First edition, illustrated with a map of the Mexican states at the time of the Conquest in 1521, by Malte-Brun (see Sabin 7429, Leclerc 1079, Brasseur de Bourbourg, Bibliothèque Mexico-Guatémalienne, p. 27, Numa Broc, Amérique, pp. 45-47).
Originally engraved by Erhard Schieble, this map is presented here as an early facsimile, likely produced by the publisher to complete his copies.
Bound in half havana shagreen, spines with four raised bands decorated with gilt tooling and gilt panels and fillets, orange shagreen title labels, minor rubbing to spines, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, twentieth-century bindings.
Waterstains, mainly affecting volumes III and IV.
This foundational work on the history of Mexico is divided as follows: I: Heroic Times and History of the Toltec Empire. – II: History of Yucatan and Guatemala; with that of Anahuac during the Aztec Middle Ages, up to the establishment of the monarchy in Mexico. – III: History of the States of Michoacan and Oaxaca, and of the Anahuac Empire up to the arrival of the Spanish. Astronomy, religion, sciences, and arts of the Aztecs, etc. – IV: Conquest of the Mexican and Guatemalan States, etc. Establishment of Spanish government and the Catholic Church. Ruin of idolatry, decline and subjugation of the indigenous race.
A former professor at the Quebec Seminary and later Vicar General in Boston, Abbé Étienne Charles Brasseur de Bourbourg (1814–1874) traveled as a missionary to Mexico and Central America. He developed a keen interest in vanished civilizations and was appointed official archaeologist of the French expedition to Mexico in 1864.
"By turns archaeologist, ethnologist, historian, and linguist, Brasseur de Bourbourg, alongside Désiré Charnay, was one of the founders of Americanist studies in France in the mid-nineteenth century" (Numa Broc).
Fourth edition reproducing, with only minor variations, the third edition of 1916.
Half tawny calf binding, spine with five raised bands decorated with blind fillets, cherry shagreen title label, slight rubbing to the spine, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, speckled edges, original wrappers preserved, contemporary binding.
This work is fundamental to the graphic and lexicological development of Chinese characters.
It is entirely unjust, as was done for more than fifty years, to minimise the role and contribution of the Jesuit Léon Wieger (1856–1933) to sinology, in which his work was of major importance despite the narrowness of his religious or philosophical views, on which excessive emphasis has been placed.
It is particularly in the philological field, and in the study and history of the formation of characters, that his books and methods remain of the greatest interest, including from a pedagogical standpoint.
Ink ex-libris at the head of a marbled endpaper.
Rare and attractive copy.
New edition, partly original, revised and corrected, illustrated with 4 engraved plates out of text and an engraved title-page in the first volume.
Contemporary full mottled calf, smooth spines gilt with a repeated floral tool (the decorative motifs partly faded), red morocco lettering-pieces, rubbing to the spines, gilt rolls to the head- and tailcaps, one headcap shaved, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets to the board edges, three corners softened, red edges, a few small snags to the board edges, bookplates to the pastedowns, bindings of the period.
The title-page and plates were engraved by Benoît Louis Henriquez after drawings by Jollain. Cohen 440. See Atabey for the first edition of 1743, unillustrated (two issues); Leonora Navari, who did not see this 1776 edition, considers the first illustrated edition to be that of 1897, with plates by E. P. Millio. Not in Blackmer.
First illustrated edition of this delightful piece of “turquerie”.
"Godard was a dramatist who also wrote 'Il Califfo di Bagdad'.
This work was several times reprinted ; the Frankfurt 1769 edition contained [comme celle-ci] a dedication to madame Dethou [sic] which caught the public eye and probably contributed to its popularity". Cf. Leonora Navari.
First edition of the French translation (cf. Sabin, 43416; Smith, Pacific Northwest Americana, 6381; Pilling, Bibl. of the Algonquian Languages, 327; Hoefer, XXXII, 566-567).
Illustrated with a portrait of the author after Sir Thomas Lawrence as frontispiece to the first volume and, at the end of each volume, three engraved maps showing the route from Fort Chipewyan to the Arctic Sea in 1789 and to the Pacific Ocean in 1793, together with the portion of North America lying between the 40th and 70th degrees north latitude and the 45th and 180th degrees west longitude.
Handsome half red shagreen bindings, flat spines ruled in gilt with quintuple fillets, traces of former labels at the head of each spine, minor rubbing to joints, red boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns; mid-19th-century bindings.
Repair to the half-title of volume I.
A pleasing copy of this major exploration narrative.
First edition, illustrated at the end of the volume with three folding maps (cf. Tailliart 3080; Playfair 4334).
The original colour map, frequently lacking, has here been supplied in photomechanical reproduction, while the two others are later insertions.
Full brick-coloured sheep binding, unlettered spine with five raised bands showing traces of rubbing, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers preserved; modern binding.
Minor foxing, pencil annotations on the initial endpapers and in the margins of several passages, with a handwritten note in blue ink "états de service" at the head of the front endpaper, followed by a brief pencilled biography of the author.
Only edition, highly sought after, of this exceptionally well-documented study, addressing a subject that preoccupied the French administration in Algeria (which, by an inaccurate analogy with Catholic religious "orders"—then targeted in mainland France—sought to curb the influence of Muslim brotherhoods).
Louis Rinn (1838–1905) spent almost his entire military career in Algeria, where he lived from 1864 to 1889.
An extremely rare first edition of this valuable statistical survey of Bolivia; absent from both Palau and Sabin. Only one copy recorded in the CCFr (BnF).
Chuquisaca, Imprenta de Sucre, 1851, octavo,
Contemporary half brown sheep, smooth spine decorated with double gilt fillets, marbled paper boards with losses, worn corners and edges, blue-speckled edges; a modest binding of the period.
Copy slightly trimmed.
José Maria Dalence (1782–1852), a jurist and prominent political figure of the independence period (1825), here provides one of the most precise demographic, ethnographic, and economic portraits of the young nation.
Rare first edition.
Only two copies recorded in the CCF (BnF and Marseille).
“…their change of residence, abandoning the old city to settle in the new districts? A memoir awarded by the Société académique de médecine de Marseille at its public session of 1 August 1819; (…). Enlarged with the plan of a medical topography of the city of Marseille, which the author proposes to publish.” Marseille, Joseph-François Achard, 1819, 8vo, disbound. Title, 40 pp. Only two copies recorded in the CCF (BnF and Marseille). Very rare. The author was a physician attached to the dispensaries and the maternity hospital of Marseille.
First edition.
A single copy recorded in the CCFr (Roanne).
Contemporary half green calf, smooth spine cracked and with losses, marbled paper boards, original printed wrappers preserved, binding of the period.
Lower board tending to detach.
The Venetian historian Ronaldo Fulin (1824–1884) produced numerous publications and original studies based on the exceptionally rich holdings of the Archivio di Stato of Venice.
The question addressed in this communication is linked to the presumed relations between Columbus and Venice (see the accompanying letters).
Copy from the library of the celebrated Americanist Henry Harrisse (1829–1910), a specialist of the earliest discoveries of the New World, with an autograph inscription by Ronaldo Fulin at the head of the front wrapper.
Henry Harrisse enhanced this pamphlet with seven autograph signed letters, mounted, in French or Italian, generally accompanied by their envelopes: 1. One from the Italian historian Cesare Cantù (1804–1895), dated 10 December 1881. – 2. One from the Columbian scholar Marcello Staglieno (1829–1909), dated 3 August 1888. – 3. One from the director of the Archivio di Stato of Venice (signature illegible), dated 27 June 1888. – 4. A card from the publisher B. Calore, dated 17 December 1881. – 5.–6. Two letters from the philologist and Hispanist Alfred Morel-Fatio (1850–19245), dated 2 and 9 December 1881. – 7. One letter from Henry Vignaud (1830–1922), in his capacity as First Secretary of the United States Legation in Paris from 1882 to 1909, dated 30 May 1888.
Most of these letters revolve around the existence of a purported letter from Christopher Columbus to the Senate of Venice, prior to the voyages of exploration.
First French edition, translated from the third English edition (Sabin, 30036.).
Each volume features a steel-engraved frontispiece.
Covers soiled, front boards detached, minor losses and tears to board margins, some foxing, cracked spines with losses; our copy in wrappers is housed in a modern brown full-cloth slipcase.
The second volume also includes a section on "Passage to Montreal and Quebec" (pp. 317-342) and "The Character of the Canadians" (pp. 331-332, 339-342).
Manuscript ex-libris signed Delecey de Mécourt on the front covers.
First edition of the French translation.
Contemporary half vellum binding, smooth spine gilt with a small fleur-de-lis ornament at the foot, black shagreen title label, marbled paper sides.
The sole edition of this version (a portion had already been made available to the French public in 1837 under the title Histoire de la fondation de la Régence d'Alger). Alphonse Rousseau (1820–1870), first interpreter at the French General Consulate in Tunis, later served as Consul General.
Modern Pierre Libaude bookplate pasted to a free endpaper; a few minor spots.
Rare first edition (see Cordier, Japonica 583; Nipponalia I, 2073. Neither of these bibliographies mentions the map. Polak 8448).
Contemporary half cherry-red calf, spine slightly faded, with four raised bands gilt with dotted tools and fillets; light rubbing to the spine, red paper-covered boards, corners slightly bumped, speckled edges.
Occasional light foxing; a pale dampstain affecting the opening leaves and the folding double-page map showing the plan of the Strait of Shimonoseki.
This work relates the Anglo-French naval campaign of 1862–1863, by Alfred Roussin (1839–1919), a naval officer who commanded the frigate Sémiramis.
The text offers detailed descriptions of trade and the political situation in Japan, as well as of the political relations between the French, the British, and the Japanese during the years 1853–1865.
Exceptional collection of 49 original watercolours depicting daily life in Tonkin, most illustrating rural scenes.
These unsigned watercolours, each measuring approximately 20 x 15 cm (excluding margins), are finely executed in Indian ink and watercolour, with touches of gouache, on paper sheets—some bearing the watermark "Latune et Cie Blacons."
Contemporary half red cloth binding, smooth spine covered in red shagreen, some rubbing to the spine, boards of marbled paper, blue endpapers and pastedowns.
Minor foxing to the margins of some watercolours.
The scenes depict a variety of subjects: a military post guarded by four soldiers, one standing sentry at the entrance; a guard in white uniform holding a rifle with a long bayonet, his head covered by a salacco (the traditional headgear of Indochinese riflemen); an elderly man seated at a table, smoking a pipe while being fanned by a servant; a peasant ploughing with two oxen; a woman praying at a grave; another peasant tilling the soil; two villagers meeting near a small bridge; four people working in a paddy field; a man in formal dress before a temple; three peasants harvesting rice; a cockfight, and more.
