Rare first edition of the French translation established by P.-F. Henry. (Gay 2683.)
Some occasional light foxing.
The work also includes an oblong quarto atlas, in which map no. 6 has been bound upside down, containing 33 engraved plates and maps (1 to 32 plus 1bis) based on the author's original drawings.
The illustrations comprise 8 maps or plans and 25 plates depicting a variety of subjects: views, portraits, inscriptions, buildings, hunting scenes, animals, etc.
As is frequently the case, our copy lacks the out-of-text plate in volume 2 showing ancient inscriptions.
In 1809, Henry Salt was sent on a diplomatic mission to Abyssinia to establish trade relations with England. During this, his second journey to the region, he traveled along the eastern coast of Africa, visited Portuguese colonies, and collected extensive data on the hydrography of the coastal areas. In addition to the travel narrative, the work includes several vocabularies of African tribes ranging from Mozambique to Egypt: Makua, Monjour, Somali, Hurrur, Galla, Darfur, Amharic, Tigrinya, etc.; it also contains notes on Abyssinian birdlife and rare plants.
A handsome copy preserved in its original publisher’s wrappers, with plain covers and title labels pasted at the heads of the spines (minor marginal flaws to the plain covers, without significance).
Very rare first edition, printed in only 80 copies (According to CCFr, copies are held only at the BnF and in Lille).
This edition was printed on August 27, 1867, in the presence of Emperor Napoleon III, during his visit to northern France with Empress Eugénie from August 26 to 30, 1867.
Publisher’s binding in full green grained cloth, flat spine decorated with blind fillets, panels framed with blind fillets, slightly bumped corners, pink edges.
Minor foxing mainly affecting the endpapers; a handsome copy.
On a blank endpaper, an autograph inscription signed by Léonard-Jean-Baptiste Danel (1818–1905), nephew and successor of Louis Danel since 1843, addressed to Auguste Ohnet, likely the paternal uncle of the novelist Georges Ohnet (1848–1918), in which case he lived from 1808 to 1882.
Laid in: a chromolithographed broadside (39 x 29 cm) presenting a copy to the Empress ("Offert à S.M. l'Impératrice Eugénie par le personnel de l'imprimerie Danel à Lille").
First and only edition, illustrated in the first volume with 9 folding plates and 4 large maps at the end; and in the second volume with in-text figures and 10 folding maps at the end (numbered 10–19 as a continuation of the first volume).
A few minor spots, not affecting the text; handwritten ownership inscriptions in the upper left corners of the front covers.
The work, complete in two volumes (I. With 9 plates out of text. – II. The March to Battle. The Battle. The Engagement), is regarded as the most thorough strategic and tactical study of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905.
Émilien-Victor, known as Emile Cordonnier (1858–1936), then a colonel of infantry, served during the First World War as commander of the French Army of the Orient, operating from headquarters in Salonika from 1915 to 1918.
First edition of this highly important work, presenting the full text of all decrees and ordinances relating to trade with the Americas, primarily the West Indies (cf. Sabin 11812. Leclerc 113. Barbier I, 649 c. Ined 1038, 1783 edition).
Illustrated with two engraved frontispiece titles and ten maps (nine folding), depicting South America, North America (repeated in vol. 2), Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Domingue (2), Cayenne and its surroundings, Louisiana, the Guinea coast, as well as twelve engraved plates showing botanical specimens (sugarcane, cotton, tobacco, cocoa), genre scenes (a Black king dispensing justice, a slave market, turtle fishing), various tools and objects (ventilator, suction pump), industrial activities (plantation layout, sugar mill, indigo workshop), etc.
Bound in modern pastiche bindings: half mottled tan sheep over marbled boards, spine with five raised bands adorned with gilt garlands, double gilt panels, red edges.
Minor black ink stains to the edges of volume one, a pleasant copy overall.
First edition of the second orientalist bibliography compiled by Henri Cordier (1849–1925), following his Sinica (1878–1895).
The first four volumes are bound in full red cloth, smooth spines (spine of the first volume slightly faded), marbled endpapers and pastedowns, modern bindings.
The fifth and final volume, published in 1932, is in original wrappers.
Copy from the library of the Indologist Émile Sénart (1847–1928), with his printed ownership stamps on the title pages of volumes three and four.
Rare complete set in five volumes.
First edition and first issue of the illustrations, without the table of plates which was later printed at the bottom of page XLIII and the beginning of page XLIV of the text volume (cf. Louandre et Bourquelot, I, p. 46. Blackmer, 33, mentions a large folding map bound in the atlas which, in fact, does not belong to the work).
The atlas volume contains the complete set of 10 plates, including 4 lithographs engraved by Faure after drawings by Préaux and lithographed by Langlumé.
Text volume bound in contemporary full tree calf, flat spine gilt with double fillets and naval anchors, red morocco label, gilt roll tooling to head- and tailpieces, gilt rolls framing the boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, red edges, gilt fillets on board edges.
Atlas volume bound in contemporary half marbled calf, flat spine with gilt double fillets, red morocco label, marbled paper-covered boards.
Some minor foxing to the atlas, small restoration to the title-page of the text volume.
A rare and appealing set.
First edition of this significant publication issued by the Commission of Inquiry tasked with collecting all available data and documentation on the cultivation, production, and sale of tobacco.
