Restoration, July Monarchy, Second Empire, Paris Commune: rare books, testimonies and political texts

First edition including 113 statistical tables compiled by Dr. Chassinat, surgeon for the Ministry of the Interior.

Spine lacking, minor losses to corners of the boards.

Rare collector’s head volume of this fascinating economic, agricultural, and industrial journal founded by economist and statistician César Moreau (1791–1860), who also established the "Société française de statistique" (cf. BNF, "Catalogue collectif des périodiques", III, p. 157. Not in Hatin.)

Text printed in three columns.

Contemporary half brown sheepskin binding, smooth spine gilt-ruled with decorative panels, joints rubbed and professionally restored, marbled paper-covered boards, corners worn, yellow edges speckled with red.
Issue no. 23 of the second year is lacking from our set, which collation is as follows:

• 1) 8 pp. comprising the society’s...

First edition.

Contemporary Romantic bindings in half green Empire calf, flat spines slightly faded, richly gilt with Romantic decorative motifs, marbled paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns; Romantic period bindings.

A few light spots of foxing; a discolouration mark on a blank endpaper of the first volume.

Rare first edition, illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of the author, lithographed by Légé after J. Philippe.

Only three copies listed in the CCF (BnF, Pau, Toulouse).

Bound following the second part, which bears a different title: Cour d'assises de la Haute-Garonne. Affaire Lesnier. Deuxième partie, published in Bordeaux and Toulouse by Métreau and Delboy in 1855, 88 pp.

Some scattered foxing, mainly at the beginning and end of the volume.

Contemporary-style binding in chocolate-brown half shagreen, spine with five raised bands framed by black fillets, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

First edition of the French translation of England, The United States and the Southern Confederacy, originally published the previous year in London (Sabin 76968).

Copy belonging to the philosopher Charles Renouvier (1815–1903), with a manuscript presentation inscription at the head of the front wrapper.

Spine cracked with small losses and tears. Some light foxing; slight marginal tears to the wrappers.

Autograph letter signed and dated "20 floréal year 79 19 May" [19 May 1871?], 3 pages on a bifolium of blue paper. Small lack of paper affecting a few letters, usual folds from mailing.

Rare letter by painter and illustrator Gérard-Séguin, known for his portrait of Honoré de Balzac (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours). Written in the midst of the Paris Commune, as famine and fighting ravaged the capital, the artist delivers a desperate yet spirited plea from the artist.

This letter is one of the few surviving manuscripts by Gérard-Séguin whose biography remains largely unknown: "Little is known about the life and work of Jean...

First edition in book form, illustrated with 5 color plans of Kyoto, Osaka, Yedo, Asaksa, Imato, and Yokohama, a map of Japan, two plates depicting examples of Japanese syllabaries (Katakana and Hiragana), and 476 wood-engraved illustrations within the text (see Cordier, Japonica, 670; Wenckstern I, 5; Nipponalia I, 2036).

Contemporary red half shagreen bindings, spines with five raised bands decorated with blind-ruled fillets and gilt compartments; joints slightly split then discreetly restored at head and tail; boards covered in grained cloth with blind-stamped borders; endpapers and pastedowns of white moiré silk with minor, marginal spotting; all edges gilt.

A handsome...

First edition illustrated with four plates of medals and one folding map with hand-colored outlines.

Contemporary half chocolate-brown sheep bindings, smooth spines slightly faded and decorated with triple gilt fillets, gilt letter "N" at foot of spines, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers, speckled edges.

Minor rubbing to spines, occasional foxing.

A senior tax official, Baron de Nervo (1810–1897) authored several works on financial history, but was also an eclectic traveler: his account of a journey to Sicily undertaken in 1833 is decidedly uncommon.

Autograph letter by Pierre-Joseph-Marie Proudhon, signed and dated 7 November 1862. 3 pages in black ink on a bifolium. Fold of the bifolium weakened, without affecting the text. Not included in the correspondence published by Lacroix in 1875.
Significant and likely unpublished letter from Proudhon to his publisher Alphonse Lebègue, whom he considers "the cause of liberty in France and independence in Belgium" in these lines. 

