Voyage dans le Haouran et aux bords de la mer Morte, exécuté pendant les années 1857 et 1858

Very rare first edition.

This printing does not include the two maps later added by the publisher in the second issue, intended to illustrate the itinerary for readers who had not acquired the atlas (corresponding to plates XVIII and XXIV of the atlas), cf. Hage Chahine 3995. Röhricht 480-481. Chadenat 1712.

The text volume is largely unopened and includes one full-page plate.

The atlas volume, housed in a red full-cloth box and slipcase, is complete with all 27 plates (numbered I to XXVI, XVIII [bis]; plates XIX-XX are printed on a single sheet).

A very fine and rare copy in its original condition.

An archaeologist and orientalist, Baron Emmanuel Guillaume Rey (1837–1916) authored several works on the history of the Near East, notably on the military architecture of the Crusaders in Syria and Latin rule in the Orient.

Towards the end of 1857, he explored the Hauran region, located south of Damascus (Syria), east of the Jordan River, and in January 1858 he continued his expedition along the shores of the Dead Sea.

The atlas features picturesque lithographs by Eugène Ciceri after photographs taken by Rey during the expedition: monument in the Beqaa, houses of the Hauran, temple of Moussmieh, baths of Chobba, church of Kennaouat, temple of Aatyl, panoramic view of Bosrah, castle and theatre of Bosrah, mosque of Omar El Ketab, panoramic view of Djerash, hemicycle and great temple of Djerash, views of the Dead Sea and of Masada. It also includes maps of the Hauran, topographical plans (Kennaouat, Bosrah, Masada), and epigraphic plates (inscriptions recorded at Bosrah).