Illustrated with numerous folding tables and a folding map of France, printed in lithography by A. Cabassol and bound out of text.
Apparently not recorded in the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Contemporary half calf binding, flat spine rebacked and decorated with gilt fillets, morocco labels in light brown, some rubbing to the spine, marbled paper boards with minor marginal flaws, marbled endpapers, sprinkled edges.
Some spotting to top edge; an embossed ownership stamp appears on the first leaf, with the initials CA in a medallion (possibly Caroline Augusta of the Two Sicilies, Duchess of Aumale?).
Comprehensive alphabetical index at the end of the volume.
Rare first edition, printed in five-column format and illustrated with 27 color maps.
According to the CCF, only the BnF holds copies of this edition.
Some light foxing.
Publisher’s binding in green half cloth, plain flat spine in canvas, soft vellum frame on the upper cover, lower cover in full soft vellum, gilt title on upper board; damage to the lower right corner of the upper cover, restored binding.
Candido Mendes de Almeida (1818–1881), lawyer and politician, took a particular interest in matters of education.
First edition.
Bound in green half shagreen, spines with five raised bands ruled in black and decorated with gilt floral tools, gilt names of a former owner at foot of spines, marbled paper boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers bound in.
Some occasional foxing, minor rubbing to two upper corners, and light surface wear to a few boards without affecting the integrity of the binding.
Contemporary ink ownership inscriptions at the head of the wrappers, with blind collector's stamps on the endpapers.
A handsome set of these important memoirs from the Napoleonic era.
Rare first edition of the Spanish translation commissioned by Emperor Maximilian I, with the French text printed opposite (Not in Sabin. Not held at the BnF).
French and Spanish texts printed side by side in two columns.
Contemporary binding in navy blue half calf, spine with four raised bands framed with gilt garlands and decorated gilt compartments, restored to spine and joints; marbled paper boards, cat's-eye patterned endpapers and pastedowns.
Stamp of the Centro de estudios jurídicos "Lex" Mexico, Jul 16 1934, on the half-title and fore-edge ; clean and attractive interior condition.
First edition of this uncommon work (cf. Atabey 138. Blackmer 178.)
Return journey via the Black Sea, Rumelia, Bulgaria, Russian Bessarabia, the Danubian Principalities, Hungary, Austria and Prussia, in May, June, July and August 1853. Paris, Treuttel et Würtz, Dumoulin, Derache, Victor Didron, 1855, 2 vols. 12mo,
Contemporary half cherry calf bindings, flat spines decorated with gilt fillets, dotted lines, and garlands, gilt rolls at foot, black marks and discoloration to spines and boards, red paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges.
Occasional light spotting, a fresh and well-preserved copy.
First edition of the French translation, illustrated with a folding map in the first volume (see Cordier, Sinica, 2094; Quérard I, 260; not in Schwab or Atabey. Blackmer (111) owned only the English edition: Travels from St. Petersburg in Russia, to diverse parts of Asia, Glasgow, 1763).
Contemporary full marbled calf bindings, spines with five raised bands richly gilt in double panels, brown or green morocco title-pieces (in the second volume), red morocco volume labels, gilt rolls on the caps, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets to edges, marbled edges, some corners a bit rubbed.
Minor wormholes on the upper board of the first volume, light scuffing to 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:
First edition of each volume.
No copy of this series listed in the CCF.
Contemporary bindings in quarter bottle-green or black sheep, flat spines decorated with double gilt fillets, marbled paper boards, endpapers and pastedowns of combed or tub-marbled paper; the first volume bound at the time of publication.
Some rubbing to the headcaps of the first two volumes.
I. Minutes of the twenty-sixth [- thirty-ninth] meeting, 18 January 1932 [26 October 1932]: 6 pp., 7 pp., 9 pp., 11 pp., 5 pp., 3 pp., 3 pp., 4 pp., 2 pp., 6 pp., 9 pp., 4 pp., 3 pp., 4 pp. II. Minutes of the fortieth [forty-eighth] meeting, 7 February 1933 [21 December 1933]: 8 pp., 4 pp., 4 pp., 6 pp., 11 pp., 4 pp., 3 pp., 4 pp., 4 pp. III. Minutes of the forty-ninth [eighty-sixth] meeting, 18 January 1934 [23 December 1935]: 4 pp., 6 pp., 8 pp., 4 pp., 4 pp., 5 pp., 6 pp., 11 pp., 6 pp., 2 pp., 5 pp., 4 pp., 7 pp., 8 pp., 3 pp., 4 pp., 7 pp., 2 pp., 6 pp., 5 pp., 27 pp., 12 pp., 5 pp., 7 pp., 8 pp., 11 pp., 6 pp., 6 pp., 5 pp., 9 pp., 8 pp., 6 pp., 8 pp., 2 pp., 2 pp., 4 pp., 3 pp., 8 pp. IV. Minutes of the eighty-seventh [one hundred fourteenth] meeting, 7 January 1936 [29 December 1936]: 4 pp., 4 pp., 3 pp., 7 pp., 5 pp., 4 pp., 4 pp., 3 pp., 10 pp., 6 pp., 3 pp., 2 pp., 6 pp., 5 pp., 2 pp., 2 pp., 3 pp., 5 pp., 5 pp., 5 pp., 2 pp., 4 pp., 4 pp., 2 pp., 4 pp., 4 pp., 3 pp., 2 pp.