Also depicted are villagers carrying goods or fishing, wrestlers performing before a dignitary, a child guiding a blind man, two labourers transporting stones in a wheelbarrow, a procession led by a mounted dignitary carrying a wild boar in a cage, a prisoner being flogged, another about to be beheaded, a hunting scene, musicians, a woman at a loom, villagers at play, and so on.
Western presence is alluded to only once: an Indochinese sailing vessel flies three tri-colour flags while a steamship, probably French, makes its way in the background…
Accompanied by a piece of light brown calfskin (4 x 32 cm) blind-stamped with the inscription "Souvenir du Tonkin 1885-90".
A rare and precious visual record of Tonkin at the beginning of the French protectorate.
Very scarce first edition of the Armenian translation, illustrated with a lithographed frontispiece and title-frontispiece printed on tinted heavy stock by Weger (Leipzig), together with several in-text figures reproducing seals.
The CCFr records only copies of the French edition (indeed, the same year 1871 saw the publication of a first French translation; a second French edition was issued in Paris in 1888, at which time a German version was also printed at the Leipzig address).
Bradel binding in half brown percaline, smooth spine gilt-ruled and tooled with a gilt frieze, marbled paper boards, endpapers soiled, corners rubbed, edges sprinkled in blue.
Some minor foxing, chiefly at the beginning.
Apart from the frontispiece and title-frontispiece, the entire text is printed in Armenian. Fumagalli, Biblioteca Etiopica, 304.
Father Dimotheos Vartabet Sapritchian, an Armenian priest from Constantinople, travelled to Ethiopia in 1867 with one of his compatriots, Archbishop Isaac.
The travellers, who carried to King Theodore of Abyssinia a message from the Armenian patriarch, entered the country via Wahni in the west and crossed the regions of Bagemder and Tegré before embarking at Massawa.
The first part contains the narrative proper; the second offers observations on the country’s history, manners, and customs.
It also includes reflections on the Ethiopian Church, the clergy, baptism, confession, penance, marriage, funerary rites, festivals, and more.
A rare Jerusalem imprint: printing in the city is thought to date back to 1823.
First edition of this important work on former French Indochina, comprising:
On the half-title page of Volume VI, signed autograph inscription by Auguste Pavie: "A l'ami Vitoux, hommage affectueux. A. Pavie."
Accompanying this set is: "Carte de l'Indo-Chine dressée par MM. les Capitaines Cupet, Friquegnon et de Malglaive membres de la Mission Pavie."
Printed in Paris by Augustin Challamel in 1893 (broadsheet, folded and linen-backed, with some foxing).
The map is housed in a modern half green cloth portfolio with tips, red oasis title label, red board covers, and a red full-cloth slipcase, designed to match the text volumes.
"A pioneer of new routes in Cambodia and Laos, and a key figure in French expansion in Indochina, Auguste Pavie (1847–1925) holds a privileged place among the explorers of this region. Born in Dinan, he joined the army at seventeen, served in Cochinchina with the Marine Infantry (1868), and was sent to Cambodia in 1875 (…). In 1876, he was commissioned by the Governor of Indochina to create a new map of Cambodia, taking advantage of the construction of a telegraph line between Phnom Penh and Bangkok (…). In 1885, Le Myre de Vilers, recognizing his abilities, appointed him to the delicate post of French Consul in Luang Prabang, where he was to defend the rights France had inherited from Annam over Laos (…). From Luang Prabang, Pavie undertook a series of journeys across Laos from 1887 to 1889, regions that Mouhot and F. Garnier had only briefly explored. His investigations focused on three main directions: east (Tran-Ninh, Plain of Jars); northeast (Hua-Panh); and north (Sip-Song-Chau). It was in this last area that Pavie concentrated his efforts, seeking safe routes to Tonkin in order to open up Laos and firmly link it to France's other Indochinese possessions (…). From 1888, Pavie was no longer alone. He surrounded himself with military collaborators—Cogniard, Cupet, Malglaive, Pennequin…—and civilians such as the young diplomat Lefèvre-Pontalis and the brilliant biologist Le Dantec. Within a few years, the Pavie Mission, a veritable geographical service, would number some forty members, not counting the many indigenous auxiliaries. Dispersed in small groups along different routes, the mission members multiplied the leader's efforts, covering considerable ground. Thus, in 1890–1891, surrounded by a large team of geographers, naturalists, doctors, ethnographers, and economists, Pavie successfully completed a vast territorial survey intended to establish the future borders between French Indochina, China, Siam, and Burma (…). The scientific results of this collective enterprise, unparalleled in the French Empire, were impressive. Extending far beyond Laos, the investigations covered Tonkin, Annam, Cambodia, and southern China. In total, some 600,000 km²—an area larger than France—were surveyed and partially mapped, and 70,000 km of land and river routes were recorded (…). Truly multidisciplinary, the Pavie Mission encompassed all fields of knowledge, neglecting neither history, nor literature, nor folklore…" (Cf. Numa Broc, Dictionnaire illustré des explorateurs français du XIXe siècle, Asie, pp. 366–368).
First edition, with no copies issued on deluxe paper.
A handsome copy.
With Pierre Bourdieu’s signed presentation inscription to the anthropologist Emmanuel Terray.
First edition of the French translation and notes prepared by Billecocq (cf. Sabin, 41879; Leclerc, 943; Field, 947; Howes, 443; Staton-Trenlaine, Bibliogr. of Canadiana, 597 for the original edition).
Half mottled calf, smooth spine decorated with gilt tools, brown shagreen title-piece, marbled paper boards slightly darkened and faded at the edges, red edges; modern binding.
Stamp on the half-title, a light marginal dampstain affecting the outer margins of the final leaves.
Illustrated with a folding copper-engraved map by P. F. Tardieu, “Des pays situés à l'ouest du Canada”.
“The interest of the work lies in the detailed and relatively objective descriptions it provides of Indigenous life (…) The work is also of great value for its extensive lists of terms used by the Inuit, the Agniers, the Algonquins, the Mohegans, the Chaouanons and the Saulteaux.” Cf. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, IV, pp. 524–525.
First edition, illustrated with four tinted plates, including a frontispiece (cf. O'Reilly & Reitman, Tahiti, 6452).
Contemporary half plum sheep, the spine faded and decorated with gilt garlands and floral tools, some rubbing to the spine, marbled-paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, a few worn spots along the edges.
Scattered foxing, the plates evenly toned.
The work offers a history of the island, written in the aftermath of its annexation following the cession of his domains by King Pomare V. It provides an overview of the voyages of Quirós, Wallis, Bougainville and Cook, a portrait of Tahitian life a century earlier, and a sketch of the island’s development since the arrival of the first missionaries.
Chapter V is devoted to the principal episodes of Captain Cook’s three voyages to Tahiti: encounters with the inhabitants, meetings with local chiefs, the revolt on the island of Eimeo, visits to the surrounding islands... (pp. 107–220).
Joseph Bournichon (1839–1924) was a priest and the author of several edifying monographs.
Third edition, partially revised and corrected, incorporating new material.
Bradel binding in olive-green half percaline, smooth spine, bordeaux morocco-grained shagreen lettering-piece; restored and lightly soiled original wrappers preserved; modern binding.
Some scattered foxing, bookplate mounted on the verso of the front wrapper, traces of adhesive at the head and foot of the endpapers.
The first edition appeared in 1868.
This collection of twenty-six short independent pieces chiefly concerns the Chinese world and its adjacent regions (Indochina and Japan).
Rare first edition of this small opus, traditionally regarded as constituting the fourth part (of five) of the *Euphormionis Satyricon*, an allegorical satire of the tastes of King James I, and the author’s second most important work after his *Argenis* (cf. Brunet I, 652.)
Full brown calf, spine with five raised bands, compartments decorated with gilt floral tools, cherry-calf lettering piece, headcaps restored, trace of a shelving label at the foot of the spine, single blind fillet framing the boards, gilt fillets to board edges, lower corners rubbed, sprinkled edges, slightly later binding.
Loss restored to the title-page, which also bears two ink annotations; edges slightly trimmed.
The first part appeared under the London imprint in 1605, the second in 1607 under the Paris imprint, and the third in 1611 under the title “Apologia Euphormionis pro se”.
However, these last two texts are not works of fiction and are only loosely connected to the first two parts.
The present work, which may be rendered as Icon animorum, is in fact an essay offering, from life, a description and classification of the traits that mark both the differences and the affinities among Europeans.
Barclay examines their inner and outward signs, stemming sometimes from the conditions of human nature and education, sometimes from national character and from social or professional determinants.
Here the European man receives one of his earliest and most contrasted definitions, blending history and geography, culture and secularized religious ideals, in a treatise that eludes generic classification, abounds in stylistic gems, and compels today’s reader to reflect on his own preconceptions.
First separate edition, the text having previously appeared in the series Philipp's new voyages and travels (London, 1820–1823) (cf. Cordier, Sinica, 308).
Bradel-style binding in full grey boards, smooth spine, title label, sprinkled edges; a modern binding.
An exceptionally early account of the coastal region between Macao and Canton, published anonymously despite the initials J.R. at the end of the preface (this J.R. served as supercargo on the ship The Friendship).
First issue of the fifty large hors-texte lithographs drawn from life by Henry John Terry (cf. Vicaire, VII, 1164).
Publisher’s binding in full red cloth, smooth spine decorated with blind-ruled compartments and fillets, light rubbing to the head- and tailcaps, gilt-lettered title on the front board, yellow endpapers, trace of a removed bookplate on one pastedown, one lower corner softened, slight discoloration to the lower left corner of the rear board, occasional marginal foxing, a small loss to the foot of page 119, and minor wormholes at the foot of the last three leaves, not affecting the text.
The fifty striking black lithographs depict the most picturesque views of Haute-Savoie.
Henry John Terry, originally from England, studied in Geneva under Alexandre Calame, the foremost Swiss landscape painter of the nineteenth century, and later settled in the country.
A well-preserved copy in the publisher’s original cloth.
New edition, embellished at the close of the first volume with a folding plate printed out of text (cf. Palau 17346).
Cherry half-shagreen bindings, spines with four raised false bands decorated with gilt fillets and double gilt panels, gilt lettering at the foot of the spines, slight rubbing to the headcaps, blind-tooled frames on the textured cloth boards, pebble-paper endpapers and pastedowns, a few bumped corners, period bindings.