Proudhon underscores the importance of his ideological struggle for federalism in Europe, following the controversial publication of his pamphlet La Fédération et l’unité en Italie, and a...

Very rare first edition.

No copies listed in the CCF or WorldCat.

Official recognition by the Peruvian Senate of the rank of Rear Admiral granted to Antonio Ambrosio de La Haza Rodriguez (1825–1891), one of the most distinguished naval officers of the Andean Republic.

He served as Minister of War in 1877 and as Commander-in-Chief of the naval forces in 1878–1879.

A handsome copy.

First edition, in its first issue with the imprint of the Imprimerie de Tencé frères, Brussels, 1828. The text volume is illustrated with a portrait of Bernard Eugène Antoine Rottiers, lithographed by J. Van Genk after Sir Thomas Lawrence; the atlas contains an engraved map, numbered 1, and 74 lithographic plates numbered 2 to 75, plate 27 being mistakenly numbered 17. Eight plates are hand-coloured: nos. 28, 41, and 61 to 66. The text volume was reissued in 1830 under a new imprint; the present issue is the true first publication of the work.

The text volume is bound in contemporary half dark green morocco, the spine with four raised...

État général de la Marine et des Colonies, published in Paris by the Imprimerie royale in 1844.  First edition. The sections devoted to the colonies occupy pp. 199-224: Martinique, pp. 199-203; Guadeloupe and dependencies, pp. 204-209; French Guiana, pp. 210-212; Bourbon, pp. 216-220; and the French establishments in Oceania, pp. 223-224.

Sumptuous contemporary binding in full cherry-red morocco. Smooth spine decorated with gilt Romantic typographical ornaments, gilt rolls to the headcaps, and...

First edition of the French translation of this celebrated travel account.

Our copy is complete with the accompanying atlas volume, which includes 19 plates and maps.

The three text volumes are bound in bottle-green half shagreen, smooth spines with gilt fillets and broad black rules, gilt ornamental rolls at head and foot of spines, minor rubbing to the spine of the first volume, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers, original wrappers preserved, edges untrimmed.

The atlas volume, also preserving its original wrappers, is bound in a modern pastiche binding in the style of the text volumes.

Some foxing; joints of the first volume are split at head and tail of...

First edition, illustrated with 6 folding plates at the end of the volume (cf. Polak 5375).

Contemporary Bradel binding in full red boards, flat spine, black shagreen label with gilt lettering, the upper cover stamped in gilt with the monogram of Prince Eugène de Beauharnais, stepson of Napoleon. Lower corners a bit rubbed. Period binding.

A few minor spots, not affecting legibility.

Only two copies listed in the CCF (BnF and École Polytechnique).

The only edition of this insightful analysis of French naval doctrine at the close of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, significantly bearing the motto on the title page: Delenda est Britannia. Charles-Louis-Victor...

Very rare first edition illustrated with 3 lithographed plates (including a frontispiece), (cf. Polak 4516).

Only two copies listed in the CCF (BnF and Caen). Other copies are reported in Bayeux and Granville.

Copy preserved in its original wrappers, with blue paper covers showing minor losses to the corners; dampstains affecting the lower margin of the second half of the volume, without any loss of text.

Bookseller's label pasted on the inside of the upper cover, printed stamp of the same bookseller on the title page, blindstamp of a bibliophile on the half-title and the verso of the frontispiece.

Rare account of the shipwreck off the coast of Newfoundland on 29...

Rare first edition (cf. Polak 2250).

Copy preserved in its original wrappers and in a plain grey waiting cover.

Some marginal staining affecting a few leaves; at the end of the volume, marginal repairs to three leaves, not affecting the printed text.

This double shipwreck occurred off the Algerian coast.

First edition, very scarce (see O'Reilly, Nouvelle Calédonie, 175. O'Reilly & Reitman 1246. Ferguson 16990-91. Hill p. 290. Forbes, Hawaiian National Bibliography, III, 2730. Martin, Hawai‘i, p. 48. Jenkins, Bibliography of Whaling, p. 150. Vaucaire p. 259).