First illustrated edition, featuring 82 drawings by Tiret-Bognet and a color map of the Saint Lawrence River. Publisher's 1890 EX catalogue bound in at rear.
Binding with the two elephants, Lenègre type 3. Rear cover Lenègre type e.
Spine lightly faded, internally clean and well preserved.
In Famille sans nom, Verne recounts the story of a French-Canadian family during the Patriote Rebellion (1837–1838) against British injustice.
First edition of the French translation by Jean-Baptiste Dupuy-Demportes of the work originally published in 1689 under the title "La Morale dei principi osservata nell'istoria di tutti gl'imperadori, che regnarono in Roma" (cf. Quérard II, 260. Barbier III, 353b. Conlon VII, 54-572. Hoefer XI, 314).
Contemporary full red morocco bindings, spines with five raised bands decorated with gilt fillets and double gilt panels with gilt floral tools, boards framed by gilt roll-tooled floral and bird motifs, gilt fillets on the board edges, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, all edges gilt over marbling.
Some gatherings bound out of sequence in volumes 1 and 3; headcap of volume 4 chipped; a few small wormholes, mostly affecting the lower sections of the bindings.
A handsome copy of this uncommon work.
Giovanni Battista Comazzi (Mantua, 1654 – Vienna, 1711), an Italian historian, poet, and political theorist, presents here a study of Roman emperors from Caesar to Constantius Chlorus: "Il prend les traits principaux de la vie de chaque prince, il en cherche les vues et les causes, et juge, d'après les principes, s'ils ont eu tort ou raison, et pourquoi ; ainsi chaque fait historique donne occasion à une maxime morale" (Nouvelles littéraires, 20 juillet 1754).
First edition (cf. Grand-Carteret, Almanachs, 158; Saffroy, Almanachs et annuaires, 306.)
Bound in full old red morocco, smooth spine decorated with fleur-de-lis panels, gilt roll tooling on the caps, triple gilt fillet framing on covers, gilt tooling along the edges, corners slightly rubbed, all edges gilt, contemporary binding.
Date handwritten in black ink at the top of the upper cover.
This rather rare almanac was published continuously from 1744 to 1789.
Provenance: From the library of heraldist Olivier Le Bas, with his bookplate mounted on a pastedown.
First edition (Grand-Carteret, Almanachs, 158; Saffroy, Almanachs et annuaires, 306).
Contemporary full old red morocco binding, smooth spine decorated with fleur-de-lis panels, gilt roll-stamping on partially faded head- and tailcaps, triple gilt fillet borders on covers, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, all edges gilt.
Spine heavily rubbed with worn decorative motifs; upper cover rubbed along the left margin at the level of the triple gilt fillets.
This rather uncommon almanac appeared continuously from 1744 to 1789.
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.
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.
First edition, of great rarity (cf. Sabin 4182).
Bradel-style binding in full orange paper-covered boards, with a brown shagreen spine label; modern binding.
A very good copy.
A vindication of France’s conduct during the uprising of the British colonies in America.
First edition of this French translation prepared by Abbé J.B. Morvan de Bellegarde, who here renders six of the nine books of the celebrated Brevissima relación by Las Casas, first published in Seville in 1552 (cf. Sabin 11273. Medina BHA 1085n. Streit I:733. Palau 46966. JCB (4) 344-345. Leclerc 337. "European Americana" 697/33).
Contemporary full marbled calf binding, spine gilt in compartments with decorative tooling, red morocco label, gilt rolls to head and tail caps, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets to board edges, red edges.
Minor repairs to joints, discreet restoration in the inner margin of the frontispiece.
A handsome copy.
Las Casas wrote this text in 1549 to defend himself against accusations from Spanish colonizers following his advocacy on behalf of the Indigenous peoples. In this impassioned denunciation, he condemns the colonial system introduced in the Indies by the Spanish, a system founded entirely on violence and plunder. The publication caused considerable stir in Spain and led to the abolition of the encomiendas—a land allocation system which, under the guise of converting and assisting the natives, legalized one of the most brutal forms of slavery. From a historical perspective, this work stands at the origin of the concept of the "noble savage", which, through missionary apologetics, would inspire the primitivist movement that ultimately gave rise—within Rousseau's thought—to a return to nature and to the new moral, political, and aesthetic sensibilities of the 19th century. Cf. Dict. des œuvres.
Rare first edition.
Full vellum binding over boards with flaps, smooth spine, title inked partly faded at the spine head, some blemishes on the boards, edges spotted red.
A fine and rare copy.
Bookseller’s descriptive labels pasted on an endpaper.
Backer & Sommervogel VIII, 1339-1340 (considers the two parts as separate works). Willems, 490 (clearly explains that the two parts form a single title, published at once) and 477 (for the Persian grammar, which forms a separate title and constitutes the second attempt of its kind for Western use).
First edition, one of 35 copies printed on Japan paper, the deluxe issue, complete with the four states of the etchings (pure etching with remarque, with remarque, before letters, final state), see Vicaire, VII, 534.
(Vicaire mentions a blank leaf and a dedication leaf which appear to be missing here, although the copy is otherwise perfectly complete.)