Rear board of the first volume partially soiled.
New edition prepared under the supervision of the physician Rafael Ángel Cowley Valdés-Machado (1837–1908) and Andrés Pego, gathering three major sources for Cuban historiography: José Martín de Arrate y Acosta’s (1701–1765) Llave del Nuevo Mundo. Antemural de las Indias Occidentales, a meticulous portrait of eighteenth-century Cuban society first published only in 1830; Ignacio Urrutia y Montoya’s (1735–1795) Teatro Histórico, Jurídico, Político, Militar de la Isla Fernandina de Cuba, of which only the first part had appeared in 1795; and finally Antonio José Valdés’s (1770–1824) Historia General de la Isla de Cuba y en especial de la Habana, published in 1811.
Provenance: from the library of Ricardo Quintiliano Garcia, his name gilt-stamped at the foot of the spines; with his presentation inscription to his brother dated 15 July 1877 on the front flyleaf of the first volume.
First edition (cf. O'Reilly, 2192.)
Modern Bradel binding in brown half-cloth, forest-green morocco lettering-piece, marbled paper boards, beige endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers retained albeit lightly soiled; binding signed by Boichot.
Illustrated with 49 photographic plates hors texte.
"Minutieuse histoire analytico-chronologique des trente premières années de la Calédonie européenne. Il annonçait une suite qui n'a jamais vu le jour" (O'Reilly).
First edition of this rare work, offering the very first description in French of this small canton, still nominally under Ottoman rule—though in fact largely autonomous—and which appeared as exotic to early 19th-century Westerners as the most remote corners of China.
Illustrated with 13 hand-coloured plates, including a large folding map, two botanical plates, two depicting celebrations, three views of churches, and five costume plates. (cf. Atabey 1286. Lipperheide 1443. Not in Blackmer or Colas.)
Contemporary half calf binding, smooth spines decorated with gilt fillets, garlands, and floral tools, red morocco lettering-piece, black morocco numbering-piece, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges.
Joints fragile, hinges rubbed and split, scattered foxing.
Jacques-Louis-Claude Vialla, known as de Sommières after his birthplace in the Gard (1764–1849), served as governor of Cattaro (in the then French Illyrian provinces) from April 1811 to April 1812. In this capacity, he was officially commissioned in October to approach Vladika (Prince-Bishop) Petar I of Montenegro (reigned 1781–1830), ancestor of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty, in an attempt to win him over to the cause of the Empire.
This was the first time an official Western embassy had reached these remote, largely self-sufficient regions. Written at a time when the author, placed on half-pay after the Restoration, needed to earn a living, his account abounds in fascinating detail.
First edition published anonymously, the work of the Bayonne man of letters Coste d'Arnobat (1732–1808), probably based on accounts provided by English merchants (cf. Barbier IV 1060).
Contemporary half sheep in dark brown, smooth spine tooled with gilt floral motifs, gilt initial “V” at the foot, some rubbing to spine and joints, a small marginal loss at the head of the spine, marbled paper boards, yellow sprinkled edges.
A dampstain affecting the folds of the final ten leaves.
An account of Bambouc, a region of Upper Senegal particularly noted for its gold mines and inhabited by the Mandinka people.
This narrative, later translated into German, offers highly valuable information on the activities and customs of the Malinké of Upper Senegal. Coste appended to it an essay on the Indian castes (pp. 65–113), “d’après les mémoires d’un savant observateur qui a vécu trente ans dans l’intérieur de l’Inde,” followed by two further dissertations on Holland (pp. 117–312) and on England (pp. 315–358), countries he visited in 1774.
Second edition, partly original as it is considerably expanded (cf. Sabin 59254, Howes 7805, F. Monaghan 1171).
Half black shagreen binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt double fillets and a gilt pastoral motif, a restored tear to the headcap, black paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, contemporary binding.
Scattered foxing.
Provenance: Copy from the library of Marquis Claude-Emmanuel-Joseph-Pierre de Pastoret (1755–1840), with his heraldic device gilt-stamped at the foot of the spine.
First edition (cf. Tailliart 2540).
Quarter shagreen in a dark bottle-green hue with corner pieces, the smooth spine slightly toned and decorated with blind fillets, marbled paper sides, cat’s-eye patterned endpapers and pastedowns, modern binding signed Honnelaître.
A light marginal dampmark at the foot of the half-title and title pages; scattered, unobtrusive foxing.
The author (1781–1852) was a colonial administrator: "Une introduction de trente pages sur les erreurs de la politique suivie à l’égard des Arabes : trop de faiblesse chez nous ; de glorieuses expéditions, mais pas de résultat positif durable. Il attaque Bresson qui a préconisé la formation d’un empire arabe qui ferait la transition entre la barbarie actuelle et une civilisation voisine de la nôtre. Il est partisan de petits beyliks placés sous notre contrôle, indépendants les uns des autres. Il faut faire combattre les Arabes par les Arabes. Nécessité de la force à l’égard des Arabes.
En dernier lieu, réfutation du livre de Blanqui : il lave les colons des accusations lancées contre eux. Exposé de la thèse des colons avec leurs avis et leurs desiderata".
At the head of the half-title, signed presentation inscription from Armand Gabriel Rozey to M. Billi, "homme de lettres à Alger", dated 17 December 1841.
Rare first edition.
Only two copies recorded in the CCFr (BnF and Lyon).
Modern full grey paper Bradel binding, smooth spine, long paper spine label, sprinkled edges.
At the time of publication, this pamphlet stood far ahead of contemporary thinking and anticipated the formation of the Second French Colonial Empire in Africa: assuming that France would retain and expand its recent conquest of Algiers, the author advances the notion of a French civilising mission among the Black populations of Africa, whom he considers with notable intelligence and openness.
Jean-François-Aimé Peyré (1792–1868) served as a judge at the civil court of Villefranche-sur-Saône.
Rare first edition comprising a fine series of 40 two-tone lithographs by Yuko Watanabe depicting Japanese types, scenes of traditional life, costumes, and more: Ronin, hara-kiri, samurai, the attack on Shogun Nobunaga, a geisha’s visit, young women paying a call, a game of go...
Not in Colas, nor Hiler & Hiler; lacking from the Bn; not in Nipponalia or Cordier. Wenckstern, I, p. 228 (gives the Yokohama address, undated, and mentions two volumes, the second—of which no trace could be found—containing 25 plates).
Bound in full beige cloth, smooth spine without lettering, lithograph mounted on the upper cover; twentieth-century binding.
Minor tears affecting three remargined plates and the final leaf (backed); a few small spots of foxing; small green ink stain touching most of the prints in the margin only, not affecting the image.
First edition illustrated with 24 plates, including 18 views and cross-sections, and 6 folding maps and plans (cf. Tailliart, 1229).
Half brown shagreen binding, spine faded with five raised bands, gilt date at foot, marbled paper boards, brown endpapers and pastedowns, modern binding signed Honnelaître.
First and last leaves lightly and partially soiled.
This volume gathers the official reports of the exploration mission led by Mircher (1820–1878), Vatonne, and Polignac, which departed from Tripoli in 1862 and returned via El-Oued after signing a trade treaty with the people of Ghadamès and the Tuareg. This agreement enabled the inclusion of the locality within Algeria until 1951, when it was returned to Libya. In addition to Mircher’s reports, the work contains a notice on Sudanese trade, an account of the political and social state of the “land of the Negroes,” studies on the terrain and water of the regions traversed by the mission, as well as medical observations collected during the journey to Ghadamès, among others.
Extremely rare first edition of the French translation by Luc de la Porte (cf. Lust 24. Cordier, Sinica, 12. Palau 105509. Sabin 27780. Wagner (SW) 7bb. Leclerc (1878) 258. Streit IV, 1999. Alden European Americana 588/37 – 8 copies recorded in the U.S.A. Atkinson 339.)
Contemporary full brown calf binding, spine with five raised bands decorated with double gilt compartments, joints and spine restored, gilt fillets partly faded on the edges, red edges. 17th-century binding.
Minor stain to margin at the beginning of the volume; tear to margin p. 62.
Extremely rare first edition of the French translation of one of the finest missionary accounts of 16th-century China; it includes a significant section on the Americas, notably the recent discovery of New Mexico by Antonio d'Espejo in 1583. It was through this work that Abraham Ortelius was able to complete the American section of his atlas (Sabin 27775).
Manuscript ex-libris on the title page: Cadt. Berdeilh; autograph letter signed by Marie de Berdeilh, dated Mirepoix, January 10, on the front endpaper; and an acknowledgment of debt signed by the same, mounted to front pastedown. Ex-libris of Gaston Héliot, an antiques dealer specializing in Chinese and Japanese curiosities c. 1920–1930.
First edition, no deluxe copies printed.
A pleasant copy.
Inscribed and signed by Yves Coppens to Emile Noël.
An exceptional and hitherto unpublished manuscript, complete in 775 pages, chronicling the journey of the Vicomte Edmond de Poncins through India (cited in Numa Broc, Asie, pp. 376–377, and Afrique, p. 263 (for his explorations of the Pamirs and Ethiopia), and in Thiébaud, pp. 755–756, (for his works on hunting).
This record extends from 12 September 1891, with embarkation at Marseille, through to 12 June 1892, the date of departure from Karachi bound for Marseille.
Contemporary 3/4 green morocco binding, spine in five compartments numerously framed in black with fleurons-gilt tooling, boards framed in black along the leather edges, marbled endpapers; author’s bookplate pasted to the upper pastedown; red top edge.
775 pp. (misnumbered ch. 1–567, 567–774), 1 unnumbered page, 2 unnumbered leaves of table, and a few remaining blank leaves.
Important, unpublished manuscript recounting the travels of the Vicomte Edmond de Poncins across India covering the period from 12 September 1891 (embarkation at Marseille) to 12 June 1892 (departure from Karachi for Marseille).June 1892 (departure from Karachi for Marseille).
Presented in the form of a journal, it is written in brown ink, in a cursive yet legible hand.
The text includes all of the author’s observations on the regions traversed, the routes taken and modes of transport, hunting expeditions, notable acquaintances, and his relations with servants, etc.; it also records that he took photographs during his excursions.
Departing from Marseille on 12 September 1891, Edmond de Poncins took passage on the Peï-Ho, a steamer belonging to the Messageries Maritimes. He travelled in the company of the Governor of Obock, on his way to assume office, and a British general who served as Inspector of Cavalry in India.