Contemporary bindings in red half morocco-grained sheep over marbled boards, spines with four raised bands ruled in black, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers preserved (except rear wrapper of vol. I), modern bindings.

Some foxing, mainly at the beginning of the first volume.

The chapter on New Caledonia spans pp. 257 to 350 of volume I; the one on Tahiti covers pp. 177 to 282 of volume II.

The...

First edition of one of the final treatises by the eminent Sardinian jurist Domenico Alberto Azuni (1749–1827), one of the foremost maritime law experts of his time and a judge at the Commercial and Maritime Court of Nice (cf. Mc Culloch 126, Quérard I 144, not in Polak).

Contemporary full tree calf binding, smooth spine gilt with decorative rolls and typographic tools, gilt head- and tailbands, gilt tooling at the caps, gilt-tooled border on the covers framed with a dentelle fillet, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, yellow edges.

Minor defects to foot of upper cover, some soiling to the endpapers, otherwise a clean and appealing copy...

Very rare first edition of this work, never reprinted.

Only one copy listed in the CCF (Versailles).

Contemporary bottle green half shagreen binding, spine with four raised bands ruled in gilt and adorned with double gilt compartments and gilt floral motifs, gilt title at foot, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges.

Some foxing; Mexican peddler's stamp on title page.

Only edition of this collection presented from a Mexican perspective, with an introduction by José Maria Lafragua Ibarra (1813–1875).

Name R. Criado stamped in gilt at foot of spine.

Second edition, illustrated with a figure of a ventilator at the end of the volume (cf. Polak 4846).

Copy preserved in its original blue paper temporary wrappers.

The first edition was published in 1817.

Pierre-François Kéraudren (1769–1858) served uninterruptedly as Inspector General of the Naval Medical Service from 1813 to 1845.

A pleasant copy.

Partly original and substantially expanded edition of this key work, first published in 1836–39 (see Gay 944. Playfair 1700. Tailliart 1736).

Modern bindings in brick-red half shagreen with corners, spines with five raised bands, marbled paper boards framed by a single blind fillet, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spines preserved.

Title pages and half-titles swapped. Volumes II and III mislabelled: volume III actually contains the content of volume II.

Two small holes to the half-titles of the first two volumes; some light foxing.

Edmond Pellissier de Raynaud (1798–1858) took part in the 1830 Expedition to Algiers as a staff officer...

First edition of this work published "by order of His Majesty the Emperor and under the supervision of the Minister of Public Instruction" (cf. Leclerc (1878) 2283).

The first volume is illustrated with 70 colour-printed plates, all hors-texte.

Contemporary half red shagreen bindings, spine with four raised bands adorned with double gilt fillets and floral gilt tooling, gilt decorative rolls at head and foot, some rubbing, cloth boards with blind-stamped borders and central device, bindings of the period.

Some rubbing to boards, water stains to the upper corners affecting the first 10 leaves of both volumes, one quire in the first volume becoming loose, boards slightly...

First edition, one of 50 copies numbered on pure white rag paper, deluxe printing.

Binding in red half-shagreen with corners, spine with five raised bands framed by black fillets, some small rubbing on a few of the bands, date in gilt at the tail, framed by black fillets on the boards of speckled paper, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, covers and spine preserved, top edge gilt on witnesses.

Illustrated with 60 heliogravure plates hors-texte.

Pleasant copy despite minor marginal spots of little significance on the endpapers.

Our copy is enriched with an autograph note dated June 1929 and signed by Pierre Abraham, mounted on tab, thanking Joseph Gabalda...

First edition of the most significant contribution by Pinson de Ménerville (1808–1876) to the understanding of the legal framework specific to Algeria under French rule.

It was soon followed by several supplements, later integrated into the definitive 1872 edition (in three volumes). Having arrived in the colony as early as 1831, Ménerville held successive posts as lawyer, examining magistrate, and prosecutor, before concluding his career as the esteemed First President of the Court of Algiers (1874).

