the CCF (BnF).
Contemporary full black shagreen binding, spine with four raised bands adorned with blind-ruled fillets, minor rubbing to spine, covers framed with double and single blind fillets with corner volutes, some rubbing to covers, bumped corners, sprinkled edges.
Father Benito Viñes [Poboleda (Tarragona) 1837 – Havana 1893] arrived in Havana in 1870, where he was appointed director of the magnetic and meteorological observatory, a position he held until his death. His studies on Caribbean hurricanes remain authoritative works in the field.
First edition of the French translation established by P. Arsène Mousqueron, an employee of the French telegraph administration, with the collaboration of Manuel Rouaud y Paz Soldan.
Contemporary black half shagreen, spine with four raised bands decorated with blind-ruled fillets, restored to spine and joints, black paper-covered boards framed with blind tooling, yellow paper endpapers and pastedowns.
Some minor foxing.
This highly detailed geography of each Peruvian province also includes studies on the country's production and trade, merchant navy, political education, and territorial organization.
New edition of the French translation, illustrated in the first volume with a folding map of India with hand-colored borders, printed on bluish paper; and in the second volume with a folding map of Arabia, also printed on bluish paper (see Gay 83 and Lorin 2065 for the first edition of 1786).
Contemporary full speckled calf bindings, spine with five raised bands, gilt-tooled compartments with floral motifs, red morocco title and volume labels, gilt roll tooling at head and foot of spine, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges.
Library stamps to title pages, shelf labels at foot of spines, some rubbing to spines and covers with minor surface losses, internally clean and fresh.
Pages [283] to 414 of Volume II contain Capper’s account of the journey to India via Egypt and Arabia. "Capper was in the East India Company service from an early age. The text of his work is in two parts - a letter describing the voyage from India via the Red Sea, Suez and Egypt, and a journal of the route from India through the Arabian desert via Mesopotamia to Aleppo. At this time there was unofficial interest in opening a new route to India through Egypt - the two standard routes being via the Cape of Good Hope or through the Euphrates Valley - and some attempts were made to use this route. Irwin was forced to use the Egypt-Suez route ; Capper is advocating it" [Leonora Navari].
First edition, illustrated with 26 folding tables framed typographically. (Not listed in Sabin, who only records under no. 22885 another economic publication by the same author, printed the same year.)
Contemporary half havana sheep binding, flat spine decorated with double gilt and blind fillets, brown sheep title label with minor losses, gilt date at foot, marbled paper boards slightly faded at the margins, some paper losses to the covers, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, rubbing to edges, corners worn.
Joints restored; small tear affecting the text on pages 83–84 of the second part.
A rare and highly valuable source on the dire state of the Mexican economy in the final years of Santa Anna’s dictatorship.
The folding tables provide a detailed account of the country’s production (notably tobacco), report on the national debt, break down military expenditures (army and navy), customs revenues (by region), the state of taxation, and more.
One table is devoted to lottery revenues.
The second part of the work, containing supporting documents, bears a separate title: "Documentos que se acompañan al presupuesto de hacienda para el quinto año economico".
A good copy.
Provenance: from the library of A. Montluc, Consul General of Mexico in Paris, with his bookplate on the front pastedown.
First edition of the French translation, revised under the author's supervision, by Joseph Lavallée, of this highly regarded travel account.
The atlas includes 16 plates depicting views and natural history subjects, 12 pages of engraved music, and 1 folding map (cf. Monglond VI 729–730).
Contemporary bindings in half blond calf over green vellum-tipped boards, smooth spines decorated with gilt tooling, yellow edges, for the three text volumes.
Contemporary binding for the atlas in half green sheep with vellum tips, smooth spine decorated with triple gilt fillets, soft green paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.
Wormholes on title pages, scuffed boards, joints starting, some foxing to the text volumes; minor abrasions and some foxing to the atlas boards.
Giuseppe Acerbi was the first Italian traveller to reach Lapland and the North Cape in 1799. He compiled an excellent general overview of Sweden and its northernmost regions, but above all, provided a thorough account of Finland, which had been little visited or documented by earlier travellers. Acerbi was accompanied by the Swedish colonel and skilled landscape artist Skioldebrand, whose drawings are reproduced in the atlas.
First edition, illustrated with a frontispiece portrait, two folding colour maps, and 34 plates outside the text.
Publisher’s binding in full green percaline, flat spine decorated with blind-stamped panels and fillets, gilt date at foot; some rubbing to one joint, slightly frayed, cold-stamped frame on covers, brown paper endpapers and pastedowns, corners slightly bumped.
Inscribed, dated and signed on the front free endpaper as a gift.
First edition of the French translation, illustrated with 105 plates out of text (including 2 folding tables, 21 plans and maps, and 82 views and reproductions of documents). A remarkable record of one of the most significant instances of international opinion manipulation carried out by China and North Korea in the early stages of the Korean War: as early as 1952, North Korean and Chinese officials (including Zhou Enlai) accused the American army of using "insect vectors" on a large scale to spread various diseases among the populations of Korea and Manchuria (plague, cholera, etc.).
The entire operation had been meticulously staged, as definitively revealed by Soviet documents published in 1998.
Head and tail of spine with some losses, minor stains and marginal tears to the covers, two small holes to the lower edge of the rear board also affecting the rear endpaper, otherwise clean and sound throughout.
Rare.
First edition, printed in very limited numbers, of this offprint from the Revue archéologique, illustrated with 12 textual figures and 3 plates; only two copies listed in the CCF (Quai d'Orsay and Strasbourg).
Contemporary Bradel binding in olive green cloth-backed marbled boards, smooth spine with red morocco title label, original wrappers bound in.
Christophe-Edouard Mauss (1829–1914), architect to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was entrusted with several archaeological missions in the East (Thessaloniki, Smyrna, Alexandria), and was later sent by the French government to Jerusalem (1862–1874) to oversee the restoration of the Church of Saint Anne. He also developed a keen interest in ancient metrology, to which he devoted several monographs.
Bound at the end, three additional works by the same author:
First edition of the French translation by David Durand, illustrated with 5 plates (4 folding), including a genealogical chart (cf. Brunet IV, 1203. Hage Chahine, 3949).
Contemporary full stiff vellum, spine with five raised bands, lower joint split, black morocco lettering-piece, bumped corners.
Some inevitable soiling due to the binding, light foxing to initial and final leaves, ff. 107–108 and 109–110 restored and trimmed short.
The De Religione Mohammedica was first published in 1705, and reissued in 1717 in an expanded edition.
The Dutch orientalist Adriaan Reland (1676–1718) pursued a broad range of scholarly interests, but this presentation of the Muslim religion—based on authentic Islamic sources—is considered his most important work.
First edition of the French translation, illustrated with two folding plates hors texte.
This is an abridged translation (unusually, this is stated) of the major work Reise durch Sibirien, published in Göttingen in 1751–1752 in four quarto volumes richly illustrated. It recounts a major scientific expedition to Siberia that took place from July 1733 to February 1743. Johann Georg Gmelin (1709–1755) held the chair of chemistry and natural history at the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
Despite the erratic pagination of the second volume, the set is complete.
Contemporary full marbled tan calf, flat spines decorated with gilt compartments, red morocco title and volume labels, gilt rolls at head and tail, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, marbled edges, corners somewhat rubbed.
Some light foxing.
Armorial bookplates from the 18th century, with the handwritten note “Longeville.”
First edition of this continuation of the series Lettres édifiantes et curieuses, documenting events from 1767 onward in the missions led by the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (M.E.P.) in Sichuan, Tonkin, Cochinchina, Siam, and along the Coromandel Coast. (cf. Cordier, Sinica, II, 953–957; Cordier, Indosinica, III, 1970–1978; Sabin 40704.)
Contemporary full speckled tan calf, smooth spines richly decorated with gilt garlands, fillets and floral tools, red morocco labels for title and volume number, gilt roll tooling at headcaps, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, single gilt fillet on board edges, yellow edges.
Spines slightly sunned, headcaps trimmed, some rubbing to spines and boards with occasional paper loss, bumped corners, occasional light spotting, internally a very good copy.
First edition, illustrated with a fine engraved frontispiece portrait of Cardinal Casanate, signed by Pet. Paul Bouché, an Antwerp engraver born around 1646 [cf. Bénézit].
Gay 1464.
This engraving is lacking in the copy held by the Bibliothèque nationale.
Contemporary full brown calf binding, spine with five raised bands, compartments decorated with gilt floral tools, gilt fillets on board edges, mottled edges.
Restorations to the spine, dampstain to the outer margins of the opening leaves, some leaves slightly yellowed.
“Another edition of this work by Emmanuel Schelstrate, published in Antwerp in the same year, is recorded.”
