(AGRICULTURE). LULLIN DE CHÂTEAUVIEUX, MICHEL JACOB FRÉDÉRIC.

ITALY, ITS AGRICULTURE, &C.

(Norwich: Printed by Burks and Kinnebrook, for R. Hunter, 1819). 222 x 140 mm (8 3/4 x 5 1/2"). 1 p.l., iii-xiv, [1] leaf, 358 pp., [1] leaf (ads). Translated by Edward Rigby. Apparently the FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH.

Simple but pleasing recent retrospective half calf, marbled boards, raised bands, red morocco spine label. Paper repairs to title page and last page (no doubt to remove a library stamp). Rothamsted, p. 34. Minor foxing to leaves, otherwise a fine copy, with fresh, clean text and an unworn sympathetic binding.

This is a very well-preserved copy of what seems to be the quite rare first edition in English of a work describing the agricultural methods and rural manners of Italy during the second decade of the 19th century. Our volume is a translation of Lullin de Châteauvieux's "Lettres Écrites d'Italie en 1812 et 1813," first published in Paris and Geneva in 1815 under the title, "Lettres sur l'Agriculture d'Italie." The work, which Josiah Conder described as "lively and clever" (in his 1831 book "Italy"), falls into three parts, each part considering one of the three agricultural regions in Italy and the system of agriculture prevailing there. The Swiss agronomist Michel Jacob Frédéric Lullin de Châteauvieux (1772-1841) wrote several books on European farming methods and rural life, as well as an anonymous commentary on the events of the day ("Lettres de Saint-James") and the "Manuscript Transmitted from Saint Helena," originally purported to be written by Napoleon himself. The translator of the present work, Dr. Edward Rigby (1747-1821), was an obstetrician and a man of varied interests, as evidenced by the advertisement for his other books at the end of the present volume. They include "An Essay on the Use of Red Peruvian Bark," "An Account of Mr. James Deeker's Two Aerial Ascensions from the City of Norwich," other studies of agricultural methods, and several works on vaccinations, obstetrics, and health care for the poor. Our first edition in English is rare in the marketplace: ABPC lists no copy at auction since at least 1975. (CJM0805)