Illustrated with a folding table at the end of the volume.

Contemporary binding in cherry red half shagreen, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt dotted fillets...

First edition.

Official series not listed in Polak.

Full red morocco binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt Romantic arabesques, gilt roll-tooled bands at head and foot, elaborate gilt quadruple fillet frame, garland and lozenge design with gilt corner motifs on covers, gilt crowned monogram stamped in gilt at center of each board, blue moiré silk endleaves and doublures, gilt dentelle borders on doublures, gilt dotting on board edges, all edges gilt; a superb Romantic period binding.

Copy bearing the crowned monogram "FO" of Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans (1810–1842), eldest son of King Louis-Philippe. 

A very fine copy, beautifully preserved in an...

First edition of the French translation under this title, prepared by Louis-Gabriel Galdéric Aubaret; an earlier edition was published in Saigon in 1862 under the title "Code pénal annamite". (Cordier, Indosinica, 1847.)

Some foxing, mostly affecting the second volume, which also shows a small tear at the head of the spine.

The Annamite Penal Code, modelled on the Chinese Code used during the Qing dynasty, consists of two parts: one, called Luât in Annamite and Lu in Chinese, represents the fundamental law; the other, named Lê in Annamite and Li in Chinese, can be translated as "Supplementary Regulations". It is in this section that the provisions specific to...

First and only edition, illustrated with 12 plates including 8 lithographed views and 4 folding tables.

Contemporary half calf binding with corners, spine decorated with triple gilt fillets and large blind-stamped fleurons, minor losses at foot of joints, marbled paper boards scuffed with some surface loss, corners worn, edges sprinkled blue.

Scattered light foxing, mostly at the beginning and end of the volume.

This text constitutes the first draft of what would become, in 1835, the major work Description de Moscou.

The folding map that complements this work was only published in 1825 and is not, strictly speaking, part of this edition.

Lecointe de...

Very rare first edition.

Two small losses to the head and foot of the spine, printed wrappers slightly soiled.

The presentation of the report is signed by the Marquis de Lafressange, Antony Androuët, the Viscount de Mazenod, and Louis Lapierre.

Rare collection of the first eighty issues of El San Martín. Periódico popular. Órgano de los intereses americanos, from no. 1 of 29 August 1864 to no. 80 of 24 March 1866, thus covering almost the entire known run of the newspaper, which ceased publication in the final days of March 1866. Each issue consists of two unnumbered leaves, making 320 pages in all.

Modern half red calf, smooth spine ruled in black and gilt, black shagreen lettering-piece, marbled paper boards, combed-paper endleaves and pastedowns. A few minor spots of foxing.

First edition of the French translation by A.J.B. Defauconpret (see Sabin 73385).

Illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of the author in the first volume, and in the second volume with a folding map and two plates depicting a view of the Victory and a view of the Filson Islands.

Contemporary green half calf bindings, flat spines decorated with triple gilt fillets, rubbed headcaps, joints slightly split at the head, green paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, corners of the first volume slightly bumped.

Some foxing.

Very rare first edition of the French translation, partially unpublished, enriched with historical, geographical, and botanical notes, as well as a notice on ancient and modern Cyrenaica, the Kingdom of Fezzan, Timbuktu, the oasis of Siwah (the ancient Ammon Oasis and the Temple of Jupiter), the desert wind, the sacred ibis, the lotus, Egyptian papyrus, and the silphium so highly prized by the Ancients.

Illustrated with 8 plates and 1 folding map out of text.

Not recorded by Gay. Bourquelot V, 657 mentions only 7 plates and 1 map.

Contemporary-style binding in black half calf, flat spine decorated with double blind fillets, marbled paper boards, red edges. Modern binding...

First edition, printed in a small number of copies on laid paper, extracted from the Journal asiatique; a single copy recorded in the CCF (Strasbourg).

Rare copy preserved in its original blue paper wrappers, as issued.

Traces of a label on the left margin of the front cover, a pleasing copy overall.