The route led via Port Said, Suez, Obock, and Aden. During the passage through the Red Sea, Poncins visited the engine room and conversed in Arabic with one of the stokers. On 23 September, at Aden, he transferred to the Seyne, a vessel of the same company, bound to cross the Indian Ocean. He arrived at Karachi on 29 September. The traveller left the steamer to board a sailing vessel bound for Bombay, where he arrived on 2 October. He remained there until the 8th, when he departed for Poona. On the 16th, he made an excursion to the Carlee Caves, a group of ancient Buddhist temples hewn into the rock. Back in Bombay the following day, he journeyed on to Pachora, whence he explored the Ajanta Caves, famed for their ancient Buddhist sanctuaries carved into the rock. He returned to Bombay on the 21st, proceeded to Mehmadabad the next day, and reached Kaira on the 24th. In the surrounding area, he hunted crocodiles and subsequently quail. On the 27th, he was in Ahmedabad, roughly 450 km north of Bombay, and two days later he arrived at Morvi, lying some 200 km to the east, continuing his travels across the region. Returning to Ahmedabad on 5 November, he went back to hunt in the environs of Kaira. On the 10th, he arrived at Abu Road, where he visited the temples of Mount Abu, before making his way back to Ahmedabad. He then began his journey across India towards Delhi and Calcutta, visiting Ajmere on 21 November, Chitor on the 23rd, and Udaipur on the 25th. On 3 December, he went bear hunting in the surrounding area. On the 7th, he reached Jaipur, and the following day he visited Amber Fort, which overlooks the city. On the 10th, he arrived at Alwar, and on the 12th proceeded to Delhi. Three days later, he visited Agra, before journeying into the Ganges Valley, reaching Cawnpore (Kanpur) on the 17th, Lucknoor (Lucknow) on the 18th, and Benares on 19 December. He arrived in Calcutta on 22 December 1891. He remained there until 4 January 1892, when he departed for an extended hunting expedition in the Sunderbans, a marshy region in the Ganges delta. On 10 February, he returned to Calcutta to prepare for his next expedition. He set out for Assam on 19 February 1892, a region in north-eastern India, lying in the Brahmaputra Valley at the frontier of Bhutan. The following day, he reached Goalundo (present-day Bangladesh), and on the 22nd, Jatrapur (Bangladesh), before embarking on a new hunt through the jungle atop a domesticated elephant. He arrived at Raimana (Assam, India) on 4 March. Over the ensuing days, he hunted large game - including buffalo, elephants, rhinoceroses, and tigers. On the 17th he killed a tiger cat, followed the next day by a doe and a stag, but the larger animals remained elusive. On 19 March, he suffered from heatstroke, yet continued hunting. On the 24th he reached Paglobat, continuing the next day to Dhubri in Assam, where a violent fever struck him down. Once recovered, he made a few more excursions and, on 8 April, left the region, reaching Calcutta on the 10th. On the 14th, he fell ill once more and was robbed by his servant, who was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. Poncins then left Calcutta to cross the Ganges plain: on 29 April he reached Cawnpore (Kanpur), which he had already visited on his outward journey, and on the 30th he stayed at Kalka. On 1 May he arrived at Simla, situated about 250 kilometres north of Delhi, on the foothills of the Himalayas. After an excursion to Amondah, he was again seized by fever and was forced to return to Kalka, from where he took the train, reaching Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan) on the 16th. From there, he made several excursions into the hills (Murree, Gulmay), but an outbreak of cholera forced him to leave the region. On 5 June he departed Rawalpindi by train and arrived at Lahore the next day. On 8 June he reached Karachi and prepared his belongings to embark on a vessel bound for Marseilles. The journal concludes on 12 June 1892, the date of his departure from Karachi.
Translated extracts: [16 October 1891, between Bombay and Poona, Maharashtra]: “Departure for the Caves of Carlee. Left at 6 a.m. with a tonga [a cart drawn by two ponies] which took me along the road opposite the path leading to the caves. Hired two coolies for my photographic equipment and my gun. We crossed a long plain of rice fields […]. The caves lie one-third up a mountain of 800 feet rising at the end of the plain […]. One passes through a small temple of Siva and stands before the great temple, whose entrance is most impressive […]. To the right and left, large sculpted elephants emerge from the rock up to mid-body; bas-reliefs depict gods with exaggerated forms, larger than life […]. The great hall is a marvel, both in its ensemble and in its details…” (pp. 53–55).
[25 October 1891, near Kaira, south of Ahmedabad, Gujarat]: “Left at 6 a.m. on camelback to hunt crocodiles. Covered 14 miles and reached a village below which the river makes a large, very deep bend. It is the Sabarmati. Shot a large crocodile at 150 metres on the sand. The bullet went straight; it struggled for a moment, then dived and was lost. About ten others in sight dived at the same time. Went down the river and fired at a small crocodile, 60 metres away, basking on a sand islet. It made a great leap and dived into a deep pool, which was red with blood within a few minutes. A native accompanying me did not dare to fetch it. Fired at two or three other swimming crocodiles, without apparent result. At 2 o’clock I returned to my starting point […]. Altogether I must have fired at fifteen and seen fifty in four or five hours…” (pp. 76-77).
[25 November 1891, Udaipur, Rajasthan]: “In the soft haze of the rising sun, the white city appeared, dominated by high walls and the splendid silhouette of the Maharana’s palace […]. Further on, a vast circle of rugged mountains with oddly shaped peaks, here and there marked by forts and stretches of defensive walls. Truly a land of savage feudalism. The Prime Minister’s son, to whom we had announced our arrival, came to fetch us by carriage at one o’clock, placing himself at our disposal. He is a young man of twenty to twenty-two, intelligent in appearance, speaks English well and is courteous. The Maharana is not in Udaipur, residing instead in a bungalow a few miles away on a hunting expedition […]. We shall, moreover, have the honour of being invited to one of H.R.H.’s hunts; in the meantime, we shall visit what there is to see in Udaipur…” (pp. 171–172).
[4 January 1892, West Bengal]: “Set out this morning from Calcutta for Mutlah or Canning. Arrived at 10 a.m. Found my boats. Crossing a country of rice fields, marshes, palms and coconut trees. The train stops at the end of the track, right on the riverbank. The tide is low and, to reach our boats, I have to be carried by my men, who sink up to their knees in a black, sticky, abominable mud […]. Here and there, some native boats. Few birds. By noon the two chimneys of the station disappear from view; ahead there is only the immense marsh. My men, who are Muslim, raised the anchor with a prayer […]. At 4 p.m. we stop at a cluster of huts unmarked on the map, called Fokai Hâttee. I send two men ashore to look for milk or meat. There is none. Meanwhile I photograph my boats, and a group of natives watching a juggler and a bear…” (pp. 291–292).
[1 March 1892, Brahmaputra Valley, Assam]: “In the afternoon my bullock cart [ox-drawn cart] arrived, along with an additional elephant sent by Mr Gordon. My party now consists definitively of three elephants, one bullock cart, seven men for the elephants, one for the oxen, and two for myself…”
[2 March]: “Departed at six in the morning on the second elephant, which I had yet to ride. We took the road to Kaïmana, then turned left into a jungle of tall burnt grasses, as high as the elephants […]. A very large animal was heard a few hundred paces ahead, crushing the grass. Halt. At the sound my mahout [driver] insisted it was a wild elephant, though the noise was identical to that of ours. The rhino passing below was less noisy. What should be done? The government forbids, under severe penalties, the killing of elephants […]. The undergrowth is so thick one could not see two metres; I cannot even see the head of my own. Moreover, wild elephants attack domestic elephants with fury…” (pp. 540–545).
A hunter and explorer, the Viscount Edmond de Montaigne de Poncins (1866–1937) undertook several journeys in Africa and Asia. After his stay in India (1891–1892), he travelled through Central Asia in 1893: departing from Samarkand (Uzbekistan), he crossed the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains to reach Srinagar (Kashmir); for this journey he was awarded the silver medal of the Geographical Society in 1895. In 1897, he travelled with Prince Henri d’Orléans between Djibouti and Addis Ababa; in 1912, he explored East Africa, from Nairobi to Mount Kenya.
“Poncins is no scholar, but an intrepid traveller and a keen observer […]. Few French explorers have attained such heights in Central Asia…” (Numa Broc, Asie).
He is the author of Chasses et explorations dans la région des Pamirs (1897) and Notes sur le gros gibier de nos colonies (1913).
A precious manuscript, with a fine contemporary binding.
Provenance: Viscount de Poncins, with his engraved bookplate depicting a tent beside a baobab.
A collection of 59 manuscript letters sent to his family representing approximately 180 pages, mostly octavo, most written on mourning paper, sometimes on letterheads notably from the Ministry of the Navy.
The collection is contained in a modern red cloth box with a black title label.