The author published this treatise to demonstrate that the Church of Africa and its most eminent pastors had always acknowledged the Pope as patriarch. This valuable history of the African Church, its heresies and its councils, also includes a list of bishops from the provinces of Numidia, Byzantium, Mauretania, Tripolitania, and Sardinia. Emanuel van Schelstrate [1645–1692], the Antwerp antiquarian and theologian, was a staunch defender of papal prerogative. A learned scholar, he served as canon and precentor of Antwerp Cathedral before being called to Rome, where Pope Innocent XI appointed him custodian of the Vatican Library and canon of St. John Lateran.
Library stamp to title page.
Autograph inscription signed by Edouard Imbenotte to Abbé Griselle (circa 1910) in black ink on the front pastedown.
New edition, the most comprehensive to date, illustrated with 300 engravings, several maps, and followed by 18 appendices (cf. Cordier, Japonica, 694).
The original edition was published in 1899.
Contemporary half havana sheep binding, corners tipped with the same, smooth spine sunned and rubbed, decorated with blind fillets and floral tools, blind-tooled garland framing the bordeaux cloth boards, black paper endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges.
Some minor foxing mainly affecting the endpapers, otherwise a clean and well-preserved copy.
Our copy lacks the atlas of 11 maps, which was not ready in time for printing, as stated on a slip mounted on the first endpapers ("Par suite d'un accident imprévu, la gravure et l'impression des cartes géographiques n'ont pu être terminées en temps voulu. Elles seront envoyées à part dès qu'elles auront paru").
Jacques-Edmond-Joseph Papinot (1860–1942) was ordained in 1886 and sent to Japan three months later. He taught at the Tokyo Theological Seminary for fifteen years and returned permanently to France in 1911.
Provenance: from the library of the Barante family, with a printed ex-libris label mounted on the pastedown.
New edition of the French translation (cf. Sabin, 90059).
Contemporary red half shagreen binding, flat spine decorated with gilt and blind fillets, gilt floral rolls at head and foot, marbled paper boards, hand-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original pink printed cover (blank) preserved, 20th-century binding.
Some foxing, a tiny nick at the foot of the spine.
Third volume of the Voyages, relations et mémoires originaux pour servir à l'histoire de la découverte de l'Amérique, edited by Henri Ternaux-Compans.
This is the first French version of Hans Staden's account, a native of Homburg in Hesse, originally published in German in Marburg in 1557 (one small quarto volume). De Bry later translated it into Latin and included it in his Collection of Great Voyages.
Staden recounts his journey to Brazil, where he stayed from 1547 to 1555, and describes in detail the customs and way of life of the Tupinambá people among whom he was held captive.
First edition of these extremely scarce memoirs (cf. Bourquelot V, 374. Tulard 1007. Bertier de Sauvigny 720).
Contemporary bindings in brown half sheep, flat spines decorated with gilt Romantic rolls and black floral tools, red morocco labels for volume numbers and titles, marbled paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, some corners worn, marbled edges.
Spine of volume four damaged, restorations to the spines, two lower caps rubbed, occasional foxing.
The Countess Merlin was born Maria de las Mercedes de Santa Cruz y Montalvo (1789–1852) in Havana.
Her memoirs offer valuable anecdotal insight into society life in Cuba, the Peninsular War, and more.
Composite copy: the first volume corresponds to the second American edition, which is partially original (with the shortened title Incidents of Travel in Yucatan), while the second is the first edition (with the full title); the text of the first volume being expanded compared to the 1841 edition. This title, originally printed in 15,000 copies, was a tremendous success and saw numerous reprints between 1841 and the author’s death in 1852 (cf. Sabin 91 297 and 91 299).
Illustrated with 96 engravings distributed as follows: 54 illustrations (some full-page in-text), including 21 plates out of text (among them a folding map and a folding frontispiece) for the first volume; for the second: 42 out-of-text plates, including 2 double-page spreads.
Contemporary early 20th-century bindings in black half shagreen, spines with five raised bands framed by blind tooling, minor rubbing to spines, slight discoloration to outer margins of boards, marbled paper-covered boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt top edges.
This work holds a major place in American travel literature: it marked the public’s first real encounter with the vestiges of Maya civilization. But it is not solely archaeological in focus: as a travel narrative, highly fashionable at the time, it blends anecdotes, character portraits, detailed descriptions of visited sites, extensive commentary on the political context and the civil war then tearing Central America apart, as well as the pioneering archaeological component, which in fact constitutes only about one-third of the work.
Born into a wealthy New York family, John Lloyd Stephens (1805–1852) undertook two expeditions to Central America following his 1836 meeting with the draughtsman Frederick Catherwood (1799–1854). Upon the death of the United States envoy to the Federation of Central America, Stephens leveraged his political connections to obtain a diplomatic mission to the region from President Van Buren. Central America at that time was in complete turmoil: a civil war raged between the federal government and the various states within the Federation. Stephens hoped that his diplomatic passport would afford him some protection during the journey. On 3 October 1839, Stephens and Catherwood sailed from British territory toward Belize, beginning a journey of several months that would take them to Copán, Quiriguá, Toniná, Palenque, and finally Uxmal. The second expedition, undertaken in October 1842 following the phenomenal success of their first publication, took the pair from Uxmal to Tulum, via Sayil, Labná, Kabah, and Chichén Itzá, covering over forty Maya sites. The text of this second edition reflects the added knowledge gained during this follow-up expedition.
Provenance: From the library of explorer and archaeologist Alexis-Antoine-Maurice de Périgny (1877–1935), with his pictorial bookplate mounted on the front endpapers.
De Périgny’s principal expeditions focused specifically on Mexico and Central America (Guatemala, Costa Rica, 1909–1913). He himself published Le Yucatan inconnu (1908) on the region.
Second edition, illustrated with 13 full-page plates printed on various tinted backgrounds. The first edition was published in 1924.
This edition includes a map that was not reissued in the second printing.
The Miao people (known as Méo in Vietnam and Hmong in Laos) are an ethnic group found in southern China and northern Indochina. They speak various loosely related dialects, but without mutual intelligibility.
Today, they are generally regarded not as a single ethnic group but as a broader grouping of distinct peoples. A missionary of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, François-Marie Savina (1876–1941) worked in Upper Tonkin, Hainan (China), and Laos from 1901 to 1941.
Pleasant copy, with some minor marginal tears to the covers, not affecting the text.
Rare first edition of this essential supplement to the Flore forestière (1881–1897) by Jean-Baptiste-Louis Pierre (1833–1905), director of the Saigon Botanical Garden.
OCLC locates copies only at the BnF and the Natural History Museum.
Publisher's binding in brown cloth-backed boards, plain flat spine, paper-covered boards slightly sunned and soiled, title printed on upper board, bumped corners, minor wear to edges.
Text in two columns.
Clean and fresh interior.
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.
First edition, very rare, of this album illustrated with 12 lithographic plates by Émile Verdier after drawings by the author (1 frontispiece and 11 plates, including one large folding plate depicting Pointe-à-Pitre) (cf. Sabin 8949).
Text and illustrations by Armand Budan.
Contemporary binding in brown quarter cloth with corners, smooth spine with long chocolate shagreen title-piece, boards covered with marbled paper framed by blind fillets, blue endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges, early 20th-century binding.
The plates depict: Palmiste River. Heights of Petit-Bourg; Forest interior. Road to the Soufrière; View of the Soufrière from Versailles; The Yellow Baths near the Soufrière; Basse-Terre. View from the Empress’s Battery; Vauchelet Waterfall. Near Camp-Jacob; The Saut de Constantin. Near Basse-Terre; View of the port and the town of Le Moule; The village of Anse Bertrand. Grande-Terre; The Cow Hole (Anse-Bertrand); General view of the Port and the town of Pointe-à-Pitre taken from Morne-à-Caille.
The painter Armand Budan was born in Guadeloupe in 1827 and died in 1874. He painted the frescoes in the chapel of Saint-Pierre & Saint-Paul in Pointe-à-Pitre, rebuilt after the 1843 earthquake, as well as the decorative paintings of the municipal theatre.
Regarded as one of the first photographers in the Antilles, Budan launched a subscription for the publication of La Guadeloupe pittoresque in November 1862.
A few minor foxing spots, not affecting the overall condition.
A handsome and very rare copy.
First edition, printed in a small number of copies, of this excerpt from the Magasin de zoologie, d'anatomie comparée et de paléontologie, published by M. Guérin-Méneville in October 1845.
Contemporary bottle green full shagreen binding, flat spine with gilt fillets and no lettering, single gilt fillet frame on covers, title gilt-stamped in the center of the upper cover.
Illustrated with 3 hand-colored plates numbered 59–61 at the end of the volume.
This is the last text published during the lifetime of the great naturalist Jean-Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent (who died on 22 December 1846); L'Exploration scientifique de l'Algérie appeared largely posthumously.
Some occasional light foxing.
Uncommon first edition containing highly interesting observations on life aboard the Newfoundland fishing vessels (cf. Sabin 11020).
The chapters on whaling and seal hunting were overlooked by Thiébaut, Jenkins, and Vaucaire.