Inscribed by Giovanni Antonio Arri on the upper cover to archaeologist Désiré Raoul-Rochette (1789–1854), then a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres.

Very rare first edition, privately printed in a very small number of copies, of this offprint from the Nouvelles annales des voyages, June 1857. (cf. Gay, 418).

Some foxing.

Complete in its original state with the large folding map inserted at the end.

Jacques-Auguste Cherbonneau (1813–1882), founder of the Archaeological Society of Constantine, provides here an account of the exploratory mission to the southern region of the Regency of Tripoli, culminating in the city of Ghadamès.

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...

First edition of both these rare fascicules; the first is illustrated with three folding plates at the end of the volume, the second with in-text illustrations.

Contemporary half bottle-green calf binding, smooth spine gilt with fillets and dotted rolls, as well as black fillets, some minor rubbing to joints, headcap worn, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, speckled edges.

One of only three known contributions to the nascent field of Assyriology by the Austrian numismatist and traveller Isidore Löwenstern (1810–1858), who served as Danish consul in Constantinople.

Bound with, by the same author: Exposé des éléments constitutifs du système de la...

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...

First edition of De la Grèce moderne et de ses rapports avec l’Antiquité, published in Paris and Strasbourg by F.-G. Levrault in 1830. Two parts in one octavo volume. Cf. Blackmer 1372; Droulia 1817; Contominas 595; not in Atabey, the latter two references still requiring direct verification in the printed bibliographies. Blackmer and Droulia are confirmed by the bibliographical records consulted.

Contemporary half blond calf, smooth spine with five false bands framed by gilt garlands, compartments and fillets tooled in blind, gilt rolls at head and foot, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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

Some foxing, spine with restored sections.

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

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

First edition, 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...

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...

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...

First edition, one of 55 numbered copies on pure Arches wove paper, the deluxe issue.

A fine copy.

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.

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 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...

First edition, illustrated with four plates including a map of the Sudan.

The plates depict human types and a map of Sudan, drawn "according to the Negro slaves in Bahia".

Modern Bradel binding in black half shagreen, smooth spine decorated with two gilt floral tools, gilt date at foot, marbled paper boards, original wrappers preserved (small hole on rear board).

A naturalist and explorer, Francis de Castelnau undertook, between 1843 and 1847, a major expedition across South America, notably visiting Peru and Brazil.

In 1848, he was appointed French consul in Bahia. Upon his arrival, he observed that several African-born slaves could read and write Arabic and...

Second edition, the first having been published in 1824 (cf. Gay 3389).

Our copy is preserved in its original wrappers, in blue paper with a plain temporary cover, and a title label affixed at the head of the spine.

Some minor foxing, a faint water stain in the right margin of a few leaves at the end of the volume.

At the age of twenty, Armand-Pierre Caussin de Perceval (1795–1871) departed for Constantinople as an interpreter. He travelled through Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon, and served as a dragoman in Aleppo in 1820.

Upon returning to France, he was appointed to the chair of colloquial Arabic at the École des Langues Orientales, and succeeded his father in 1833...

First edition of this collection of observations and reports on French Algeria, whose pacification had just been completed (cf. Quérard VI 70, Playfair 1264. See also Gay 953 and Tailliart 812).

Contemporary bindings in half bottle-green sheep, flat spines decorated with gilt fillets and triple gilt panels, a gilt fillet framing a large plaque decorated with blind-stamped motifs on the percaline-covered boards, school stamp [Pensionnat de M. Ballé], marbled endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges, gilt fillets at head- and tailcaps, period bindings.

Some restorations to spine ends and joints; school prize labels affixed opposite the half-titles.

The work is sometimes...

First edition of this rare and sought-after work compiling, in a single volume, the main legislative and regulatory provisions from Year XIV to 1857, forming the specific legal code of the island (cf. Ryckebusch 6126).

Some light foxing, mostly at the beginning and end of the volume.