A Polytechnique graduate and marine artillery officer, Gustave Borgnis-Desbordes (1839-1900) is known for having led, from 1880 to 1883, three expeditionary columns across Upper Senegal and Upper Niger, these operations having enabled the construction of several military forts, a railway and a telegraph line of more than seven hundred kilometers linking Bakel (on the Senegal) to Bamako. He then served in Tonkin (1884-85) as colonel commanding the artillery of the expeditionary corps. He participated in several battles near the Chinese border and had to replace General de Négrier wounded at the battle of Lang Son on March 28, 1885. The hasty retreat of French troops, ordered by Colonel Herbinger, gave rise to a controversy that brought down the Jules Ferry ministry. Borgnis-Desbordes wrote a report that implicated Herbinger, but the latter benefited from an order of dismissal and Borgnis was accused of having slandered him. The present correspondence, which extends from January 1886 to August 1887, evokes the Lang Son affair and the delicate situation in which he found himself: supported by Generals Faidherbe, Brière de l'Isle and de Négrier, Borgnis-Desbordes had against him the artillery generals Virgile and Dard. Despite this, he was promoted to brigadier general on July 25, 1886. The letters evoke the numerous visits he made to friends, military men or connections in the capital, the search for possible support, and contain allusions to political life, mentioning Henri Rochefort, Louise Michel, Clemenceau, General Boulanger... Of the 59 letters, 47 are addressed to his sister Claire (wife of Henry Lethier, engineer of Ponts et Chaussées), 11 to his brother Ernest (1843-1925), Polytechnique graduate, artillery officer and future general, and 1 to his sister-in-law Emilie Lacœille, wife of Ernest. They are almost all written from Paris; some do not include a place and one letter is written from Auxerre (July 1, 1886). Extracts: 1886. "Je mène une vie absurde. Je suis en habit noir tous les soirs. J'ai dîné hier dans une maison où se trouvaient M. Jules Ferry, Jules Réache, etc. Il y avait aussi Mme Jules Ferry, fort jolie femme dans une toilette charmante. Ce soir je dîne au café de la Paix… Mardi je dîne à Vincennes, mercredi je déjeune encore en ville, etc." (I lead an absurd life. I am in black evening dress every night. I dined yesterday in a house where M. Jules Ferry, Jules Réache, etc. were present. There was also Mme Jules Ferry, a very pretty woman in a charming outfit. Tonight I dine at café de la Paix... Tuesday I dine in Vincennes, Wednesday I lunch again in town, etc.) (Paris, January 1886, to his sister). "J'ai vu mon ministre vendredi. Il m'a reçu en me disant : Eh bien ! mon cher colonel, vous voilà revenu de la comédie de St Malo. Puisque vous l'appelez ainsi avec raison, lui ai-je répondu, je n'ai plus rien à vous dire… " (I saw my minister Friday. He received me saying: Well! my dear colonel, here you are back from the comedy of St Malo. Since you call it that with reason, I replied, I have nothing more to say to you...) (Paris, February 14, to his sister). "Au Sénégal, tout commence à aller mal; mes prédictions se réalisent : le désordre va augmenter, la situation va devenir inextricable. On a envoyé tout dernièrement un gouverneur inintelligent et malhonnête; je crains qu'on ne pense à moi pour remettre en état les affaires militaires; je me cache, je fais le mort : je ne veux pas être sous les ordres de ce monsieur… Je ne sais pas ce qu'ils veulent faire à la Chambre; cela m'inquiète peu. Mon rapport me semble avoir fini d'occuper les gens. Tous depuis M. de Mun jusqu'à Clemenceau radotent; j'estime autant Baily et Camelinat que Baudry d'Asson ou Cassagnac. Tous ces gens-là sont stupides et méchants, ou ridicules et niais. Je me moque de ce qu'ils peuvent dire sur des affaires militaires dont ils ne sont pas susceptibles de parler…" (In Senegal, everything is beginning to go wrong; my predictions are coming true: disorder will increase, the situation will become inextricable. They recently sent an unintelligent and dishonest governor; I fear they might think of me to restore military affairs; I hide, I play dead: I do not want to be under the orders of this gentleman... I don't know what they want to do in the Chamber; that worries me little. My report seems to have finished occupying people. Everyone from M. de Mun to Clemenceau rambles; I esteem Baily and Camelinat as much as Baudry d'Asson or Cassagnac. All these people are stupid and wicked, or ridiculous and foolish. I mock what they can say about military affairs which they are not capable of discussing...) (s.l.n.d., to his sister). "Je reviens de chez le général Faidherbe auquel il a bien fallu me recommander. C'est un appui fragile que j'ai là; le pauvre général souffre beaucoup en ce moment. Quoiqu'il en soit, il m'a promis de faire pour moi ce qu'il pourrait. Ce sera peu de choses, l'influence des deux hommes, Général Faidherbe et Amiral Aube, l'un sur l'autre, étant aussi grande que celle d'un missionnaire sur un musulman. Je suis, paraît-il, très vivement battu en brèche. On me trouve trop jeune de grade… Le général Brière de l'Isle se remue pour moi, mais il passe, lui aussi, pour le serviteur damné de J. Ferry, et par suite son intervention ne pourra m'être utile, je le crains du moins beaucoup. J'ai vu Dislère ce matin [Paul Dislère (1840-1928), son ancien camarade de promotion à l'Ecole Polytechnique, à l'époque directeur des Colonies au ministère de la Marine]… Il ne peut non plus changer le vent qui est décidément contre moi. Il devient de plus en plus clair que la politique s'en mêle…" (I return from General Faidherbe's to whom I had to recommend myself. It's fragile support that I have there; the poor general suffers greatly at the moment. Whatever the case, he promised me to do what he could for me. It will be little, the influence of the two men, General Faidherbe and Admiral Aube, on each other, being as great as that of a missionary on a Muslim. I am, it appears, very vigorously attacked. They find me too young in rank... General Brière de l'Isle stirs himself for me, but he too passes for the damned servant of J. Ferry, and consequently his intervention cannot be useful to me, I fear it very much at least. I saw Dislère this morning [Paul Dislère (1840-1928), his former classmate at the Ecole Polytechnique, at the time director of Colonies at the Ministry of the Navy]... He also cannot change the wind which is decidedly against me. It becomes increasingly clear that politics is involved...) (Paris, May 22, to his sister). "M. Herbinger vient de faire une dernière plaisanterie en mourant en ce moment. Je vais être traité d'assassin, sans aucun doute. Et il y aura bien quelque médecin pour expliquer qu'il est décédé à la suite d'actes d'héroïsme qui ont miné sa constitution. Et que le colonel Desbordes a été assez aveugle et assez niais pour ne pas le voir… Bien que cette mort, au moment actuel, soit fâcheuse pour moi, je suis d'avis que M. Herbinger a fait un acte très sensé en décampant pour l'autre monde. C'est ce qu'il avait de mieux à faire. Que Dieu ait son âme !" (M. Herbinger has just played a final joke by dying at this moment. I will be treated as an assassin, without doubt. And there will surely be some doctor to explain that he died following acts of heroism that undermined his constitution. And that Colonel Desbordes was blind enough and foolish enough not to see it... Although this death, at the present moment, is unfortunate for me, I am of the opinion that M. Herbinger performed a very sensible act by decamping for the other world. It's the best thing he had to do. May God have his soul!) (Paris, May 27, to his sister). "Mon affaire continue à ne pas aller… Le général de Négrier a bien voulu faire une démarche pour moi auprès du chef du personnel, l'amiral Olry; il n'en a tiré aucune assurance. Le général Brière se remue tant qu'il peut, et d'autant plus qu'il considère ma nomination comme une sorte de compensation qui lui est due pour tous les ennuis et toutes les injures dont il est gratifié à cause de M. Herbinger. Mais il n'a pas, non plus, grand succès. Je sais que le général Faidherbe a plaidé ma cause auprès du ministre, mais également sans pouvoir obtenir une réponse… Ajoute à cela que les généraux d'artillerie Virgile et Dard travaillent contre moi, que Rochefort est un véritable spectre pour nos ministres, que Clemenceau ne peut pas être mon ami, que j'ai fait jouer toutes mes batteries, lesquelles sont représentées par mes généraux, mais que je n'ai pas de députés et de sénateurs dans mon sac…" (My affair continues not to go well... General de Négrier was kind enough to make an approach for me to the head of personnel, Admiral Olry; he drew no assurance from it. General Brière stirs himself as much as he can, and all the more so as he considers my nomination as a sort of compensation that is due to him for all the troubles and all the insults he is gratified with because of M. Herbinger. But he also has no great success. I know that General Faidherbe pleaded my cause to the minister, but equally without being able to obtain a response... Add to that that the artillery generals Virgile and Dard work against me, that Rochefort is a true spectre for our ministers, that Clemenceau cannot be my friend, that I have brought all my batteries into play, which are represented by my generals, but that I have no deputies and senators in my bag...) (Paris, June 1, to his sister). "J'ai enfin vu ma nomination à l'Officiel. Il paraît qu'elle était signée depuis plus de huit jours. On attendait le moment qui serait le moins pénible à Mr Rochefort, Mademoiselle Louise Michel, et aux journaux de droite et d'extrême gauche. Ils ont fait un mauvais calcul. L'expérience le prouvera. J'ai fait des visites aujourd'hui. Ça n'est pas amusant. J'ai vu l'amiral Peyron… Il m'a donné le conseil d'aller voir M. de Freycinet [président du Conseil et ministre des Affaires étrangères]… Il a été fort aimable avec moi… Je ne me suis payé qu'une petite malice. Il m'a parlé de la campagne du Tonkin, et il m'a félicité de ma bonne mine. Je lui ai répondu que la campagne du Tonkin était une expédition pour des jeunes filles. Il n'a pas insisté. Mais je suis certain qu'il a trouvé ce jugement un peu dur pour des gens qui ont fait de l'affaire du Tonkin un épouvantail…" (I finally saw my nomination in the Official Journal. It appears it had been signed for more than eight days. They were waiting for the moment that would be least painful for Mr Rochefort, Mademoiselle Louise Michel, and the right-wing and extreme left newspapers. They made a bad calculation. Experience will prove it. I made visits today. It's not amusing. I saw Admiral Peyron... He gave me the advice to go see M. de Freycinet [President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs]... He was very kind to me... I only allowed myself a small mischief. He spoke to me about the Tonkin campaign, and he congratulated me on my good appearance. I replied that the Tonkin campaign was an expedition for young girls. He didn't insist. But I am certain he found this judgment a bit harsh for people who made the Tonkin affair a bugbear...) (Paris, July 26, to his sister). 1887. "Je ne sais pas encore officiellement où je suis envoyé en Inspection, mais d'après ce que j'ai entendu dire ce matin, je vais avoir à visiter la Réunion, Madagascar, la Nouvelle-Calédonie. C'est un voyage de plus de six mois, et moi qui déteste ce genre d'exercice, ça me fait un plaisir que je vous laisse à penser…" (I don't yet know officially where I am sent on Inspection, but from what I heard said this morning, I will have to visit Réunion, Madagascar, New Caledonia. It's a journey of more than six months, and I who detest this kind of exercise, it gives me a pleasure that I leave you to imagine...) (Paris, May 7, to his sister-in-law Emilie).
Edition published one year after the original, illustrated with four fine copper-engraved plates by Charles Eisen depicting Nordic types (Icelandic women, a bear hunt, Samoyeds, a Laplander in a sleigh) engraved by Le Mire, one folding map by Bellin, thirteen maps, plans, or views (eight of them folding) engraved by Croissey, as well as a charming engraved title vignette and a headpiece by Le Gouaz.
See Sabin, 37616; Chadenat, 1633; Boucher de la Richarderie, I, 380.
Full mottled calf binding, smooth spine richly gilt in compartments decorated with gilt fleurons and geometric motifs, sometimes slightly rubbed, red morocco label, restorations to spine and joints, gilt roll tooling on the caps, red-speckled citron edges, gilt fillets on the board edges; late eighteenth-century binding.
A tall, wide-margined copy.
Provenance: copy from the Château de Menneval, with an engraved bookplate mounted on the pastedown.
First edition of the French translation prepared by A. J. B. Defauconpret (see Brunet III, 555; Quérard IV, 230; not in Field).