The author, Constant-Jean-Antoine Carpon (1803–1872), was a medical officer and surgeon in the merchant navy. He began his career in 1826 and continued until 1865, taking part in numerous fishing expeditions to Newfoundland.
Contemporary quarter maroon paper binding, flat spine slightly faded and decorated with blind-stamped fillets, brown paper boards with minor rubbing.
Some light foxing.
Inscribed by Constant-Jean-Antoine Carpon to Monsieur Lefevre-Deumier on the half-title page.
First edition, one of 40 copies printed on pur fil paper, this one numbered 1, the only copies on deluxe paper.
Complete with the folding map at the end of the volume.
A handsome and rare copy, untrimmed, of this work dedicated "To the glory of those who fell and those who prevailed, workers, soldiers, and commanders."
Preface by Marshal Franchet d'Esperey.
Rare first edition, as referenced by Clouzot (see Guide du bibliophile français XIXe siècle, p. 256).
A few insignificant spots of foxing, a small black ink stain at the bottom of pages 354–355. Complete with the errata leaf at the end of the volume.
Caramel half calf binding, spine with five raised bands ruled with gilt dotted lines and decorated with gilt and black tools, gilt fillets at head and foot of spine. Minor rubbing to the spine. Brown morocco title label. Marbled paper-covered boards framed with blind-stamped vertical rolls, endpapers and pastedowns in cat’s-eye paper, all edges gilt. Roman bookseller’s label at the top of a pastedown. Period-style binding signed in blind by Durvand.
Rare and important work (cf. Carteret), notable for being the first to bear Stendhal’s pseudonym on the title page.
First edition of the author's first work; Aboal Amaro, Amerigo Vespucci, page 31. Leclerc, 263 (does not mention this edition). Sabin, 10704.
Contemporary limp cream paper boards, plain spine, original binding.
Spine worn with some loss, a marginal stain affecting two leaves at the beginning, otherwise a clean and attractive copy.
This essay, in which the author argued "with a certain force of reasoning" (Larousse) that Vespucci discovered America before Christopher Columbus, was awarded the prize of the Academy of Cortona in 1788. The Florentine scholar Stanislas Canovai (1740–1811) devoted his life to restoring the reputation of the famed navigator Amerigo Vespucci, publishing several works on the subject. The last of these, published posthumously in 1817, is mentioned by Sabin with the following comment: "It is hardly possible to understand how calumnies against Amerigo, which have so long been taught in every school, could have, for many years, survived this excellent refutation."
Leclerc notes: "A dissertation much attacked, which gave rise to numerous inquiries into early Spanish voyages to the Indies." Dedication epistle to Giovanni Luigi di Durfort.
Manuscript ex-libris on the title page and engraved armorial bookplate pasted on the front pastedown.
First edition, illustrated with 5 lithographed plates outside the text, each featuring multiple figures (Not listed in Sabin).
Bound in modern half beige calf, smooth spine decorated with gilt and black fillets, black morocco title label, marbled paper boards, restored and preserved original printed wrappers bound in. Binding signed by the Laurenchet workshop.
Some occasional spotting.
All published: the renowned anthropologist had planned a work in two or perhaps three volumes gathering his observations made during travels in Alaska.
The plates depict fossils, bones of sea otters and American brockets, mollusks, and more. Contributions include studies and commentary by Jannetaz ("Catalogue des échantillons et observations géognostiques"), J.-L. de Cessac ("Étude microscopique et analyse chimique de quelques roches de l'Alaska"), A. Gaudry ("Sur une dent d'Elephas primigenius"), and P. Fischer ("Sur quelques fossiles de l'Alaska" and, with E. Perrier and P. Gervais: "Invertébrés marins des îles Aléoutiennes. Mollusques et cirrhipèdes"), among others.
A very scarce publication.
First edition of the French translation, illustrated with one frontispiece plate in the first volume: "Infantrymen of Sindh in their battle dress", and a large folding map in the second volume: "Map of Beluchistan and Sindh, including parts of Cutch, Seistan, Khorasan, Persia, &c., drawn by Henry Pottinger, Lieutenant of the 7th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry, in 1814" (cf. Quérard VII, 300).
Contemporary full green calf bindings, faded smooth spines gilt with fillets and small ship motifs, gilt rolls on slightly rubbed caps, gilt dentelle frames on covers, marbled endpapers lightly soiled at the edges, bookplates pasted on the front pastedowns, corners bumped, gilt fillets on the edges, yellow edges.
Some light scuffing, traces of restoration to the spines, internally well preserved with occasional foxing.
Henry Pottinger [1789–1856], British general, administrator, and diplomat, was one of the prominent figures of British colonial history.
“Dispatched to India as a cadet in 1804, he soon distinguished himself for his bravery and intelligence, was entrusted with several administrative duties which he carried out with skill, served for several years as judge and revenue collector in Ahmednagar (Deccan), later became political resident in Cutch, president of the regency in the same city, diplomatic agent in Sindh, took part in military operations on the frontier, was promoted to the rank of major general, and was granted the title of baronet in 1839, following the Afghan War.” Cf. Larousse.
After returning to England in 1840, Pottinger’s exceptional diplomatic career continued in China. From 1846 to 1849, he served as Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, before concluding his career as Governor of the Madras Presidency. After 1854, he retired to Malta, where he died.
Distinguished provenance: From the library of Talleyrand, with his bookplates pasted on the front pastedowns.
First edition, complete with the large folding map — often missing — and the facsimile in Arabic. Copy originally issued in plain temporary wrappers, therefore without the printed covers, as specified by the publisher’s sale notice.
Contemporary green half sheep binding. Smooth spine decorated with three gilt tools and fillets. Rubbing; hinges of volume 1 mostly cracked along the upper joint with some small losses. Internally very fresh. Untrimmed copy bound as issued in quires.
The supporting documents occupy pages 217 to 370 of volume 3.
Rare first edition, complete with its 17 plates, including 2 maps, 2 colored facsimiles of Japanese view and plan (view of Yedo, plan of Nagasaki), and 13 colored facsimiles of natural history drawings. (See Cordier, Japonica, 549 and Sinica, 2128. Numa Broc, Asie, 89-90.)
Some minor foxing, a faint dampstain on the final leaves, small restorations to the verso of the facsimiles.
Contemporary half green shagreen, spine slightly faded, with raised bands framed by gilt fillets, double gilt compartments with decorative tools, boards framed with a blind-stamped fillet, marbled paper boards slightly soiled, combed endpapers and pastedowns, painted edges.
A career diplomat, Charles de Chassiron (1818–1871) was part of Baron Gros’s diplomatic mission to Japan in 1858. He boarded the corvette *Laplace* with the other members of the mission in Shanghai on September 6, 1858, arrived at Shimoda on the 14th at 10 a.m., left during the night of September 19, landed in Edo (Tokyo) on the 26th, stayed until October 12, and departed the country from Nagasaki on October 22.
Chassiron’s *Notes* are a nearly verbatim transcription of the journal he kept during his stay; the appendix contains the text of the Franco-Japanese treaty signed on October 9. His travel journal thus represents an important milestone in the history of Franco-Japanese relations. His entries concerning Edo are particularly valuable for their care, precision, and integrity. Throughout Chassiron’s text runs a tension between the anxious caution of a disoriented diplomat and the observations of a traveler fascinated by Japan’s social order and industrial arts. The French, more perplexed than the British before Japanese reality, nonetheless allowed themselves to be charmed by it, bringing back the image of a feudal Japan rooted in espionage, and that of an artistic Japan. (Cf. Numa Broc.)
Second edition of the French translation, complete with its folding map at the beginning of the volume.
Scattered light foxing, otherwise a well-preserved copy.
Preface by Édouard René Lefebvre de Laboulaye.
Bound in contemporary chocolate-brown half morocco, spine with five raised bands ruled in black, double blind fillets framing the marbled paper boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, red top edge, slightly rubbed corners, bookplate affixed to a pastedown.
French translation of The Lost Continent: or, Slavery and the Slave Trade in Africa by the Quaker abolitionist Joseph Cooper (1800–1881).
The work is of particular interest for its early recognition that indentured labour, which emerged in the wake of successive abolition movements, often perpetuated the logic and practices of slavery under new forms.
Provenance: from the library of Emmanuel Mancel, with his engraved bookplate by Trouchou pasted on a pastedown.
Illustrated with a facsimile letter as frontispiece and a folding map at the end of the volume (cf. Sabin, 80002 and 25852).
Only one copy listed in the CCF (BnF).
Contemporary binding in red half shagreen, spine with five raised bands framed by gilt dotted rules, gilt triple compartments, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.
Traces of damp to the beginning of the volume, with clumsily restored paper margins to the upper right corners of some leaves, occasional foxing.
