Précis du système hiéroglyphique des anciens égyptiens

First two-volume edition of this cornerstone of hieroglyphic philology. The first volume is illustrated with 16 plates, including 6 folding, and the second with 32 plates.
Bound in full light brown calf, spine with five raised bands framed in gilt and blind, morocco title-piece, stamped arms of the Society of Writers to the Signet at center of boards, red edges. Spines and corners restored, scuffs and wear to boards.
"In his Précis du système hiéroglyphique, Champollion rectifies and completes his Lettre à M. Dacier: he demonstrates that phonetic writing was not limited to the transcription of foreign names, but was the soul of the system. The ancient Egyptians used figurative, symbolic and phonetic characters simultaneously, expressing both ideas and sounds. The discoverer claims to have already determined the value of over a hundred phonetic characters used in most texts. He took advantage of the situation to issue a scathing reply to Thomas Young, who had anonymously disputed the authorship of his discovery and the usefulness of his alphabet" (Robert Solé).
With this Précis, Champollion could even boast a second crucial discovery: he conclusively demonstrated that Coptic was in fact a late phase of the ancient Egyptian language. The way was now open not only to the complete deciphering of the writing, but also to the translation of the language that had remained hidden in these enigmatic hieroglyphic characters for so long. 
Provenance: bindings stamped with the arms of the Society of Writers to the Signet, an association of Scottish sollicitors founded at the end of the 16th century. A library label to the pastedown papers of each volume. 
Rare first edition of the only detailed treatise on hieroglyphs published during Champollion's lifetime, following the announcement of his discovery in Lettre à M. Dacier two years earlier.