The work is illustrated with 20 charming aquatint plates, 6 of them hand-coloured, and a folding plan. The English first edition contained only 13 aquatints.
Contemporary Bradel bindings in full sand-coloured paper boards, red morocco spine labels for title and volume numbers (partly faded), flat spines gilt with a central floral tool, light rubbing to spines, upper caps slightly worn, two corners bumped, entirely uncut. Period bindings.
Pleasant, clean internal condition.
Johnson was a British officer in India who chose to return to England by land. His narrative offers numerous observations on the social life, customs, religion, and dress of the peoples he encountered along the way.
Second edition; the first having been destroyed by the author himself. Cf. Louandre et Bourquelot, III, p. 149: "Il y a eu de cet ouvrage une première édition anéantie par l'auteur avant toute émission, et dont il n'est peut-être pas échappé un exemplaire." "(L'auteur) s'est efforcé de rendre avec fidélité les impressions qu'il a éprouvées, et les renseignemens qu'il a obtenus ont été puisés aux sources les plus respectables."
Half calf bindings in light brown, smooth spines decorated with double gilt fillets, black morocco title and volume labels, a small hole at the foot of the spine of the first volume, marbled paper boards, upper corners slightly rubbed, sprinkled edges, contemporary bindings; the atlas volume is in original wrappers.
Some minor losses and small tears to the corners of the atlas, which also shows light restorations.
The latter is complete with its large folding map with coloured boundaries and its ten lithographed plates: eight views and two hand-coloured costume plates.
The eight picturesque views depict scenes near Jönköping, Stockholm, Rosendal, Drottningholm, Ornös (Arendt Pehrson’s house), Falun (the opening of the mine), Wexiö, and Solfvitsborg; the two remaining plates show Dalarna costumes at Leksand and Småland costumes at Wörend.
Some scattered foxing.
First edition of the French translation prepared by Joseph Lavallée.
The atlas volume is illustrated with 16 plates (portrait, views, birds, insects), 12 engraved music plates (printed on 6 leaves), and a large folding map on thick paper (cf. Quérard, I, 6; British Museum (Natural History), I, 8 for the atlas only; Pritzel, 6 for the original English edition).
Bound in contemporary half calf, smooth spines gilt-tooled with floral ornaments, rolls and motifs, sometimes slightly faded, orange calf title and volume labels, marbled paper boards, a few rubs and minor defects along the joints, sprinkled red edges; the atlas volume in contemporary half brown calf, smooth gilt-tooled spine with a few small losses at foot, some rubbing to joints and boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.
Our copy is complete with the Finnish bath plate, often lacking.
First edition of the French translation (cf. Gay 368).
Rare copy preserved in its original wrappers, complete with the accompanying atlas volume containing 7 maps, including 2 large folding ones.
Some light foxing, a few marginal tears to the wrappers of the atlas volume.
The English geographer Hugh Murray [1779-1846] devoted many years to enlarging and completing this work begun by the English orientalist John Leyden [1775-1811].
First edition, illustrated with a large folding lithographed map of the Indochinese peninsula in color, cf. Cordier, Indosinica, p. 1000.
Contemporary half green goatskin, spine faded and decorated with triple gilt fillets, marbled paper boards with losses, a corner loss at the foot of the upper cover extending to the following pages without affecting the text, endpapers and pastedowns of combed paper, corners rubbed, binding of the period.
A marginal tear to the map.
Rare publication of the "Revue indo-chinoise," issues 82-87.
In 1898, Laos was incorporated into the Indochinese Union at the initiative of Paul Doumer, Governor-General of Indochina from 1897 to 1902.
Manuscript ex-libris on the title-page.
First edition in English.
Elegant pastiche marbled paper Bradel binding by Thomas Boichot, black morocco title-piece, covers preserved (small marginal repairs to upper cover).
Autograph inscription signed by Josselin de Jong to head of upper cover.
First edition, printed in a small number of copies, of this offprint from the Revue de Paris dated 15 February 1906.
Émile Boutmy was the founder of the École libre des sciences politiques, which would later become the Institut d'études politiques de Paris, now widely known as Sciences Po.
Wrappers slightly toned at the margins, inevitable minor edge tears and small losses consistent with the fragile nature of the pamphlet.
Inscribed and signed by Lucien Lévy-Bruhl: "A Emile Durkheim, affectueusement, L.L.B."
First edition, illustrated with a frontispiece, in-text illustrations and maps, and a double-page map at the end.
Literary collaboration by Joseph Sachot.
Drawings, cover design and maps by André Millot.
Contemporary binding in green half shagreen with corners, smooth spine without title, marbled paper boards, illustrated wrappers bound in on tabs and preserved.
A compelling account of the life and conditions of Inuit populations: Father Roger Buliard (1909–1978), an Oblate of Mary Immaculate, served for fifteen years as a missionary in the Arctic before joining the Canadian military chaplaincy.
The book was a great success upon publication and inspired many future explorers.
Our copy includes an autograph note signed by Roger Buliard to a friend nicknamed Titi, written on thin paper and dated March 19, 1950.
Also included:
I. Two handwritten postcards addressed to the recipient of the note, along with newspaper clippings.
II. A small oblong 12mo green cloth album with eyelets and ties, containing 29 original silver print photographs, small in format (from 12 x 7 cm to 4 x 4 cm), mounted on heavy paper, depicting the author and various moments from his 1947 expedition.
A delightful ensemble.
Second editions, partially original, of the French and Dutch translations; the text is bilingual (Dutch and French), and includes numerous passages printed in Malay (cf. Cordier, "Indosinica", 1385. Not mentioned by Quérard).
Bound in chocolate-brown half shagreen, spine with four small raised bands decorated with gilt fillets and dots, joints split then restored, marbled paper boards showing some scratches, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, small tears to edges; 19th-century binding.
Waterstains affecting the first and last few leaves of the volume.
The translator’s lengthy preface (47 pp.) appears here for the first time. Pages 235 to 344 contain exercises (original texts and their translations). "The first proof sheet of my Dictionary of the Malayan language was received from the printer on the 21st March, and the last on 11th October 1811. On the 24th of that month I corrected the first sheet of the Grammar, and both works were published in the early part of the following year. The impression was large, and, unfortunately for my labours, the extensive possessions conquered from the Dutch, where the Malayan is spoken, were gratuitously restored to them, and my sale contracted. Within these few years the Government of the Netherlands has done me the honour of causing translations of my Grammar and Dictionary, which has been hably executed by M. Elout fils, and to the politeness of M. Elout, minister for the colonies, I am indebted for copies of them." Cf. Marsden, Memoirs, pp. 143–144, cited by Cordier. The English orientalist William Marsden (Dublin, 1754–1836) was also director of the East India Company and secretary to the Admiralty. He had travelled to Sumatra in 1771 following his brother, an agent of the Company, and devoted his time there to learning the local language. "After spending eight well-used years in Sumatra, he returned to England in 1779 in hopes of securing a more lucrative position. Initially unsuccessful, he dedicated his retirement to a geographical and historical study of the island. Around this time, he became acquainted with Sir Joseph Banks, who introduced him to several eminent figures such as Dalrymple, Rennell, Maskelyne, Solander, and Herschel. He was soon elected a member of the Royal Society. His History of Sumatra, published in 1782, earned him that distinction (...) The principal fruits of his studious retirement were a Grammar and a Dictionary of the Malay language, an excellent translation of the Travels of Marco Polo (1817), with a highly valuable commentary, a catalogue of his rich collection of Oriental coins, and three Essays, the most important of which concerns the languages of Polynesia" [Hoefer].
New edition bringing together, in addition to Cortés's own correspondence, a collection of documents relating to the conquest of Peru, including letters addressed to the conquistador by his principal lieutenants (cf. Palau 63 205. Leclerc 2575.)
A pupil of Silvestre de Sacy in Arabic, Pascual de Gayangos y Arce (1809-1897) was one of the foremost Spanish orientalists of the nineteenth century; his research was chiefly devoted to Muslim history.
Spine cracked with small losses, a tear at the upper left corner of the front cover, some foxing, tears and marginal losses to the rear cover.
First edition illustrated with an engraved view of Oran by Fichot.
Only three records in the CCF (BnF, Troyes, Saint-Geniez). Not listed in Tailliart.
Contemporary half bottle-green cloth, smooth spine decorated with false raised bands and blind-stamped fillets, marbled paper boards, rubbed corners.
Some minor foxing, endpapers partly shaded.
Sole edition of this curious work composed by a "first-class engineer guard," intended to counter metropolitan prejudices against the Arabs of Algeria.
First edition of this important and early collection of 50 superb lithographs of Algiers printed on china paper mounted on heavy wove, executed by the two painters Emile-Aubert Lessore (1805–1876), a pupil of Ingres, and William Wyld (1806–1889), a friend of Vernet. The work was originally issued in five parts: buildings, landscapes, figures, scenes, etc.
See: Bibliothèque algérienne de Gérard Sangnier, no. 207. Not in Blackmer. Playfair, 517. Tailliart, 896. Gay, 919. Brunet III, 1018.
Contemporary binding in half green shagreen, flat spine with triple gilt fillets and blind-stamped fleurons, gilt decorative bands at head and foot of spine, the upper band partially faded; marbled paper-covered boards with some marginal discoloration. Contemporary binding.
Spine restored, occasional scattered foxing.
First edition illustrated with 5 plates outside the text, including 4 folding lithographs printed in Marseille by Charavel: Plan of the camp at the foot of Mount Elbrus, View of Mount Elbrus, Inscription in Russian, Huno-Scythian alphabet, Inscription on two white marbles found at Magyar (cf. Blackmer 131, Atabey 105).
Spine split with small losses, some corner defects to the boards.
"The author was interested in tracing the origins of the Magyars to the Caucasian peoples. In 1829-1830 he travelled through the Caucasus and then into Armenia. He also produced a Turkish grammar,"
Abrégé de la Grammaire Turque, Pest, 1829 [Leonora Navari].
On the verso of the half-title appear the author’s and the publisher’s stamps and autograph signatures.
Printed ex-libris of J. de Sainte-Foy.
First edition, one of 55 numbered copies on pure wove paper, the only deluxe paper issue.
Bound in half brown morocco, spines with five raised bands, gilt dates at foot, boards covered with abstract patterned paper, endleaves and doublures of brown paper, original wrappers and backstrips preserved, gilt edges, bindings signed by Thomas Boichot.
A precious copy of this foundational text of modern feminism.
First edition of this collection of articles published in L'Opinion nationale (cf. Tailliart, 2584).
