Voyage historique et politique au Monténégro, contenant l'origine des Monténégrins, peuple autocthone ou aborigène, et très peu connu ; la description topographique, pittoresque et statistique du pays ; les moeurs de cette nation, ses usages, coutumes, préjugés ; son gouvernement, sa législation, ses relations politiques, sa religion, les cérémonies curieuses et bizarres de son culte ; l'exposé de divers traits de courage, de générosité, ainsi que de férocité, communs dans ce peuple. Orné d'une carte détaillée, dessinée sur les lieux, et de douze gravures coloriées, représentant les costumes de ce pays, deux de leurs fêtes, quelques plantes, etc..

First edition of this rare work, offering the very first description in French of this small canton, still nominally under Ottoman rule—though in fact largely autonomous—and which appeared as exotic to early 19th-century Westerners as the most remote corners of China.

Illustrated with 13 hand-coloured plates, including a large folding map, two botanical plates, two depicting festivals, three views of churches, and five costume plates. (cf. Atabey 1286. Lipperheide 1443. Not in Blackmer or Colas.)

Contemporary half calf binding, smooth spines decorated with gilt fillets, garlands, and floral tools, red morocco title labels, black morocco volume labels, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges.

Joints rubbed and split, hinges fragile, scattered foxing.

Jacques-Louis-Claude Vialla, known as de Sommières after his birthplace in the Gard (1764–1849), served as governor of Cattaro (in the then French Illyrian provinces) from April 1811 to April 1812. In this capacity, he was officially commissioned in October to approach Vladika (Prince-Bishop) Petar I of Montenegro (reigned 1781–1830), ancestor of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty, in an attempt to win him over to the cause of the Empire.

This was the first time an official Western embassy had reached these remote, largely self-sufficient regions. Written at a time when the author, placed on half-pay after the Restoration, needed to earn a living, his account abounds in fascinating detail.