Contemporary binding in half Empire green morocco, spine with five raised bands framed by black fillets, minor rubbing to the spine, spine and boards slightly faded, black fillet border on marbled paper boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt on witnesses, binding signed by Pétrus Ruban.
Excellent internal condition.
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 copy of one of the first major travel accounts of Japan published in French.
First edition of the French translation by Father F. Le Comte (cf. Cordier, Bibl. Indosinica, 1046. Streit BM, V 1719. Sommervogel V, 583).
Contemporary full mottled brown calf, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt garlands and double gilt panels adorned with gilt floral tools, speckled edges.
Spine expertly restored; pages 181–184 repeated; pagination jumps from 284 to 289 without loss.
The first part (pp. 1–327) contains the “Relation du Royaume de Tunquin,” and the second, the “Relation du Royaume de Lao” (pp. 329–436). The Italian Jesuit G. F. de'Marini (born in Taggia [Genoa] in 1608 – died in Macao in 1682) set sail for the Indies in 1638, preached the Gospel in Tonkin for fourteen years, and later served as rector of the college in Macao.
From 1674 onwards, he governed the Japanese mission as Provincial. His account offers a wealth of fascinating and detailed information about Tonkin and Laos in the first half of the 17th century.
Contemporary manuscript ex-libris of the Jesuit Professed House in Paris on the title page.
Very rare.
First edition of this exceedingly rare pamphlet, written by a certain Le Mée from Haiphong, primarily describing the economic resources of Tonkin.
Work illustrated with a large folding map.
No copies recorded in the CCF.
Head and foot of spine chipped, a few minor spots of foxing.
First edition of the French translation, illustrated with a frontispiece engraved by Lechard after Gibert [Constantine], and a folding map bound at the end (cf. Tailliart 58. Palau 328 502).
A few minor spots of foxing.
Publisher’s binding in full red cloth, spine with black and gilt oriental-inspired decorations, blind-stamped frames on covers, red endpapers slightly faded at the margins, all edges gilt.
Only French edition, highly regarded, of this epistolary account of a journey undertaken in 1878 by the Russian geologist and naturalist Tchihatcheff (1808–1890), whose main interest lay in the natural sciences but who also addressed economic matters, a field dear to his correspondent.
The work is also of particular importance for the traveller’s thoughtful and well-informed observations on the details of French colonial administration in the region.
An important and exceedingly rare collection of administrative documents relating to the forest management system established by France in Indochina.
- I. Decree reorganizing the Forestry Service in Cochinchina (1892, 20 pp.).
II. Decree reorganizing the Forestry Service in Cochinchina (1894, 12 pp.).
Contemporary red half shagreen binding with corners, flat spine decorated with triple gilt fillets, some rubbing to spine, joints split at head, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, a few tears to edges, bumped corners, original wrappers preserved (some with tears, losses or stains), period binding.
A very rare compilation.
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 of the French translation, one of 31 numbered copies on pur fil, the only copies printed on deluxe paper.
Spine and covers slightly and marginally faded, a pleasant copy.
First edition, illustrated with a portrait of the author after Sir Thomas Lawrence in the text volume, and, in the atlas volume, with 1 engraved map (numbered 1) and 74 lithographed plates (numbered 2 to 75; plate 27 misnumbered 17), including 8 hand-coloured plates: plates 28 (Fresco of Dieudonné de Gozon), 41 (Tomb of Fabrice Caretti), and 61 to 66 (Frescoes from the crypts of Our Lady of Philerme).
See Atabey 1056. Blackmer 1450. Loukia Droulia 1474. Weber, I, 163.
Text volume bound in contemporary green half shagreen, spine with four raised bands adorned with gilt garlands and floral tools, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers, rubbed corners; atlas volume in contemporary red half calf with corners, flat spine with gilt fillets, rubbed, marbled paper boards with scratches, some wear to edges and corners.
Some foxing, stains at foot of plate no. 10 in the atlas, and minor foxing on some other engravings.
Brunet, IV, 1415: "Ouvrage curieux et dont les planches sont fort belles".
The lithographs, after drawings by Witdoeck, depict the coastlines of the island of Rhodes, the harbour, fortifications, and principal buildings and monuments, some in ruins: the gates of Saint Catherine, Saint Paul and Saint John, the site and reconstruction of the Colossus, the interior of the palace, Fort Saint Nicholas, Garden of Auvergne, Street of the Knights, tomb of Robert de Julliac, castellany, convent, Lodge of Saint John, priories of France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and England, Church of Saint Mark, bishop's palace, façade and interior of Saint Stephen, Admiralty, watchtower of the Knights, Church of Our Lady of Philerme with its frescoes, etc. After studying at the University of Louvain, Bernard Eugène Antoine Rottiers (Antwerp, 1771 – Brussels, 1858) joined the Dutch army in 1789. He fought at the Battle of Jemappes and sailed to England in 1795 with Stadtholder William V. He then served in the British army before leaving for Russia, where he joined the Georgian army. Promoted to colonel, he later returned to the Netherlands. A man of letters and archaeologist, he was entrusted in 1825 with a scientific mission to the Levant: "In January 1826, I departed with one of my sons and my painter, Mr. P.-J. Witdoeck. After stopping in Santorini, we landed in Rhodes, and barely arrived, we began our work. It was as dangerous as it was laborious. The Turks had never permitted anyone, until us, to draw the monuments of the island, especially the interiors of churches and other buildings... These dangers recurred everywhere. We had to brave them again for the drawings of the fortifications, the harbour, the tombs. But the goal was well worth the risk to attain it..." (pp. 15–16).