Contemporary full aubergine calf, spine with four raised bands decorated with gilt double fillets, slight rubbing to spine and boards, gilt roll-tooled head- and tailbands, boards framed with gilt triple and double fillets, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt dotted edges, marbled edges, contemporary binding.

First edition of this uncommon study of the major international diplomatic crisis provoked by Mehmed Ali's expansionist policy (cf. Carré I, 294; Blackmer 261; Atabey 179; Walch, 398; Hage Chahine, 748).

Some foxing, occasional reading marks in pencil and red pencil in the margins of certain paragraphs.

Late 19th-century Bradel bindings in half khaki percaline, flat spines decorated with a gilt fleuron, gilt double rules at foot of spines, black shagreen title-pieces, marbled paper boards, original wrappers preserved, corners rubbed.

At the end of the first volume, the work is complete with the folding plate representing the Battle of Nezib.

Edmond de Cadalvène...

Very rare first edition, illustrated with a large folding lithographed map (cf. Sabin, 21 178 – Only two copies listed in the CCF: at the BnF and the Médiathèque du Quai Branly).

Contemporary full marbled yellow paper boards, flat spine with a cherry-red shagreen label, library shelf label pasted at the foot of the spine, red edges.

A small discoloured spot on the title page, a few light foxmarks.

The Federal Republic of Central America (Republica federal de Centroamérica) was short-lived: established in 1824 from the United Provinces of Central America, it was dissolved in November 1839 following the secession of its main constituent states. It comprised Guatemala...

Rare first edition of the French translation (not recorded by Sabin or Cordier).

Contemporary half calf bindings, spines with four raised bands ruled in gilt and adorned with blind-stamped typographic ornaments and gilt fillets, gilt Greek-key rolls at foot, marbled paper boards showing some scuffing with losses to paper at a few corners, marbled edges.

Some foxing.

The Scottish naval officer Basil Hall [Edinburgh 1788 – Gosport 1844], son of geologist and antiquary Sir James Hall, undertook numerous voyages as a Royal Navy officer to the East Indies, the seas of China, Japan, and Korea, the coasts of South America, the United States, and Canada, publishing detailed and...

Edition published in Paris by A. Nepveu in 1815, in six small octavo volumes, illustrated with 54 hand-coloured plates depicting twelve views, more than sixty different costumes, monuments and various picturesque scenes, including bullfights, most of them after drawings made in 1809 and 1810. Cf. Colas 439; Lipperheide 1214, the latter reference still requiring direct verification in the printed bibliography; Brunet I, 1226, no. 3; Quérard I, 506. The title itself calls for the 54 plates and records the recent origin of many of their designs.

Contemporary half blond calf, spines with four false bands...

Very rare first edition illustrated with 4 maps and 2 plates out of text: map of Amsterdam Island, map of part of the northwest coast of America, of the northern mouth of Queen Charlotte Sound, plan of Bokerelle port on the northwest coast of America, sea wolves and sea lions (cf. Sabin 61001. Howes 7897. F. Monaghan 1174. Lada Mocarski 89. Gay 272. Ferguson 980. Hill 230. Borba de Moraes II, 663: "A description of Bahia appears in Vol. I").

Scattered foxing. Minor losses and rubbing to joints.

Contemporary full khaki green calf bindings, spines faded and decorated with raised false bands adorned with gilt garlands, dotted lines, and gilt rules, along with blind-stamped...

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

Scattered light foxing.

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

Several chapters in the second volume are devoted to Medina and Mecca, including an account of the Wahhabis, a detailed description of the mosques of Medina and Mecca, pilgrimage rituals, etc. The author, a retired plenipotentiary minister and former chief...

New edition, partly original as revised, of this study first published in 1858 in the Revue des Deux Mondes (Sabin 40127. Ryckebusch 5041).

Minor chips to the corners of the covers, some occasional foxing.

A member of one of the oldest families in Martinique, Romuald Le Pelletier de Saint-Rémy (1809–1882) served as president of the Central Agency of Colonial Banks; he wrote extensively on West Indian issues and colonial ventures in South America.

Inscribed by the author Romuald Le Pelletier de Saint-Rémy on the front free endpaper.