Previously published as the fourth volume in French’s major series, Historical collection of Louisiana, this compilation concerning the exploration of the Mississippi Valley gathers several independent narratives. Their titles read: Relation of the voyages, discoveries and death of F. James Marquette, and the subsequent voyages of F. Claudius Allouez by F. Claudius Dablon. – Narrative of a voyage made to the Ilinois by F. Claude Allouez. – Narrative of the 1st attempt by M. Cavelier de La Salle, to explore the Mississipi, drawn up from the Mss. of F. Zenobius Membré by F. Chretien Leclercq. – Narrative of the voyage to the upper Mississipi by F. Louis Hennepin... – Narrative of the adventures of La Salle's party at Fort Crevecoeur in Ilinois... by F. Zenobius Membré. – Narrative of La Salle's voyage down the Mississipi by F. Zenobius Membré. – Account of La Salle's attempt to rearch the Mississipi by sea... by F. Christian Le Clercq. – Narrative of La Salle's attempt to ascend the Mississipi in 1687 by F. Anastasius Douay. – Récit des voyages et des découvertes du P. Jacques Marquette... en 1673... – Unfinished letter of F. Marquette containing a jal of his last visit to the Ilinois.
Former Jesuit John Dawson Gilmary Shea (1824–1892) was a noted historian of Catholicism in America and of Native American nations.
First edition published in the Bulletin de la Société des études indochinoises de Saïgon, no. 69.
Other contributions in this issue include poems, an analysis of Le Comte’s book, Lettres sur les moeurs des Chinois, and above all an insightful analytical index of the subjects addressed in the Bulletin of the Société des études indochinoises from its founding (1883) up to 1914.
Small losses and tears to the spine.
First edition of the French translation, made from the second English edition and illustrated with 7 plates outside the text and 1 folding map (Gay 1496 bis).
Contemporary quarter fawn sheep bindings, smooth spines decorated with gilt fillets and typographic ornaments, brown morocco title label on the first volume, red morocco title label on the second; some restorations and rubbing to spines and joints, marbled paper boards, bumped corners, a few scrapes along the edges.
Some foxing; bookplates mounted to the pastedowns, names carefully erased.
Rare first edition of this elementary Arabic grammar, the author's first publication, composed at the beginning of his teaching career in Oriental languages at Jena by the pastor and theologian Heinrich Eberhard Gottlob Paulus (1761–1851), who would later become known primarily for his systematically rationalist interpretation of the Scriptures.
Illustrated with 5 folding tables.
We have identified only three copies in the CCF (Bulac, Strasbourg, and Chambéry).
Some occasional foxing, small loss of leather to the lower left corner of the upper board.
Contemporary full tree calf binding, spine with gilt fillets, garlands and floral tools, cherry-red morocco label, gilt roll tooling to headcaps, dentelle border, gilt single fillet and egg-and-dart garland on covers, gilt single fillet on edges, marbled endpapers and pastedowns with gilt dentelle border, yellow edges.
Rare first edition of this important geographical and ethnographic account, intended to provide insight into the conflict between the Afghans and the British, the latter seeking to protect their Indian frontiers from the threat posed by the Russian Empire (cf. Bourquelot V, 637).
This copy retains the folding map bound at the end of the volume: "Carte pour l'intelligence des voyages d'Alexandre Burnes".
Spine faded with small losses, boards lightly soiled at the margins, paper loss to the lower left corner of the half-title page, some scattered foxing.
The author based his work on Elphinstone’s account, whose second edition appeared in 1838, as well as the narratives of Burnes, Forster, and Masson.
First edition of considerable rarity, not recorded by Sabin (who mentions an octavo edition) nor by Monglond.
Title, 117 pp., 67 pp., 2 unnumbered leaves of tables, 84 pp. and one folding plate comprising the appendices. Pages 15 to 22 are taken up by an unpaginated "État des Réunions poursuivies à Saint Domingue, & sur lesquelles est intervenu Jugement pendant les années 1785, 1786, 1787 & 1788."
Contemporary quarter marbled calf over marbled paper boards, vellum-tipped corners, modern flat spine gilt with decorative tools and roll-tooled dentelle motifs, red shagreen label, marbled edges.
Count César Henri Guillaume de La Luzerne (1737–1799), governor of the island of Saint-Domingue and Minister of the Navy, was denounced by the deputies of Saint-Domingue and more generally accused of responsibility for the loss of the colonies. In this memoir, he defends himself by refuting the fifteen accusations presented by his detractors, supporting his arguments with extensive documentary evidence. Among other charges, he is accused of obstructing the appointment of colonial deputies to the Estates-General and of having “favorisé & favoriser encore les Gens de couleur” (third accusation, p. 110). The documents he presents in response offer valuable information on the colony’s organization, slavery, and trade on the eve of the French Revolution. Various tables record the number of enslaved people imported and sold, revenue from these sales, quantities of coffee sold and their sale prices by year, the number of Domain Reunions, and more. He is also reproached for a flour shortage, which leads him to address in detail the trade relations between Saint-Domingue and France, including quantitative data and the legislation governing these exchanges. Saint-Domingue regularly received flour from France to feed the white population and some enslaved persons; in return, it exported sugar, coffee, cotton, indigo, and other products of its fertile land. The appendices, which constitute the second part of the work, are equally rich in significant data and details regarding the internal administration of the colony.
Contemporary ownership inscription on the title page: J. Beysselance.
Rare work illustrated with 199 in-text full-page costume plates, as stated in the table (not recorded by Colas. Hilaire p. 14).
Contemporary binding in red half shagreen, spine with four raised bands, triple panels ruled in blind and decorated with gilt central floral tools, some rubbing to the spine, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers, a few small tears to the edges; period binding.
Two leaves have been restored (pages 51 and 147), one marginal tear, otherwise clean and fresh throughout.
A sweeping illustrated survey of the peoples of the world, featuring a substantial section on Oceania.
Among others, it depicts Russians from the Tver region, inhabitants of Siberia, Native Americans, Eskimos, and natives of various Oceanic islands, with their hunting or war weapons, ritual objects, and, for some, their tattoos.
Notable illustrations include a striking plate of a Sandwich Islands warrior and one of a tattooed man from Noukahiwa.
Rare first edition of this grammar written in collaboration with Louis Cheikho (Théodore Rizqallah), later revised in a 1912 edition.
Contemporary half blue sheep binding, flat spine decorated with double gilt fillets, joints restored, green vellum tips, some rubbing to the marbled paper boards.
Stamped marks and pencil annotations to the endpapers and title page.
Louis Cheikho (Théodore Rizqallah) was a Jesuit of the Chaldean rite, a renowned Arabist and Orientalist, and founder of the Bibliothèque orientale in Beirut.
New edition of the French translation, reissued for sale with a substitute title, of this anonymous account first printed in 1793 (Schwab, 612. Barbier, IV, 1097e. Quérard, Supercheries, I, 606e.).
The translation is by Louis Matthieu Langlès and François Joseph Noël.
Contemporary full tree calf, smooth spine with gilt-decorated compartments, gilt fillet at foot, joints rubbed, spine ends worn, maroon morocco title label, endpapers and pastedowns lightly soiled at margins, corners bumped.
The work includes a description of the principal towns and regions visited during the journey from Bengal to Persia: Ceylon, Goa, Bombay, Muscat, Oman, Bushehr, Shiraz, followed by numerous details on Persian customs and manners, character, justice system, marriage, funeral rites, religion, superstitions and talismans, and Shiraz wine…
It then addresses the revolutions in Persia from 1747, the year of Nadir Shah’s death, to 1788. The final section deals with the island of Pulau Pinang (Malaysia), with a description of its natural resources and the opium trade.
Appended are several excerpts by other travellers concerning this island (by Le Gentil and Captain Thomas F.).
An early handwritten note evaluating the work appears on the half-title.
First edition, one of 15 copies printed on pure Arches wove paper, the deluxe issue.
A fine copy of this work dedicated by Paul Vialar to the President of Côte d'Ivoire, Félix Houphouët-Boigny.
First edition of this broad overview, largely compiled from more detailed monographs then available.
It was reissued as early as 1843.
Contemporary half black sheepskin bindings, flat spines decorated with quadruple gilt fillets and gilt romantic arabesques, gilt rolls at foot, some wear to the headcap of the first volume and to the tail of the second. Boards decorated in blind with romantic motifs, school insignia [Institution Hortus], corners slightly rubbed, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges.
Some foxing, light rubbing to edges, endpapers and pastedowns slightly soiled at margins.
First edition, printed in a small number of copies, of this offprint from the Journal asiatique.
Minor foxing, light discoloration spots to the margins, at the beginning and end of the volume.
Bradel binding in blue cloth-backed marbled boards with corners, smooth spine slightly darkened, cherry red shagreen title label, gilt initials at foot, marbled paper-covered boards.
A pupil of Silvestre de Sacy like so many others, Joseph-Toussaint Reinaud (1795–1867) succeeded him in 1838 at the chair of living Oriental languages; his primary scholarly interest was directed toward the Arab world. Copy from the library of agronomist Adrien de Gasparin (1783–1862), father of Agénor de Gasparin, with his ownership stamp on the title page.