Rare work.
First edition.
Bound in full cherry red morocco, smooth spine richly gilt with romantic typographic ornaments, gilt roll tooling on the caps, boards framed with double gilt fillets and interlaced motifs with gilt corner fleurons, gilt AO monogram stamped at the center of the boards, gilt garland border on the pastedowns, moiré sky-blue silk endpapers and pastedowns, trace of a removed bookplate on one pastedown, gilt fillets on the edges, all edges gilt, contemporary binding.
The sections relating to the colonies are as follows: Martinique, pp. 199–203; Guadeloupe and dependencies, pp. 204–209; French Guiana, pp. 210–212; Bourbon, pp. 216–220; French settlements in Oceania, pp. 223–224.
Copy from the library of Antoine-Marie-Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Montpensier (1824–1890), youngest son of Louis-Philippe, with his gilt AO monogram stamped at the center of the boards. OHR 2590 (tool not listed).
A very handsome copy, finely bound in a period romantic binding with the Duke of Montpensier's monogram.
Very rare first edition (see Ryckebusch 6726).
Only two copies listed in the CCFr: Paris (BnF) and Poitiers.
Unbound copy presented in original grey paper wrappers, handwritten title on the spine (partly missing), some foxing mostly at the beginning and end of the volume.
A staunch advocate for the abolition of slavery, the author structures his study as follows: I. On Slavery. – II. On Emancipation. – III. Essay on the History of the Colonies. – IV. On the Colonial System. – V. Note on Algeria.
This well-documented text is supplemented with statistics and numerous historical observations: "La servitude est un crime et un malheur ; il faut donc l'abolir, et j'ajoute qu'il importe qu'on ne tarde pas à le faire" (chap. II, p. 58).
French economist Michel Gustave Pastoureau Du Puynode was born in 1817 in Les Forges de Verrières (Vienne). Appointed to the Ministry of Justice in 1845, he resigned his post during the Revolution of 1848 and declined the position of Secretary General at the Ministry of the Navy offered to him by Schoelcher. He was one of the principal contributors to the Journal des économistes and a member of the Société d'économie politique until around 1898, the probable year of his death.
A precious copy bearing, at the head of the half-title, a signed autograph inscription by Gustave de Puynode: "A Monsieur le Cte Victor du H[amel], hommage de l'auteur".
Writer and politician Victor Du Hamel (1810–1870) was the author of several novels and was appointed prefect of the Lot in 1849.
A very rare work, offered as is.
Extremely rare reissue of this journal. None of the institutions consulted hold this edition (see Palau, 71807).
Contemporary full ivory vellum binding with overlapping edges, flat spine with calligraphic title running lengthwise, boards slightly soiled.
The book was most likely reinserted into its original binding; a few small stains.
The first Spanish edition was issued the same year in Seville by Sebastián de Armendáriz - bookseller, publisher, and forerunner of Spanish journalism - at the press of Thomas Lopez de Haro.
It appears that the document used as the basis for Armendáriz’s account was a report by an eyewitness to the events, Count Paolo Amerighi.
This journal recounts the siege and recapture of Budapest in 1686, held by the Turks since 1541 and ultimately expelled by Charles V of Lorraine (1643-1690).
A few spots on the title page, otherwise a very attractive copy in contemporary binding.
First edition, illustrated with 69 full-page color plates.
Published under the authority of the Governor General of French West Africa, Mr. W. Ponty.
Includes a double-page general map of the buoyed section of the Senegal River, plans of the ports of Saint-Louis and Kayes, four signaling plates, examples of river marking, a flood gauge, and a detailed chart of the buoyage system across 57 plates, all in color.
Spine warped with black stains at midsection, a few small spots of foxing, black stains along the left margin of the lower cover with minor corner losses.
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 de La Rouvraye (1783–1850) joined the navy in June 1799; he served in the Boulogne flotilla and later in the Indian Ocean, where he was taken prisoner by the British (1806–1811).
Provenance: A distinguished copy from the library of Prince Eugène de Beauharnais, stepson of Napoleon, then Duke of Leuchtenberg, bearing his gilt cipher and that of his wife Augusta Amélie of Bavaria.
Later owned by a member of the Montboissier de Canilliac family, with an armorial bookplate mounted on the pastedown, most likely that of Charles de Montboissier-Beaufort-Canilliac (1753–1836), maritime prefect of Cherbourg from 1816 to 1826.
First edition with all first printing features, one of the press copies.
Exceptional presentation copy inscribed by the author to the famous singer Yvette Guilbert, to whom Céline himself sang and offered one of his scandalous compositions, “Katika la putain,” [Katika the Whore] later renamed “À Nœud coulant” [With a Slipknot"] "A madame Yvette Guilbert en témoignage de ma profonde admiration. LFCéline.”
Beneath Céline's inscription, the actor Fabrice Luchini added: “A Yvette Guilbert in memoriam. FLuchini” ; and on the half-title, actor Jean-François Balmer wrote in turn: “Merci en bon voyage. JFBalmer.”