Half cherry calf binding, spine darkened with five raised bands, a date written in black ink at the head of the spine, marbled paper boards, hand-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges, contemporary binding.
Auguste-Hubert Warnier (1810-1875), the son of a soldier of the Empire, first practised as a surgeon, then as a physician with the Army of Africa from 1834 to 1851, before embarking on a brilliant political career which briefly made him prefect, but above all deputy for Algiers from 1871. He was regarded as a specialist in all matters, indigenous or colonial, concerning the French possessions in North Africa.*
Bound at the end are by the same author: "L'Algérie devant l'opinion publique pour faire suite à L'Algérie devant le Sénat. Indigènes et immigrants. Examen rétrospectif." Algiers, Imprimerie Molot, 1864, VIII pp., 176 pp. Tailliart, 2585.
This is a collection of articles published in the Journal d'Alger.
And by Marshal Pélissier: "Etat actuel de l'Algérie, publié d'après les documents officiels par ordre de S. Exc. le Maréchal Pélissier, duc de Malakoff, sous la direction de Mercier-Lacombe". Paris, 1863, Imprimerie impériale.
First edition of each of the fascicles.
Half brown sheep binding, spine slightly faded with four raised bands framed by blind fillets and decorated with gilt floral tools, some rubbing to the spine and along the edges of the boards, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, corners rubbed, contemporary binding.
This collection of pamphlets includes: 1) Voyage à Tahiti. n.d., 12 pp. 2) Voyage en Cochinchine. Algiers, Impr. Algérienne, 1923, 20 pp. 3) Dans les mers du sud. Australie, Nouvelle-Calédonie. n.d., 20 pp. 4) L'île Bourbon ou une perle de la mer des Indes. Algiers, Impr. Algérienne, 1923, 16 pp. 5) L'exotisme dans la littérature française. n.d., 16 pp. 6) La prise d'Alger. n.d., 8 pp. 7) L'Emir Abd-el-Kader. n.d., 20 pp. 8) L'Afrique du Nord et le Parlement. n.d., 7 pp. 9) La Piraterie Algérienne dans la Littérature Classique. Algiers, Impr. Algérienne, 1922, 19 pp. 10) D'Hippone à Port-Royal des Champs. n.d., 19 pp. 11) L'Algérie poétique. Algiers, Impr. Algérienne, 1924, 12 pp. 12) Le Léman Littéraire et Mme de Stael. n.d., 19 pp. 13) L'Arrivisme après l'Epopée. Stendhal, Le Rouge et le Noir. n.d., 11 pp. 14) Pierre de Ronsard. n.d., 23 pp.
A rare and appealing collection.
First edition of the French translation, illustrated with a portrait frontispiece and a folding map of Beloutchistan and Sindhy, together with parts of Kotch, Sedjistan, Khorasan, and Persia (cf. Quérard VII, 300).
Traces of removed bookplates on the pastedowns.
Half blond sheepskin bindings, smooth spines decorated with gilt fillets and garlands, title and volume labels in fawn sheep, upper cap of the second volume lacking, small loss to the upper cap of the first volume, traces of rubbing to the spines, corners in green vellum, marbled paper boards, sprinkled edges, contemporary bindings.
Edition from the year of the original, illustrated with a portrait and 22 plates including 2 maps (cf. Taylor Pacific Bibliography p. 520. Cammack & Saito no. 346. Edridge, Solomon Island Bibliography, p. 250.).
Half purple sheep binding, spine with four raised bands tooled with gilt garlands and decorated double panels, traces of rubbing and restorations to spine and joints, gilt fillet framing the black blind-stamped boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges, contemporary binding.
Pleasant internal condition despite occasional foxing.
Rare first edition.
Spine and boards slightly sunned along the margins.
Dated and signed autograph inscription from C. Martin Saint-Léon to Baron Hulot, Secretary General of the Société de Géographie, on the front free endpaper.
The character and spirit of the Vietnamese as seen from a French perspective.
First edition of this preliminary study to the monumental Historia fisica, politica y natural de la isla de Cuba (Paris, 1832-1861).
Cf Kress 26 754. Palau 284 794. Sabin 74 919.
Contemporary half calf, flat spine decorated with gilt fillets and fleurons as well as a large blind-stamped fleuron, gilt rolls at head and tail, marbled paper boards with some rubbing along the edges, a few small bumps to the extremities, sprinkled edges.
Headcaps rubbed, tear to leaves v–vi with loss of a few letters on the final leaf, title-page slightly soiled, a faint dampstain affecting the lower margin of the first few leaves.
Inscribed by Ramon de La Sagra to the naturalist and explorer Alcide Dessalines d'Orbigny (1802–1857), whom he must have met during a stopover in Cuba on the course of the seven-year journey he undertook in South America for the Muséum (1826–1834).
The final letter of the word 'auteur' shows a small loss in the calligraphy.
First edition, with a folding map at the beginning of the volume (cf. Ferguson 15420).
Half red shagreen binding, spine slightly faded with five raised bands framed with black fillets, marbled paper boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, modern binding signed Laurenchet.
Library stamps on the first endpapers and title page, some foxing, bookseller's label affixed at the head of an endpaper.
First edition.
Half blue shagreen, spine with four raised bands decorated with gilt floral tools within blind-ruled compartments, blind fillet borders on indigo percaline boards, boards with marginal soiling at foot, brown paper endleaves and pastedowns, modern bookplate affixed to a pastedown, contemporary binding.
Some scattered foxing, a black ink stain on the edge not affecting the text.
Second edition, the only complete one (cf. Cordier, Sinica, 1430).
Spine split with small angular losses, scattered foxing.
It deals with educational institutions, examinations, and public instruction under the various dynasties.
Appended are notes on the method used in China to study the pronunciation of characters, on the organization of the Chinese administration, and on a collection of examination questions for candidates to literary degrees.
Two memoirs bound in one volume with continuous pagination. The engineer Edouard-Constant Biot (1803-1850), son of the mathematician Jean-Baptiste Biot and pupil of Stanislas Julien, rapidly became an outstanding sinologist whose works are still consulted today.
First edition of this finely crafted narrative retracing the journey of the author, appointed in December 1854 as First Secretary to the French legation in Persia, under the direction of Prosper Bourée.
Some foxing.
Bound in half bottle-green shagreen, spine with four raised bands decorated with triple gilt compartments, blind-tooled borders on morocco-grained cloth boards, school emblem gilt-stamped at the centre of the upper cover [Lycée de Nevers], marbled endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges, contemporary binding.
The journey was undertaken by sea from Marseille to Bushir, then by caravan to Isfahan and Tehran: Malta, Alexandria, Cairo, Jeddah, Aden, Muscat, Tehran, Isfahan.
First complete edition, constituting vol. 15 of the Archives d'études orientales published by J.-A. Lundell (9 copies recorded in the CCFr, including 1 in Lyon and 8 in Paris).
The work was originally a doctoral thesis defended in 1915, later expanded with supplements issued up until 1926.
Publisher’s binding in half blue cloth, smooth spine with minor rubbing, silver lettering on the spine, brown paper-covered boards, Chinese red ink stamps on the title and half-title leaves, corners bumped.
Some small angular paper losses on pp. 241, 243, and 707, without loss of text.
First edition (a second edition appeared in 1896) illustrated with 6 facsimiles and a large folding map.
Not in Tailliart.
Foxing, spine cracked with small losses, a few corner defects to the boards, also lightly soiled at the margins.
Adolphe Hanoteau (1814-1897) pursued his entire military career in Algeria, attaining the rank of brigadier general; he devoted most of his work to the study of the Kabyle language, customs, and institutions. Tamasheq is a Tuareg language spoken primarily by the Tuaregs of Mali.
First edition of the most significant 19th-century scientific expedition to Iceland and Greenland.
A few light spots of foxing, otherwise a very good copy.
The 8 volumes of text include:
- History of the voyage, by Joseph-Paul Gaimard and Eugène Robert: 2 volumes with a portrait.
- History of Iceland, by Xavier Marmier: 1 volume.
- Icelandic Literature, by Xavier Marmier: 1 volume.
- Travel journal, by E. Mecquet: 1 volume.
- Zoology and medicine, by Eugène Robert: 1 volume, with folding table.
- Physics, by V. Lottin: 1 volume.
The 4 atlas volumes comprise:
- Mineralogy and geology, by Eugène Robert: 1 volume. Atlas:
- Mineralogy and geology: 1 volume with 36 black plates, some printed on China paper and mounted.
- Historical: 2 volumes with 150 lithographed plates and views in black, printed on China paper and mounted.
- Zoological, medical, and geographical: 1 volume with 51 plates, 35 of which are finely hand-colored (one plate present in both states: black and colored).
Bound in modern half blond calf, flat spines richly gilt with garlands and gilt and blind-stamped fillets, gilt decorative bands at foot of spines, red and dark green morocco spine labels, marbled paper boards, bindings signed by Laurenchet.
A very rare and attractive uniformly bound complete set.
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).
First edition, illustrated with 265 engravings (including 70 heliogravure plates on thick paper with captioned tissue guards), after the author's own photographs, and including a folding color map at the end of the volume.
Contemporary binding in half tawny morocco with marbled boards, spine with five raised bands framed by black fillets, red morocco title label, some rubbing to spine and headcap, gilt double fillet and garland borders on covers, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, top edge gilt.
Scattered light foxing, mostly at the beginning of the volume.
First edition of this magnificent work, one of Gustave Le Bon’s (1841–1931) contributions to anthropology, in which he applied his pioneering theories to the Arab world. One of the few copies printed on japon paper, unrecorded in bibliographies.
Illustrated with 10 chromolithographs, 4 maps, and 366 engravings, including 70 large plates, after the author’s photographs or the most reliable documentary sources. Cf. Vicaire V, 134.
Contemporary half cherry-red shagreen, spine with five raised bands adorned with gilt fillets and double gilt compartments, double gilt fillet frame on marbled paper-covered boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, top edge gilt.
Minor superficial rubbing to spine ends.
A rare and attractive copy on japon paper, handsomely bound in contemporary period style.
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 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 upper board.
The plates depict indigenous peoples, landscapes, weapons, utensils, and more.
First edition of the French translation, illustrated with a folding copper-engraved frontispiece by Bénard: "Mort du Capitaine Cook à Owhy-hée, Fevrier 1779," and a folding map titled "Carte montrant la route suivie par M. Cook… dans son troisième et dernier Voyage."
See O'Reilly and Reitman, 419. See also Hill, p. 253, for the first English edition. Forbes, Hawaiian National Biography, 45.