Stated second edition, though in fact the fourth, and the second Parisian printing issued by Prault. According to Michaud's *Biographie Universelle*, the true first edition was printed in only 24 copies in Newport for the author's friends; the second, equally rare, appeared in Cassel in 1785. However, that latter version is believed to be erroneous and pirated, published without the author’s consent and incomplete (only one volume in 12mo format). The appearance of the second volume of this edition in 1791, following the first volume in 1788, suggests it is the most complete version. Includes two folding maps with contemporary hand-coloring and three folding plates at the end.
Contemporary full tree calf bindings. Smooth spines richly gilt with star tools and grotesque compartments. Red morocco labels for titles, green morocco labels for volume numbers. Small losses at head of both volumes, not affecting the caps. A wormhole through the first compartment of volume I, and a 1 cm split at the tail of the lower joint. Signs of rubbing and a surface abrasion to the upper board of volume II.
A good copy with both maps in color.
First edition, illustrated with 31 plates outside the text, including a map, some folding or double-page. (cf Hague Chahine 1505).
A few insignificant spots of foxing, a pleasing copy overall.
Contemporary Bradel binding in green cloth-backed boards, smooth spine with gilt date at foot, red shagreen title label with a small angular defect, boards covered with 'cat’s eye' marbled paper. Contemporary binding.
The volume is also decorated with numerous illustrations in the text and is an offprint from the Nouvelles Archives des Missions scientifiques, vol. X, documenting the archaeological expedition in the Harra region, conducted alongside Frédéric Macler.
Inscribed by René Dussaud to Baron Rey on the half-title page.
An archaeologist and orientalist, Emmanuel Guillaume Rey (1837–1916) made three journeys to the Near East between 1857 and 1865, during which he explored Palestine, Syria, and southern Turkey. He published numerous works, notably on the Hauran (south of Damascus), the Ansarieh mountains (north of Mount Lebanon), the history and topography of the tribe of Judah, the military architecture of the Crusaders in Syria, and Latin rule in the East.
Uncommon first edition illustrated with a double-page plan: "Plan du Saint-Sépulcre, à Jérusalem" (see Röhricht p. 587. Not in Blackmer or Atabey.)
The text is divided as follows: Letters on Italy and Egypt (pp. 5–64), Palestine (pp. 65–604), the Levant and Constantinople (pp. 605–685).
Minor tears to the spine and boards, with some light foxing.
First edition, printed in small numbers as an offprint of the preface only: the full catalogue was later published between 1887 and 1896 in three large volumes.
Henri Michel Lavoix (1820–1892) was curator in the Department of Medals and Antiquities at the Bibliothèque Nationale.
A rare and appealing copy.
Inscribed and signed by Henri Michel Lavoix to the archaeologist Melchior de Vogüé (1829–1916).
Rare first edition illustrated with three folding plates outside the text.
Spine repaired along the right margin with adhesive strip, minor tears to spine, internally clean and appealing.
In the manner of departmental compendia of customary law published in mainland France, the author records the unofficial legal “usages” adopted in practice within the colony, though lacking legal force. Born in Saint-Denis, Réunion, Georges Garros (1860 – after 1919) moved to Cochinchina in 1892 to open a law practice in Saigon, primarily serving the commercial interests of his Vietnamese merchant friends. He was also the father of the famed aviator Roland Garros (1888–1918).
Inscribed by Georges Garros: "Monsieur Foulé, greffier en chef de la Cour d'appel hommage de cordiale sympathie. G. Garros"
Rare first French edition of the travel impressions of Prince Soltykoff, more an adaptation than a strict translation (cf. Vicaire, VII, 575. Schwab, 544. Only two copies listed in the CCF).
Illustrated with a two-tone lithographed frontispiece and 20 tinted lithographic plates by Trayer and Émile Beau after drawings by the author.
Contemporary green half-shagreen binding, flat spine decorated with double gilt fillets and broad blind-stamped fillets, dark green paper-covered boards, minor restorations and rubbing to head and foot of joints, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, period binding.
Some superficial wear and very faint foxing, otherwise a pleasant copy in contemporary binding.
Prince Alexei Soltykoff (1806–1859), a member of one of the most prominent Russian families, was sent on a diplomatic mission to Tehran in 1838 under the reign of Muhammad Shah. He spent nearly a year in Persia. Having no real calling for diplomacy, he abandoned the career soon after his return and settled in Paris to prepare for further travels in India.
A singular and even eccentric figure, Soltykoff had been fascinated with travel since childhood, and this mission provided him with his long-awaited opportunity to explore the Orient. Arriving via the Caucasus, he remained in Tehran until May 1839, which he observed and described extensively, particularly through the everyday lives of its inhabitants. The plates are of particular interest for their depiction of costumes (Saba, Bibliographie Française de l’Iran, p. 187 no. 211).
Very rare first edition illustrated with 40 lithographs (cf. Colas 1581, Mayfair, Algeria, 751, Tailliart, 1001, *Iconographie de l'Algérie*).
A few minor spots of foxing; the front free endpaper is slightly creased at the margin, not affecting the text.
The 40 plates, printed on 37 leaves, are arranged as follows: 37 black lithographs including one plan and one folding map (plates 11–12, [37–38], and [39–40] are printed on single leaves).
Among the rarest and most beautiful illustrated albums devoted to Algeria, this edition comprises 40 lithographic plates printed in black across 37 leaves. The map of the Regency of Algiers and the views of Algiers and Constantine, being in a larger format, each count as two. So rare is this album that even Esquer, author of the monumental *Iconographie de l'Algérie*, was only able to consult a copy containing 35 plates.
Contemporary binding in half green Russia morocco, flat spine with blind double fillets, marbled paper-covered boards with some light spotting, green vellum corners slightly rubbed.
Lithographed by Simon fils after drawings by Robert Jungmann, the plates depict costumes and views of Algeria. The author, who presents himself as a Polish refugee, explains in the preface that he served for nearly four years in the Armée d’Afrique and that the purpose of his work is "to provide a short but accurate account of Algiers and its surroundings, a region that is increasingly drawing our interest".
The text is divided into four chapters: Geographical overview; historical notes; costumes, manners and customs of the native populations, their methods of warfare, etc.; and the state of industry, commerce, arts and sciences. It includes precise descriptive information on Algiers, Blida, Médéa, Oran, Tlemcen, and Constantine, as well as commentary on history, climate, agriculture, and colonization. The illustrations include a map of the Regency of Algiers with hand-colored outlines also showing a large part of the Regency of Tunis; a portrait of Hussein Pasha, the last Dey of Algiers; picturesque views (View of Algiers, viewpoint near Mustapha Pacha in Algiers, partial view of Algiers' main square, Bab-el-Oued gate, marabout of Sidi-Yakoub, a fountain near Algiers, views of Constantine and Bône); and plates depicting inhabitants in traditional dress: Arab horsemen, Bedouins, Moorish women, Kabyles, Kouloughlis, Jewish men and women of Algiers, marabouts, Algerian corsairs, Zouaves, etc.
Edition not recorded by Leclerc, Rodriquez or Borba de Moraes (cf. Sabin 43770; Cordier, Bibl. Japonica 62-63, and Bibl. Sinica 782).
Some occasional light foxing; minor worming affecting the index leaves at the end of the volume.
Modern Bradel binding in half vellum, smooth spine with red morocco label, marbled paper-covered boards.
A work of major significance for the history of Jesuit missions in the Americas, India, China, and Japan.
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.
Rare first edition illustrated with 10 splendid full-page colour plates by John Gerrard Keulemans, lithographed, hand-coloured and gum-finished (cf. Not in Gay. Nissen, Illustrierten Vogelbücher, 74. Anker, Bird Books, p. 69. Unrecorded by Ronsil, Bibliographie ornithologique française. Zimmer, p. 39).
Contemporary half brown morocco over marbled boards, spine with five raised bands, slightly faded, gilt lettering with date and place at foot, corners in morocco, orange endpapers and pastedowns. Minor rubbing to spine.
"Portugal too, has contibuted to the knowledge of african avifauna, for instance in the work 'Ornithologie d'Angola' […] an important monograph on the birds inhabiting the Portuguese possessions of Central and West Africa" (Anker, p. 69).
José Vincente Barboza du Bocage (1823–1907), Portuguese politician and zoologist, served as director of the National Museum of Zoology in Lisbon. He was unrelated to the French geographers of the Barbier du Bocage family.
John Gerrard Keulemans (1842–1912) was "one of the greatest foreign wildlife artists, illustrator of many of the finest English works" (Ronsil, L'Art français dans le livre d'oiseaux).
The title page of the first instalment (1877) has been preserved and bound in before the final title page (1881).
Autograph dedication by José Vincente Barboza du Bocage on the title page: "British Ornithologists' Union hommage de l'auteur". Old pencil annotations to the list of plates. A handsome copy.