With pasted-in entry tickets to their respective performances of Voyage au bout de la nuit at the Comédie des Champs-Élysées for Luchini, and at the Théâtre de l’Œuvre for Balmer.
First edition, one of 34 copies printed on Japan paper, this copy being one of 5 not-for-sale copies printed for presentation, a deluxe issue following the unique copy on Japan Imperial.
Illustrated with 9 original wood engravings by Maurice Savin.
Minor loss at foot of spine, occasional light spotting on some deckle edges, a handsome copy with full margins.
As stated in the colophon, our copy includes the additional suite of wood engravings printed on antique Japan paper.
Inscribed and signed by André Spire to Claude Aveline, for whom this copy was printed
Uncommon first edition (cf. Polak 8200).
Modern binding in light blue cloth, smooth spine, speckled edges, original wrappers preserved and mounted on tabs.
The work was written at a time when the abolition of privateering was increasingly being discussed—a measure that would later be enacted in the Treaty of Paris of 1856.
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 May 1826, of a vessel from Granville engaged in cod fishing. The author served as second-in-command on board. Other pamphlets circulated on the subject, most of them based on this present account.
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.
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, later serving as head of the Arab Affairs Bureau until 1839, when he resigned in disagreement with the government’s policies towards the indigenous population.
His chronicle offers a penetrating and critical view, far from complacent towards Europeans. "Ces annales, après un si long temps écoulé, ont conservé toute leur valeur ; c'est la mine la plus riche où l'on trouve les matériaux les plus solides concernant l'histoire de la conquête et celle de l'administration de l'Algérie. Il n'est pas d'historien qui n'ait eu recours à cet ouvrage; il en est même qui l'ont pillé, copié sans toujours le citer. Il ne s'est pas contenté des renseignements officiels publiés, des récits oraux, de ce qu'il connaissait personnellement ; il a eu recours aux archives. Il raconte l'histoire de l'Algérie année par année, avec les détails les plus circonstanciés sur les faits militaires et sur l'administration civile".
First edition and rare collection of the first 12 issues of La Revue de Madagascar, preserved in unusual bindings of incised and stained leather, decorated with Malagasy landscapes and views.
The issues are illustrated with numerous photographic reproductions.
Contemporary full mahogany-stained and incised sheep bindings, spines faded, with four raised bands and tooled decorative motifs, cold-stamped dates and volume numbers, the last volume unlettered; large African-style ornamental designs on the covers (each of the three covers is different) with incised titles; original wrappers bound in. Period bindings dated and signed by Ramanakanja, 1935.
A slip inserted in the first issue states: “La Revue de Madagascar remplace le Bulletin économique trimestriel (partie documentation).” “La Revue de Madagascar, publication officielle et luxueuse du Gouvernement Général, se plaît aussi à publier des textes littéraires” (Jean-Louis JOUBERT, Littératures de l’Océan indien).
Some rubbing to the spines; the decorative designs on the third and final volume are partially faded.
Rare early run of this scarce journal, bound in a striking African-inspired incised leather binding.
First edition, one of 35 numbered copies printed on vélin pur chiffon B.F.K. de Rives, the only limited deluxe issue.
A small tear at the top of the lower cover, barely noticeable.
Very handsome copy.
First edition illustrated with 10 plates, including 9 folding ones.
Spine cracked and with losses despite some adhesive repairs; corner losses to the covers.
Section solely devoted to Cochinchina (the second volume, focused on Annam and Tonkin, was published in Hanoi). This series, issued since 1889, replaced the Annuaire de la Cochinchine (1865–1888). It was not until 1899 that the two separate parts of this colonial directory were merged into the Annuaire général de l'Indo-Chine française (1899–1925), later renamed Annuaire administratif de l'Indochine (1926–1943).
Scarce, though in a worn condition.
First edition, illustrated with 10 large folding plates hors texte.
First part: Cochinchina; section covering exclusively Cochinchina (the second part, devoted to Annam and Tonkin, bears the Hanoi imprint), published since 1889 as a continuation of the Annuaire de la Cochinchine (1865–1888).
It was only in 1899 that the two separate parts of this colonial directory were merged to form the Annuaire général de l'Indo-chine française (1899–1925), which later became the Annuaire administratif de l'Indochine (1926–1943).
Spine ends repaired with adhesive reinforcements; a scratch to the upper cover with minor marginal tears.
Rare.
First edition (cf. Barbier IV, cols. 211-212).
Contemporary full red morocco Jansenist binding, spine with five raised bands framed by black fillets, gilt roll tooling on the caps, blind-stamped fillet border on covers, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt dentelle border on the pastedowns, gilt fillets on the edges somewhat faded, all edges gilt, bookplate mounted on pastedown.
Some minor internal defects (dampstains and a small loss at the foot of a few leaves).
Barbier devotes an extensive entry to the condemnation of this work on the mystical movement of Quietism, for which Fénelon long contended with Bossuet before both he and Madame Guyon were condemned by Pope Innocent XIII.
Provenance: fine copy from the library of François-César Le Tellier, Marquis de Courtanvaux, Count of Tonnerre, Duke of Doudeauville (1718–1781), with his stamp and engraved bookplate.
Initially captain-colonel of the King's Hundred Swiss Guards, he later turned his attention to chemistry, physics, and astronomy. A member of the Académie des sciences, he studied the development of instruments related to longitude. As an astronomer, he maintained a personal observatory at Colombes.
