Sumptuously bound, from the library of Mary Lecomte du Noüy
L'Égypte et la Syrie, ou moeurs, usages, costumes et monumens des Égyptiens, des Arabes et des Syriens. Précédé d'un Précis historique.
12mo. 6 vols. With 80 (instead of 84) engraved plates, mostly aquatints, all in contemporary hand colour, of which 24 folding (6 bound as frontispieces). Contemporary red grained morocco, blindstamped and giltstamped, spine gilt, leading edges and inner dentelle gilt. All edges gilt.
$8,318.00
First edition: the rare coloured issue in contemporary French master bindings. Accompanied by notes by Jean Joseph Marcel (1776-1854), director of the French Imperial printshop at Cairo, the set contains a large number of very pretty views and charming genre scenes, also showing costumes, arms, tools, etc.
This is an uncommonly well-preserved set: most copies in the great travel collections were incomparably the worse for wear. The Atabey copy was described as "rubbed, upper joint of vol. VI wormed" and was uncoloured, as were most of the press run and all recent copies showing up in trade or at auction.
A sumptuously bound copy from the library of Mary Lecomte du Noüy with her gilt morocco bookplate on all pastedowns.
Compared with Lipperheide's collation, this copy lacks three plates in vol. 2 and one in vol. 3. A few minor dampstains in vol. 5; some corners a little bumped: spine-end in vol. 4 slightly chipped.
Atabey 148. Blackmer 200. Ibrahim-Hilmy I, 87. Röhricht 1631. Lipperheide Ma 10. Colas 438. Hiler 113.