First edition, illustrated with 7 plates: a plan of Fort William and a large folding view of Calcutta in the first volume; 5 folding plates in the second volume (including 3 views of Mocha and its surroundings), see Gay 3317bis.
Contemporary full tree calf bindings, smooth spines decorated with gilt fillets, floral tools and geometric patterns, now largely faded, red morocco title-pieces, green bottle-morocco volume labels, some wear to joints, marbled endpapers, red-speckled yellow edges.
Rubbing to the spines, split to one joint.
Rare sole edition of one of the author's two travel accounts. A naval officer and son of a slave trader from Saint-Malo, Louis Ohier de Grandpré (1761–1846) had served in Suffren's campaign in India. He later turned to commerce, outfitting three ships in La Rochelle for trade and the slave trade.
His journeys took him to India (Bengal) and to the eastern coast of Arabia. His description of Yemen, and especially of the port of Mocha, is considered the first serious French account of the region.
Copy from the library of the Château de Menneval (Eure), with engraved bookplates mounted on the pastedowns.
First edition, illustrated with a folding map and 11 tinted lithographic plates (cf. Gay 3137).
Contemporary half aubergine sheep, smooth spine ruled and lettered in gilt, some rubbing to hinges, one joint fragile, marbled paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers, speckled edges.
Some repairs to the spine, occasional foxing.
Arbousset, a Protestant missionary and explorer, recounts the discovery of the Mont des Sources and offers vivid descriptions of the peoples among whom he lived: Bastaards or mixed-race communities, Hottentots, Bushmen, Kaffirs, etc.
Rare.
Collected edition, bringing together in a single volume the Grammar of the Annamite Language, first published in 1864, and the Vocabulary, issued as early as 1861. (cf. Cordier, Indosinica IV, 2297.)
Spine restored, with minor losses at head and foot; some occasional foxing within.
A naval officer and Orientalist, frigate captain Gabriel Aubaret (1825–1894) served as the first French consul in Bangkok in 1863. His true mission, however, was to negotiate with the imperial court of Hué for the cession of the provinces of Cochinchina to France. On June 21, 1864, Aubaret signed in Hué a new treaty aligned with the terms desired by the court of Annam. The three eastern provinces were returned to the court of Hué in exchange for a French protectorate over all six provinces of Cochinchina. While the Emperor’s suzerainty was upheld in the treaty, a specific clause stated that this did not imply vassalage.
First edition of the French translation based on the second English edition, with additions drawn from Robert Adams's narrative in Africa, 1810. (cf. Gay 2788.)
Illustrated with 10 plates, including a frontispiece portrait of Mungo Park and a map showing his route from Kayee on the Gambia to Boussa on the Niger.
Contemporary full marbled tan sheep, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets, garlands and fleurons, cream title labels, gilt dentelle and fillet frames on boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, speckled edges.
Some wear with minor losses at head and foot of one joint, a few scuffs to the covers, occasional foxing, otherwise a pleasant and sound copy.
This volume includes Mungo Park's journal up to 16 November 1805, as well as the narrative of Isaac, a Mandingo priest who accompanied him on his journey, which would be his last—Park having drowned near Boussa in the Niger River, which he had been one of the first Europeans to explore upstream.
French edition translated from the English by Charles Athanase Walcknaer, illustrated with 8 folding maps inserted out of text: 5 in the first volume, 3 in the second (see Gay 2996).
Contemporary half purple sheep bindings, flat spines faded and decorated with gilt garlands, joints with some repairs, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers, printed stamps to endpapers, occasional light foxing.
First edition, accompanied by the original text with interlinear translation, grammatical analysis, and a Maya–French vocabulary, published by Count H. de Charencey.
A pleasant copy.
Contemporary full green cloth, flat spine slightly sunned, gilt title, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.
Grammatical and lexicographical study based on a short text in the Maya language written around 1562 by an indigenous chronicler named Nakuk-Pech.
From the library of the orientalist Emile Sénart, with his ink stamp and a printed presentation slip: "Avec tous les compliments de l'auteur. De Charencey".
First edition of the French translation by Antoine Gilbert Griffet de La Baume of the first two volumes of "Asiatick researches, or, Transactions of the Society instituted in Bengal for enquiring into the history and antiquities, the arts, sciences and literature of Asia, Calcutta, 1788–1790" (cf. Chadenat 4934).
The first volume, Meteorological Journal kept by Colonel T. D. Pearse from 1785 to 1786, is illustrated with 33 full-page plates; the second, Meteorological Journal kept in Calcutta by Henry Trail from 1785 to 1786, with 11 plates and 2 tables, including one large folding plate.
Modern bindings in black half morocco, flat spines ruled with double gilt fillets, marbled paper boards, hand-marbled endpapers.
Some light foxing, a few restorations to corners (upper or lower) of the second volume.
This remarkable typographical edition features several plates and tables printed in Arabic or Bengali characters, the latter being the first use of this language type in France. Among the essays are: vol. 1: Dissertation on the Spelling of Oriental Words – Account of a Meeting with the Tichou Lama – Report on a Journey to Tibet – Observations on the Sykhs – On Hindu Literature – Conversation about the City of Gondar and the Sources of the Nile – On Ordeal among the Hindus; vol. 2: Discourse on the Arabs, Tartars, and Persians – On the Hebrew Origin of the Afghans – On Hindu Chronology – On the Indian Game of Chess – Introduction of Arabic Words into the Persian Language – On Hindu Astronomical Calculations – Description of the Kingdom of Nepal, etc.
A nephew of the historian and theologian Henri Griffet, Antoine Gilbert Griffet de La Baume (Moulins, 1756 – Paris, 1805) settled in Paris in 1776, where he was briefly employed at the Ministry of the Interior. He went on to translate numerous works from English and German, and contributed to various periodicals including the Bulletin de Littérature, La Décade, Journal Encyclopédique, Mercure de France, and Censeur universel anglais (cf. Hoefer).
Very rare edition comprising the independent pre-publication of the first part of the major geological expedition to the Antilles and the islands of Tenerife and Fogo, a seven-volume quarto work also covering Guadeloupe, Martinique, and others.
Illustrated with 9 lithographed plates, including a folding map of the Cape Verde Islands and 6 tinted views.
Not recorded by Sabin in his entry on the Voyage.
Bound after, by the same author: Recherches sur les principaux phénomènes de météorologie et de physique générale aux Antilles, printed in Paris by Gide and J. Baudry in 1849.
Bradel binding in full black textured cloth, smooth spine decorated with blind fillets, small losses to spine ends, hinges rubbed, double blind-ruled frame on boards, yellow endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges, corners slightly rubbed; contemporary binding.
Charles Deville (1814–1876), known as Sainte-Claire Deville, was a geologist born in the Antilles on the island of Saint Thomas, a member of the Académie des Sciences and professor at the Collège de France.
Some occasional foxing, remains of a removed ex-libris on the pastedown.
His body of work remains little known, likely due to the extreme rarity of his publications.
First edition of the French translation.
Illustrated with photographs by Erica Anderson, with text and captions by Eugène Exman.
Preface by Daniel Halévy.
Pleasing copy complete with its illustrated dust jacket, showing minor losses and angular tears to the spine, along with some marginal scuffing to the panels.
Bookplate affixed to the inside front cover.
Rare dated and signed presentation inscription by Albert Schweitzer on a blank flyleaf: "A monsieur Bernard Tessier en souvenir de son passage à Lambaréné le 1.9.1956, Albert Schweitzer."
First complete edition of this major work in Africanist literature (cf. Bibliography of Côte d'Ivoire, 286. Not listed in Bruel, Bibliography of French Equatorial Africa. Lorentz, XIV, 215.)
This book contains an overall map, numerous detailed sketches, and one hundred and seventy-six wood engravings based on the drawings of Riou. Bindings in half cherry morocco with corners, spine with five raised bands decorated with cold-tooling, a small tear at the top of one joint, paper-covered boards, some light rubbing to the boards, endpapers and pastedowns made of marbled paper, corners slightly bumped, gilt edges, period bindings.
This exploration mission ordered by Faidherbe left Bamako in August 1887, passed through the states of Samory and Tiéba, then made a wide loop from Kong between the Comoé and Volta rivers, passing through the previously unexplored Mossi country. Returning to Kong in January 1889, Binger met Treich-Laplène there and together they made their way back to the coast (Grand-Bassam). Côte d'Ivoire would officially become a French colony on March 10, 1893.
Louis-Gustave Binger (1856-1936, incidentally the grandfather of Roland Barthes) would become its first governor; Grand-Bassam was chosen as the capital. He negotiated border treaties with the United Kingdom and later began a campaign against Samory Touré, the Guinean Malinke warrior chief, which lasted until 1898. At that time, he was in favor of modern colonization, and concluded his book with this note: 'We believe that direct state intervention will always be detrimental...'