His library was considered one of the most distinguished of the period.
First edition (see Cordier, "Indosinica", 2690).
Spine cracked with small losses, internally well preserved.
Rare.
Complete manuscript of the unpublished French translation by J. Brunet of the monumental « Giurisprudenza marittima-commerciale antica e moderna » by the Milanese lawyer Luigi Piantanida, originally published in four volumes between 1806 and 1808.
Contemporary-style pastiche binding in marbled tan half calf with vellum tips, smooth spine lavishly gilt with decorative panels and gilt Greek key friezes, red morocco title label, marbled paper boards showing minor scuffs.
In the preface, the author traces the history of maritime regulation from its origins, then reviews the various maritime codes, the rights and duties of consuls, the admiralty, captains and crew members, and explains the role of existing jurisdictions, maritime courts and judgments.
At the front, two fine engraved portraits: one of the author, the other of Napoleon I, engraved by Domenico Cavalli.
Inserted is a printed bifolium (8vo, 3 pp.), containing the speech delivered by M. Penieres in response to the presentation made by L. Piantanida of his work to the Legislative Body, Session of November 4, 1808, Paris, Hacquart, (1808).
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 outstanding period Romantic binding.
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 Laveau (1783–1846), settled in Russia by at least 1806 (the year he married there), was secretary of the Imperial Society of Naturalists of Moscow. He travelled extensively throughout the Empire and did not return to France until after 1830.
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.
First edition, with no deluxe copies printed on fine paper.
Bradel binding in grey cloth-backed boards, flat spine with gilt central ornament and double gilt fillet at foot, red morocco title label with some rubbing, marbled paper-covered boards, grey paper endpapers and pastedowns.
Some occasional foxing, contemporary gift inscription on the title page.
Text preceded by three facsimile letters by Jules Vallès.
Preface by Julien Lemer.
Rare (possibly complete) collection of this popular Chilean weekly printed in Valparaíso, not listed in the catalogue of the National Library’s periodicals.
Contemporary binding in red half sheep, smooth spine decorated with double gilt and black fillets, black morocco title label, marbled paper-covered boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns.
Although primarily concerned with historical and political matters—featuring frequent polemics against Spain and Peru—this provincial paper also aspires to literary status, including numerous poems, occasionally illustrated with small wood engravings. The "classified ads," of particular interest, along with the theatre listings, offer a vivid glimpse into daily life in a mid-19th-century Chilean city.
The final page of each issue carries advertisements. A few insignificant spots of foxing.
Very scarce.
New edition printed in 250 copies at the government's expense, intended to provide work for typographic workers (cf. Sabin 11841. Leclerc 697).
Contemporary half blue calf bindings, flat spines decorated with double gilt fillets and blind-stamped typographic motifs, gilt decorative rolls at foot of spines, restored with minor rubbing to the spines, marbled paper boards, hand-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges.
Some occasional light foxing.
A rare copy, handsomely bound in contemporary bindings.
Rich photographic album comprising the title page and 65 oval silver prints mounted on heavy paper, all on tabs.
Full bottle-green morocco binding, spine without lettering, raised bands framed with black fillets, double blind-ruled frame on covers, gilt roll tooling on the caps, gilt title stamped at the center of the upper cover, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, wide gilt dentelle borders on pastedowns, all edges gilt, one upper corner slightly rubbed, gilt fillets on board edges, an elegant contemporary binding signed by Thouvenin fils.
Minor surface scuffing.
One of the most renowned works by the photographer Alophe (1811–1883). A commemorative album featuring photographic portraits of all the delegates, along with two images of the Union's assembly hall: I. France (Adolphe Cochery – 2 portraits –, A. Besnier, Th. Ansault, Elie Roy, Martial Housez). – II. Germany (Stephan, Günther, Sachse, Hubert). – III. Argentina (Carlos Calvo). – IV. Austria-Hungary (Guillaume Dewez, Michel Gervay, E. Fritsch). – V. Belgium (J. Vinchent, F. Gife). – VI. Brazil (Itajuba). – VII. Chile (Alberto Blest Gana). – VIII. Denmark (J. L. Schou, Petersen). – IX. Egypt (Caillard, Chioffi). – X. Spain (Gregorio Villaamil, Emilio de Navasqües). – XI. United States (James Tyner, Joseph H. Blackfan). – XII. Great Britain (Adams, Page, Alan MacLean, Hogg, Ham). – XIII. Greece (N.-P. Delyanni, Mansolas). – XIV. Haiti (Charles Noël). – XV. Hawaii (William Martin). – XVI. Italy (Tantesio). – XVII. Japan (Nanobou Sameshima, Samuel M. Bryan, Muralt). – XVIII. Liberia (Léopold Carrance). – XIX. Luxembourg (Victor de Roebe). – XX. Mexico (Gavino Barreda). – XXI. Norway (Hefty). – XXII. Netherlands (Hofstede, C. W. Sweerts de Landas-Wyborgh). – XXIII. Peru (Juan de Goyeneche). – XXIV. Portugal (Barros, Ferreira dos Santos). – XXV. Romania (Robesco). – XXVI. Russia (Velho, Poggenpohl). – XXVII. El Salvador (Torres Caïcedo). – XXVIII. Serbia (Mladen Radoykovitch). – XXIX. Sweden (Roos). – XXX. Switzerland (Kern, Edmond Höhn). – XXXI. Turkey (Bedros Couyoumgian). – XXXII. Uruguay (Juan Diaz). – XXXIII. Venezuela (Antonio Parra Bolivar). – XXXIV. International Bureau (Eugène Borel, Moret, Recoing, Duparcq). Founded on October 9, 1874 during the International Postal Conference in Bern, the General Postal Union became, with the significant increase in membership, the Universal Postal Union in 1878.