First edition, (cf Röhricht p. 499. Hage Chahine 2893.)

Rare, light foxing without significance.

Binding in half green cloth, smooth spine slightly faded, decorated with cold fillets, a slight abrasion near the gilt title, marbled paper boards, sprinkled edges, binding of the period. Preliminary pages, departure of the expedition, Lebanon, excursion to Baalbek and the Cedars of Lebanon, military pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the French garrison in Lebanon.

Rare first edition illustrated with an original frontispiece etching by Raoul Cordier, depicting an authentic portrait of Nasser-ed-Din.

Minor losses and tears to the soiled cover margins, with a larger marginal loss to the rear cover; clean and attractive internal condition.

The only edition of this biography written on the occasion of Nasser-ed-Din Shah Qajar's (1831–1896) second European tour. He ruled Persia from 1848 until his death and was the first Persian monarch to visit the West. The reforms he introduced to the country ultimately led to his assassination by a fanatic.

Inscribed and signed by Edmond Dutemple to Monsieur Brunet, with date.

Original photograph depicting Emilio Visconti-Venosta in frontal view.

Contemporary silver print bearing, at the foot of the image, the blindstamp of Roman photographer Lorenzo Suscipj, a pioneer of photography in Italy.

Minor black specks to the surface of the photograph.

Mounted on a stiff card sheet printed with the photographer’s address.

A rare dated and signed autograph inscription by Emilio Visconti-Venosta to the verso: “À M Henri Fournier, souvenir d’un ami, E. Visconti-Venosta. Rome. 18 January 1877”.  ['To Mr Henri Fournier, a token from a friend, E. Visconti-Venosta. Rome, 18...

Autograph letter signed to a friend named Alfred, 18 lines in black ink on a bifolium, in which the author urges him to help find employment for his brother, applying insistent pressure on his correspondent.

"Mon cher Alfred,
vous avez été excellent pour mon frère ... Il faut absolument qu'on le place. il est père de famille et sans emploi depuis un an. - Il y a 20 places qui auraient encore plus besoin de lui qu'il n'a besoin d'elles. Demandez formellement à votre illustre père un appui efficace et immédiat - pour un homme capable ... Votre père sera heureux de trouver une occasion de rendre service en rendant justice où je ne le connais pas. Tout à vous. Alph...

New edition, with 58 illustrated full-page plates including a frontispiece, all after P. A. Varin.
Full green velvet binding with silver edges, elaborately decorated with gilt gauffered rocaille motifs, and some blind stamped, with abundant onlays of blue, purple, cream and red vel­vet ; upper board with silver engraved crowned A[ve] M[aria] initials at center, "RGP" silver engraved initials at center of second board, both initials inside a wide red velvet inlay bordered with gilt gauffered motifs displaying the sheep­skin of the Order of the Golden Fleece at bottom, spine elaborately decorated with gilt rocaille motifs, silver engraved title label, silver clasps with pierced leafy...

Autograph note by François René de Chateaubriand, 12 lines in black ink on a bifolium, addressed to Madame Amédée de Duras, rejoicing in her improved health.
A tear with loss, due to the seal having been broken to facilitate reading the note.
"Mde de CH[ateaubriand]. me dit de vous répondre: si je meurs, madame, ce sera à vos pieds le matin. Non pas à midi, mais à trois heures et demie. Je me porte à merveille chez ma soeur. Que cela ne soit pas vous, mais mde de Lévis qui m'ait vu perdre ma longue barbe er mon mouchoir turc. Ne venez pas, vous ne devriez pas venir. Mde de Ch[ateaubriand] est inconsolable... "

Autograph letter signed by painter Elis­abeth Vigée-Lebrun addressed to his­torical painter and portraitist Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot. Two pages in black ink on a bifolium. Autograph address of Mme Haudebourt, 19 rue Rochefou­cauld, on verso of second leaf. Usual horizontal folds, tear without damage to the text on the second leaf due to the wax seal. A bibliographer's note in blue pencil on the verso of the last leaf.