A fine copy.
First separate edition of this excerpt from the Nouvelles annales des voyages, September and October 1862 (cf. Gay 340).
Illustrated with a folding map.
Scattered foxing.
Contemporary navy half shagreen binding, spine with five raised bands and black ruling, spine restored, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges.
Originally from Goin in Moselle and son-in-law of Linant de Bellefonds, Dr. Charles Cuny (1811–1858) spent nearly his entire career in Egypt as a military surgeon, after being dismissed from Algeria.
Gustave Flaubert and Maxime Du Camp, who met him during their celebrated journey, mention him in their respective travel accounts. He died of dysentery during the expedition to Darfur that he had sponsored in 1857. Cf. Roy (Hippolyte): La Vie héroïque et romantique du Docteur Charles Cuny (Nancy, 1930).
Our copy is extra-illustrated with an autograph note signed by Jean-Baptiste Jomard (1780–1868), brother of Edme, addressed to Malte-Brun and dated 13 August 1867: "... c'est un vrai et grand service que vous avez rendu à l'histoire de la Recherche. Les Annales sont maintenant enrichies de ce morceau important... Il faut fairer une bonne mention de ce courageux, de cet intelligent voyageur..."
First edition illustrated with 39 aquatint engravings, 37 of which are hand-colored (cf Atabey, 624. Hage-Chahine, 2388.)
Finely engraved and colored, the illustrations evoke the design of Persian miniatures: portraits (Fath Ali Shah, Abbas I, Nadir Shah), figures in costumes (Persian women, slave and eunuch from the harem, Persian rider…), views and ancient monuments (Tehran, ruins of Persepolis), scenes of daily life (Persian meal, village entertainments, writing master and his pupil, Persians in prayer…), musical instruments, etc.
Half dark green shagreen bindings, smooth spine decorated with double gilt fillets, gilt friezes on the head and tail, cat’s-eye paper boards with some marginal wear, endpapers and pastedowns made of handmade paper, speckled edges, slightly later bindings.
Some foxing, frontispiece of volume 4 restored, detached ex-libris mark on the pastedown of the first volume.
The orientalist Amable Louis Marie Michel Bréchillet-Jourdain, known as Jourdain (1788-1818), was a student of Sylvestre de Sacy before becoming assistant secretary at the School of Oriental Languages. He studied Persian and Arabic and was a secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Rare copy.
First edition of the French translation, illustrated with a lithographed frontispiece portrait, six engraved plates by Ambroise Tardieu, and a large folding map, all outside the text (cf. Schwab, p.48, no. 360).
Some foxing, mainly affecting the beginnings and ends of the volumes, otherwise a handsome and attractively bound copy.
Contemporary binding in half aubergine shagreen, spines slightly faded, with five raised bands, decorated with black fillets and gilt floral tools, gilt dates at foot, marbled paper-covered boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges, a few surface abrasions.
The original edition, A History of Persia, was first published in 1815.
A major work on Persia, in which the author "carefully consulted all European authors of note who had written on the history and literature of Eastern peoples", and gathered information from various specialists and diplomats.
A Scotsman in the service of the East India Company, John Malcolm (1769–1833) personally led two missions to Persia, assisted by capable officers such as Captains Grant and Christie, Lieutenant Pottinger, Major Pasley, Captains Frédéric and Josias Stewart, John Briggs, John M'Donald Kinnier, Messrs. Henry Ellis, Andrew Jukes, and others.
First edition, one of 20 numbered copies on alfa paper, the only copies printed on deluxe paper.
Contemporary half red shagreen binding with corners, spine with four raised bands ruled in black, gilt date at foot, gilt-effect paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt; an attractive unsigned binding.
A handsome and rare copy, finely bound.
First edition of the French translation, illustrated with a portrait of the author and 29 engraved plates depicting objects, ornaments, coins, plants, and animals (cf. Cordier, Bibl. Japonica, 447. Gay, 3151. Brunet, V, 850).
Contemporary full marbled calf bindings, flat spines richly decorated with gilt typographic tools, gilt roll tooling at head and tail, brown morocco title-pieces, dark green morocco volume labels, gilt roll-tooled borders on boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, yellow edges.
A Swedish botanist and naturalist, Carl Peter Thunberg (1743–1828) studied medicine and natural history at Uppsala and became one of Linnaeus’s most brilliant pupils.
In 1771, he sailed as a surgeon aboard a ship of the Dutch East India Company. Upon arrival at the Cape, he remained in the colony for three years, exploring regions inhabited by the Hottentots and the Kaffirs while collecting specimens of plants and animals. In 1775, he traveled to Java, stayed in Batavia, and eventually reached Japan. He settled on the island of Deshima, in Nagasaki Bay, where the Dutch trading post of the Company was located. There he worked as a physician and obtained permission to botanize in the nearby mountains, where he collected a large number of rare and previously unknown plants, along with many natural history specimens. In 1776, he accompanied the Dutch Company’s director on a visit to the shogun in Edo (Tokyo), allowing him to explore further and gather more botanical samples. He returned to Sweden in 1779. The first volume recounts the voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, his stays at the Cape, and his first journey inland; the second volume describes his second trip along the Kaffir coast, return to the Cape, journey to Java, and arrival in Nagasaki; the third is entirely devoted to Japan: trade with the Dutch and Chinese, government, administration, religion, language, character and portrait of the Japanese, zoological observations, minerals, etc. The final volume continues with Japan: food, festivals, weaponry, agriculture, calendar, etc., followed by the account of the return voyage via Ceylon. It also includes Lamarck’s explanations of the eight natural history plates.
A rare copy of this important travel account.
Provenance: From the library of the Château de Menneval, with armorial bookplates on the pastedowns of each volume.
Rare first edition (cf. Gay 367; Leclerc 638).
The work is illustrated with a map of the port and harbor of Brest and five plates: How the beds of the Negroes are made [and] The house of the Negroes – How the Moors ride their Camels, Horses and Oxen with their merchandise – How the Negroes collect palm wine [sic] [and] How they climb the palm trees [and] How the Negroes make incisions to extract the palm wine [and] how they are dressed – Dress of lords and notable persons – How the women are dressed and how they carry their children on their backs [and] How the Negroes dance in a circle.
This account is considered a valuable narrative, offering noteworthy details on the trade of these regions.
Contemporary full mottled tan calf, spine with five raised bands framed with black fillets, bands renewed, hinges restored, corners worn, minor wear to edges, yellow edges sprinkled with red.
A surgeon at the Hôtel-Dieu in Paris, Le Maire was brought along by Dancourt, director general of the Company.
He left Paris in January 1682 and arrived in Gorée on May 20. It remains unclear why this contemporary of Louis XIV is regularly confused in bibliographies and public catalogues with the Dutch navigator Jacob Le Maire (1585–1616), with whom he shares no connection.
Rare first edition (cf. Borba de Moraes II, 753: "famous book of navigational bearings". Rodrigues 2144.)
Minor marginal foxing on the endpapers, otherwise a clean and appealing copy.
Contemporary-style binding in quarter tree calf with corners, smooth spine, blind-ruled panels on marbled paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns. Modern binding.
Baron Roussin (1781–1854) explored the coasts of Brazil in 1819–1820, during which he charted and described the Abrolhos archipelago—later made famous by Darwin’s observations aboard HMS Beagle (1832).
Manuscript ownership inscription: Guillotin.
Second edition of Lucas’s third journey to the Near East, undertaken between 1714 and 1717 (first published in 1729); cf. Gay, 2122. Chadenat, 5090. Atabey 734. Blackmer, 1038.
The illustrations include two folding maps (Anatolia and surrounding regions by de l’Isle; Lower Egypt and the course of the Nile by Lucas) and 32 plates outside the text: monuments, picturesque views, architectural plans, archaeological artefacts, various inscriptions, etc.
Contemporary half tawny sheep, smooth spines ruled in gilt with triple fillets, headcaps stained, some rubbing, marbled paper boards, sprinkled edges, some wear to the edges of the first volume. 19th-century bindings.
Pleasant internal condition.
According to Brunet (III, 1204), the text was written by Abbé Banier.
A soldier, naturalist, collector and dealer, Paul Lucas (Rouen, 1664 – Madrid, 1737) showed a marked passion for travel from an early age.
He first left for the Levant to trade in precious stones, joining the Venetian army in 1688 and becoming captain of a ship armed against the Turks. Returning to France in 1696 with a collection of antiquities and coins he sold to the King's Cabinet, he was commissioned by Louis XIV to undertake journeys that would make him famous. From 1699 to 1703, he visited Egypt, Cyprus, Persia and Syria. His second expedition, from 1704 to 1708, took him to Greece, Macedonia, Asia Minor, the Holy Land, Egypt and Libya. In 1714, he was entrusted with a new mission in the Levant: he travelled through Rumelia and Thessaly, passed through Constantinople and Smyrna before visiting Syria, Palestine and Egypt. Departing from Cairo, he returned to Paris in December 1717.