A fine copy, beautifully bound in full morocco by Thouvenin jeune.
Rare first edition illustrated with a folding plan of the city of Saigon and a separate map showing the various cultivated products.
Minor stains and insignificant marginal tears on the covers.
A pleasing copy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, 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 UK edition.
Publisher’s binding in full grey cloth, smooth spine, a fine copy complete with the illustrated dust jacket featuring a photographic portrait of the author by Yousuf Karsh.
Illustrated with maps on the endpapers and pastedowns, and 37 photographs.
Extremely rare inscribed copy signed by the last leader of the Soviet Union to a USSR émigré, the journalist Sam Yossman.
First edition, one of the review copies.
Spine and covers faded, small chips to the corners of the covers and margins of some leaves, brittle and yellowed paper, front free endpaper detached, a delicate copy.
Exceptional and moving signed autograph inscription by Raymond Guérin: "Pour vous mon cher Calet ces Poulpes où vous savez tout ce que j'ai mis de foi et de désespoir. avec l'admiration et l'amitié du grand Dab. R. Guérin 11.5.53. P.S. Nous sommes au Madison jusqu'au 15 mai, puis, du 29 mai au 5 juin. R.G."
First edition of the English translation by Michael Glenny, who first came to prominence with his translation of Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita in 1967. No deluxe paper copies issued.
Publisher’s binding in full black cloth, flat spine which shows some inherent creasing due to the laminated covering.
A handsome copy, with illustrations.
Very rare inscribed copy dated 27 April 1990 and signed by Boris Yeltsin.
From the library of Sam Yossman (Sam Jones) of the BBC Russian Service.
First collected edition. No deluxe paper copies issued.
Publisher’s binding in full green cloth, smooth spines, with their dust jackets designed by Adam Rusak, showing only minor and insignificant marginal tears.
Rare presentation copy dated May 1, 1992 and signed by Solzhenitsyn to USSR émigré journalist and writer Sam Yossman, on the title page of the first volume.
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.
First edition, one of 25 numbered copies on Vélin du Marais, the only copies printed on deluxe paper.
A fine and rare copy.
First edition, one of 35 numbered copies on alfa paper, the only copies printed on deluxe paper.
A handsome copy, despite slight and marginal fading to the spine and covers.
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.
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, 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 (cf. Loukia Droulia 1817, Contominas 595, Blackmer 1372. Not in Atabey.)
Contemporary half blond calf, spine with five false raised bands adorned with gilt garlands, gilt tooling in compartments and blind fillets, gilt rolls at head and foot, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges.
Scattered foxing.
Before becoming the well-known historian and committed republican, Edgar Quinet (1803–1875) was part of the short-lived scientific commission of the Morea in 1829.
This volume records his impressions, with the second part titled De la Nature et de l'Histoire dans leurs rapports avec les Traditions Religieuses et Epiques.
Provenance: Library stamp of François Guizot on the half-title. Guizot himself, who in 1846 expelled Quinet from the Collège de France—along with his friend Michelet—for their anti-clerical stance.
Later belonged to Guizot’s descendant Robert de Witt, who signed and stamped the first flyleaf on March 11, 1875.
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 the rare copies on Holland paper, not mentioned in the printed justification.
Contemporary Bradel binding in half black morocco, smooth spine with gilt date at foot, cat's-eye paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, binding signed Champs.
Inscribed and signed by Eugène Manuel to Madame Michel Lévy.
Our copy is enriched with two dated and signed autograph letters by Eugène Manuel, mounted on tabs at the beginning of the volume, most likely addressed to one of his literary mentors regarding the first performance of his play "Les ouvriers".
In the first letter, written with delicate modesty and dated the day before the premiere on 17 January 1870, Eugène Manuel expresses his hope and longing for the distinguished recipient to attend the opening of "Les ouvriers": "Vous prendrez peut-être plus d'intérêt à l'auteur, lorsque vous saurez que je suis le neveu d'un de vos amis d'autrefois, Jules Lévy, qui avait pour vous une bien vive et bien sincère affection... [...] J'espère, monsieur, que rien ne vous empêchera d'assister à cette représentation, peu importante peut-être pour vous, puisqu'il s'agit que d'un acte, mais qui est sérieux pour moi..."
In the second, the author warmly thanks his correspondent for the attention paid to the play: "J'apprends aujourd'hui seulement que vous m'avez fait l'insigne honneur d'entretenir de ma petite pièce des Ouvriers, l'auditoire d'élite qui se presse à vos leçons du Collège de France... [...] le jugement d'un critique aussi considérable est une de ces bonnes fortunes que l'on ose ambitionner..."
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.
First edition, one of 30 numbered copies on alfa paper, the only deluxe copies.
Spine very slightly faded, a pleasing copy.
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.
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.
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 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.