Contemporary binding in half marbled calf with vellum-tipped corners, spine decorated with gilt floral compartments, red morocco title label, marbled paper boards, red edges.
Restored loss to the title page. The half-title is lacking in our copy; the boards are modern.
"An apocryphal account of the third voyage, published surreptitiously more than two years before the official edition. Hocken […] attributed it to Ledyard, who also wrote a narrative of the expedition. But F. W. Howay […] demonstrated that the true author was John Rickman, lieutenant aboard the Discovery. Includes some unpublished details and episodes." Cf. O'Reilly (no. 415). "All the journals kept on board were claimed by the Admiralty, thus the author remained strictly anonymous. The text, especially as regards details of Cook’s death, differs considerably from other accounts." Cf. Hill.
This work also contains one of the earliest high-quality accounts of the Hawaiian Islands: see Forbes, p. 23.
Very rare first edition of the principal work by archaeologist and anthropologist Ernest Chantre (1843–1924), specialist of the Caucasus.
Spine of the first volume restored and replaced; a vertical scratch to the upper cover of volume one; some lacks to several spine-ends; some foxing; occasional lacks to the boards; a tear with some leather lacking to the rear endpaper of vol. 4.
This foundational work is composed of four parts in five volumes:
I. Prehistoric period, with in-text illustrations, a colour map, two tissue-guarded portrait plates, and six lithographs with facing captions. –
II–III. Protohistoric period, illustrated with 78 lithographs numbered I–LXVII (including 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 13, 19, 20, 22, 30 and 36 bis), each with facing captions. –
IV. Historic period, with 29 lithographs on a tinted background, each with a facing caption (except plates XXVII and XXVIII). –
V. Contemporary populations, with 31 plates and a large folding colour map.
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 discoloured or soiled along right margins, two corners lightly bumped.
Charles Étienne Brasseur, known as Brasseur de Bourbourg (1814–1874), a French missionary in Mexico and Central America, is regarded as one of the pioneers of pre-Columbian archaeology and history. Deeply engaged in the study of indigenous languages, he announced in 1863 that he had discovered the key to transcribing the Mayan script. He later presented his principles of decipherment in the present work on the Troano Manuscript.
Volume I contains an exposition of the Mayan graphic system, for which 600 characters were specially cast at the Imprimerie Impériale. It is followed by a facsimile of the Troano Manuscript reproduced in 70 lithochrome plates. Volume II features the grammar, chrestomathy, and a Maya–French–Spanish vocabulary.
Very scarce.
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, illustrated with a frontispiece engraved by De Launay after Marillier (cf. Conlon, 83:1107; Quérard, III, 174; Barbier, I, 276; Brunet, 5636. Not listed by Thiébaud).
Contemporary full speckled calf, smooth spine gilt in compartments with decorative tooling, green morocco title label, gilt rolls on the caps, gilt fillets along the edges, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, joints lightly restored, some repairs to the spine, yellow edges.
Joints tender, endpapers slightly soiled at the margins, a few spots to the edges, handwritten ownership note on the half-title.
The author, a traveller and naturalist born in Montargis in 1734 and who died near Château-Thierry in 1802, set sail for the East Indies around 1753.
From Smyrna, he travelled overland to Aleppo and reached Baghdad after a series of tumultuous adventures. From there, he descended the Tigris and the Shatt al-Arab, sailed across the Persian Gulf, and reached the eastern coast of India. "Cet ouvrage fut publié à la sollicitude de Buffon. L’auteur y traite de particularités inconnues jusque alors ; il nomme et décrit les animaux dont les divers peuples orientaux font leur nourriture. Il donne de curieux renseignements sur les crocodiles, les caméléons, les serpents, les sauterelles, etc. ; il raconte les nombreuses manières de chasser les animaux féroces ; explique les causes de la vénération des Indous pour certaines bêtes, etc." Cf. Hoefer.
Foucher d’Obsonville also authored a Supplément au voyage de Sonnerat (1785), a Lettre (...) sur la guerre des Turcs (1788), and a translation of a work from the Vedic corpus (1788).
First edition (see Cordier, "Indosinica", 2690).
Spine cracked with small losses, internally well preserved.
Rare.
New edition. "American Imprints" 28030. See Lowndes II, 298 for the first edition: "Liveliness of description of scenery and manners, couched in an easy and elegant style…"
Contemporary half havana shagreen with corners, spine decorated with gilt fillets and fleurons, rubbed beige morocco label, a few minor scuffs along the spine. Gilt garland borders framing the marbled paper boards, endpapers and pastedowns of rose paper lightly soiled at margins, marbled edges. Late 19th-century binding.
Some occasional foxing.
A good copy.
Rare first edition including a general map of Africa, compiled from the most reliable observations and the latest discoveries, as well as 8 finely engraved plates (cf. Clozel 505; Gay 2897).
The 8 illustrations comprise: one folding view, three folding maps and plans, a key chart for the plan of Gorée, and three portraits of indigenous figures.
Some restorations and water stains affecting a few leaves.
Contemporary half calf binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt garlands, floral tools, and urns; red morocco title and volume labels, marbled edges.
Born in Colmar, Sylvain-Meinrad-Xavier de Golbéry (1742–1822) spent his entire military career in the Corps of Engineers.
The journey he recounts here—published belatedly—was commissioned by Louis XVI and took him through regions corresponding to present-day Senegal and The Gambia.
First edition of the French translation established by Lallemant, illustrated with 3 folding maps with hand-colored outlines (cf. Gay 2788).
Bradel binding in full pink paper boards, smooth spine with laterally mounted paper title labels, contemporary binding.
Headcaps trimmed, some wear to the edges, marginal soiling on the lower cover, occasional foxing throughout.
Scottish surgeon and explorer Mungo Park (1771–1806) reached Pisania (Gambia) during a first expedition to Africa (1795–1797), where he stayed for a time to gather information on the Mandingo people and language. He then continued his journey to the Niger River, ascending it as far as upstream from Ségou; however, hostility from the Moors forced him to turn back. Irish explorer Daniel Houghton (1740–1791) undertook an expedition in 1790, commissioned by the African Society of London, aiming to reach Timbuktu via the Niger. He only got as far as the Falémé River and was likely killed by the Bambara people. Determined to reach Timbuktu after Houghton's failure, Mungo Park embarked on a second journey (1805), during which he died on the Niger.
First edition of the French translation by Victor Largeau, presented in 1844 to the Geneva archaeologist Gustave-Philippe Revilliod (1817–1890) by Moors with whom he had become close.
Contemporary binding in brown half sheep with corners, spine with five raised bands and no lettering, marbled paper sides, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, soiled original wrappers preserved, modern binding.
Some occasional foxing.
An explorer—he attempted twice to cross the Sahara, the first time in this same year, 1875—Victor Largeau (1842–1897) later became a colonial administrator. He was the father of General Victor-Emmanuel Largeau (1867–1916), one of the founders of Chad.
First edition, illustrated with 6 maps and 89 engravings after the author's drawings.
Contemporary navy blue half shagreen binding, spine with five raised bands ruled in gilt, small tear at head of spine and minor rubbing, gilt stamp of the Join-Lambert institution in Rouen to the centre of the upper board, cold-stamped fillet frame on navy blue paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges.
Some light foxing, mainly at the beginning and end of the volume; school price label affixed to one pastedown.
A well-preserved copy.
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 signed Laurenchet.
Restorations to the half-title and title pages. Internally fresh and attractive.
The plates depict: Tantalus Aethiopicus (Ibis) – Mus Gerboa – Musa Paradisiaca – Desert Grasshopper – Bedouin Arab Encampment – View of a section of the Necropolis of Cyrene – Moorish dwelling in Dernah – Lotus branch in bloom – Papyrus Egyptiaca – Map of Cyrenaica to accompany the advance of the Tripolitanian army.
First edition, illustrated with a frontispiece, 6 folding maps, 24 plates out of text, and 95 in-text reproductions.
Bradel binding in full blue cloth, cherry shagreen title label, original wrappers and spine preserved.
The botanist and biologist Auguste Chevalier (1873–1956) undertook numerous expeditions to Africa, Asia, and South America after earning his doctorate in 1901.
A handsome copy.
Inscribed and signed by Auguste-Jean-Baptiste Chevalier to Madame P. Lemoine at the head of the title page.
Rare first edition (cf. Quérard IV, 457. Not listed in Gay.)
Bradel binding in full paper-covered boards marbled by hand, smooth spine, red morocco title label, minor stains in the lower margins of the first two pages.
The renowned astronomer explores the Niger and the feasibility of crossing Africa from Senegal to the Red Sea.
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.
Second edition of the French translation, expanded with a few remarks and illustrated with a map of the North Atlantic and 9 folding plates outside the text (natural history, views, Inuit types, etc.), cf. Sabin 22312n. "European Americana" 750/110. See Leclerc 717 for the first French edition published a year earlier.
The plates are captioned in both French and Dutch; the original English edition was published in London in 1748; the first French edition appeared in Paris in 1749.
The work opens with a historical account of earlier attempts to discover a route to the East Indies via the Northwest Passage.
Contemporary binding in full marbled calf, spine with gilt compartments decorated with floral tools, some fading to the gilt, modern havana morocco label, gilt roll tooling on the caps, gilt dentelle frame inside the boards, marbled edges, gilt fillets along the board edges.
The text begins with a chronicle of the various efforts made up to 1746 to discover the Northwest Passage.
Henry Ellis, the English traveller, was born in 1721 and died in Naples on January 21, 1806. As hydrographer and mineralogist, he took part in the 1746 expedition aimed at finding a northern route to the Indies and published this account, which includes valuable observations on Inuit customs. He was later appointed governor of Georgia and Nova Scotia.
Ink ownership inscription at the foot of the title-page.
A handsome copy.
Second edition with the text printed in two columns (see Cordier, Indosinica, 2288).
The first edition was published in 1868.
Contemporary quarter fawn mirabelle sheep binding, flat spine decorated with triple gilt fillets, some rubbing to spine, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, bumped corners.
Théophile Marie Legrand de La Liraÿe (1819–1873), a priest of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, was sent to Western Tonkin in 1843.
During the French intervention in Annam, he acted as interpreter to Admiral Rigault de Genouilly. After leaving the Missions, he continued in this role for the Governor of Cochinchina.
He died on 7 August 1873 at the military hospital in Saigon, leaving behind manuscripts now held in the Saigon library. A street in that city bears his name (see Archives des Missions Étrangères de Paris).
Some foxing, mainly affecting the first and last few leaves.