Very rare first edition of the French translation by J. Castéra, illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of the author (cf. Sabin 43417. Leclerc 756).
Stamp marks scratched out on the half-title and at the end of the volume, dated 22 August 1878, occasional foxing.
Contemporary half havana sheep binding, flat spine decorated with gilt fillets, fleurons and rose tools, red morocco title label, spine restored, marbled paper boards with marginal fading, one upper corner slightly bumped.
Pages 261 to 274 contain a Vocabulary of the Algonquin Language and that of the Knisteneaux, and pages 304 to 310 a Vocabulary of the Chipiouyane Language [Chippeway].
First edition, one of 50 copies printed on pur fil du Marais, the only deluxe copies along with a few not-for-sale copies.
A handsome copy.
First edition, a Paris edition appeared the same year, see Cioranescu, XVII, 26842. Brunet V, 1222, under the entry "Villa," mentions this Paris edition under the title Voyage. Blackmer 505.
Contemporary full stiff vellum, flat spine, inked title at head of spine, speckled edges.
"This work is an abridged version of, or rather based on, Rostagno's Viaggi Dell'… Sign. Marchese Ghiron Francesco Villa In Dalmatia, e Levante, Torino, 1668. Du Cros, who in the preface says Rostagno lent him his manuscript, has produced a day-by-day account of the siege of Candia and of Villa's part in it. Villa took up arms against the Turks in 1665, sustained the siege of Candia for 2 years, and died of his wounds after he returned to Italy in 1668. According to Breslau, Du Cros, a diplomat who later carried out missions for Charles II and was involved in the marriage negociations of William and Mary, had travelled in the Levant and been in Crete himself as a follower of Ghiron Francesco Villa, but this is not mentioned in the preface, although Du Cros does speak of his obligations to Villa and apologizes to the reader for beginning his account with the last part of Villa's life, since he had intended originally to produce a full biography of the man" [Leonora Navari].
First edition of the French translation, illustrated with 12 folding plates and maps outside the text, and 11 folding tables included in the pagination (cf. Sabin 62574).
Contemporary full mottled calf binding, spine with five raised bands decorated with double gilt panels, floral tools and gilt medallions, red morocco title label with some loss and partially lifting, gilt garland frame on covers, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, all edges yellow.
Some minor foxing, one joint fragile.
Famous account of this "unfortunate expedition which served to demonstrate the impossibility of crossing the Polar ice" [Hoefer]. Pages 187 to 208 are devoted to natural history, with 2 plates [XI and XII] depicting crustaceans and mollusks.
First edition, rare, illustrated with a large folding engraved map (cf. Gay 3082).
Contemporary full marbled calf, smooth spine gilt in compartments adorned with gilt floral tools, tan morocco title label, gilt roll tooling at head and foot of spine, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, red-speckled yellow edges.
Some restoration to spine and covers, occasional foxing and slight age-toning to a few gatherings.
Written from the memoirs of the missionaries Descourvières and Bellegarde. The first part offers a description of the country and the customs of its inhabitants, followed by notes on their language; the second part recounts the history of the French mission from 1766 to 1773. Originally from Goux-les-Usies, near Pontarlier, Jean-Joseph Descourvières (c. 1740–1804) "fit ses études à Besançon, entra dans les ordres, et fut nommé vicaire à Belfort. Il quitta cette position, vint à Paris, et entra dans la Compagnie de Jésus comme missionnaire. Il fut désigné pour le royaume de Loango, et partit de Nantes en mars 1768, avec un autre prêtre, l’abbé Joli. Ils arrivèrent à Cabinde à la fin d’août. Leurs collègues du Loango, découragés, venaient de retourner en Europe. Descourvières et Joli ne suivirent pas cet exemple ; ils s’établirent dans le Kacongo, et apprirent avec rapidité la langue du pays. Protégés par le roi du Kacongo, les missionnaires firent de nombreux prosélytes ; mais Descourvières ne put résister au climat, et revint en France en janvier 1770 ; son collègue l’y suivit bientôt. Dès qu’ils furent rétablis, ils reprirent leur entreprise, et s’embarquèrent à Paimboeuf, le 7 mars 1773, avec quatre autres missionnaires et six cultivateurs. Ils abordèrent le 28 juin sur la côte d’Afrique, et se rendirent aussitôt à Kacongo ; ils y furent très-bien accueillis, mais cette fois encore le climat les contraignit à renoncer à leur œuvre. Descourvières revint en France en 1775. En 1779, il fut nommé procureur général des missions françaises de Chine. Il se fixa à Macao : son séjour n’y fut qu’une longue suite d’avanies ; il fut enfin expulsé par les naturels, en 1786. De retour en France, il émigra en 1793, et alla terminer ses jours à Rome. Le père Descourvières avait recueilli de précieux documents sur les divers pays qu’il avait habités : ces travaux ont servi utilement à la composition de plusieurs bons ouvrages. Outre un Dictionaire et une Grammaire Kacongaise, il a laissé une volumineuse correspondance, dans laquelle Proyart a puisé son Histoire de Loango (…) Les volumes II, V et VI du Recueil des nouvelles Lettres édifiantes, Paris, 1818, 8 vol. in-12, contiennent de nombreux extraits des écrits de Descourvières". Cf. Hoefer.
A good copy in contemporary binding, with the bookplate of the Château de Laplagne library pasted on the front pastedown; an additional Château de Laplagne label has been affixed over it, with a small loss along the right margin.
Illustrated edition featuring 6 charming lithographs, including 5 costume plates, executed by Madame Veuve Jobard in Dijon.
No copy listed in the CCF; not recorded by Vicaire or Colas.
Contemporary half brown sheepskin binding, spine slightly faded, gilt double fillets and decorative gilt rolls at head and foot, marbled paper boards, sprinkled edges.
Scattered foxing, small paper flaw on half-title.
A rare, wide-margined copy in period binding.
First edition, published by order of the Imperial Government of Brazil and illustrated with a folding color map at the end of the volume (cf. Garraux 169. Borba de Moraes I, 478).
Some light foxing, minor rubbing to the spine, a pleasing and scarce copy.
Contemporary binding in red half morocco-grained shagreen, smooth spine ruled in gilt with quadruple fillets, gilt coat of arms at foot of spine, small losses to head and tailcaps, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, period binding.
Emmanuel Liais, then Director of the Imperial Observatory of Rio de Janeiro, had been entrusted by Emperor Pedro II with various expeditions throughout the Brazilian territory.
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 a frontispiece, a portrait of the author, and 14 copper-engraved vignettes within the text, mostly depicting inhabitants of the North (cf Sabin, 38711.)
Restored binding in full grained morocco, spine with five false raised bands adorned with gilt fillets and double compartments, gilded roulettes on the partially faded caps, small repairs to the joints, gilt fillets on the edges, slightly worn corners, binding of the period.
Ink annotations on the white endpaper and at the top of the false-title page.
Born in Rouen in 1634, La Martinière embarked around 1670 as a surgeon on a ship of the Northern Company bound for Norway, and visited Lapland, New Zemble, the Siberian coasts, and Iceland.
His account contains numerous details on the lifestyle, customs, and superstitions of the peoples of these regions, as well as natural history (reindeer, bears, penguins, etc.). There are also passages on hunting and fishing. Author of several medical works, notably on blood transfusion, La Martinière also published 'The Happy Slave', Paris, 1674, in which he recounts his captivity by the Barbary corsairs a few years before his voyage to Norway. A fine copy of this rare book.
Provenance: from the library of the Menneval château with its engraved bookplate pasted on the inside cover.
Rare first edition of this curious travel account, originally written entirely in verse (7,500 lines), though the author—on the advice of friends—agreed to intersperse it with prose narrative (retaining 2,500 lines of verse); see Sabin 20128, Gagnon 1134 (1710 edition), and Dionne II.
Contemporary full brown calf binding, spine with five raised bands, gilt compartments decorated with gilt floral tools, cherry red morocco label, gilt roll tooling at head and foot, double black fillet border on covers, gilt fillets on board edges, sprinkled yellow edges with red mottling.
Lower right corner of upper cover restored; some spots and minor scuffs to the boards; occasional light foxing, otherwise internally fresh and appealing.
Unlike the second edition of 1710, this copy was not issued with a frontispiece. Almost nothing is known about the life of Dières de Dièreville, a surgeon, possibly born around 1670, who embarked in August 1699 aboard the *Royale Paix* from La Rochelle for a trading mission to Acadia. He arrived on 13 October and remained in the region for a year, studying both the Acadians and the Indigenous peoples, while also collecting plant specimens for the Jardin du Roi in Paris. His return voyage took place from 6 October to 9 November 1700, after which he settled as a surgeon in Pont-l'Évêque. At the request of Michel Bégon, Intendant of La Rochelle, he wrote the account of his travels. He was still alive in 1711, but nothing further is known of his life.
