Early 18th Century Middle Eastern Travel, with More than 150 Plates, a Very Well-Preserved Contemporary Set

RELATION D'UN VOYAGE DU LEVANT, FAIT PAR ORDRE DU ROY.

(MIDDLE EAST - 18TH CENTURY TRAVEL). TOURNEFORT, JOSEPH PITTON DE.

(Lyon: Chez Anisson et Posuel, 1717). 197 x 125 mm. (7 3/4 x 5"). Three volumes. Second Edition.

Pleasing contemporary half calf over paper boards painted to resemble tree calf, smooth spines with gilt rules and two citron morocco labels. Attractive woodcut head- and tailpieces throughout, WITH 153 ENGRAVED PLATES depicting the scenery, flora, fauna, dress, and architecture of locations described. Contemporary ink ownership inscription of De St. George on title page. Brunet V, 903; Graesse VII, 180. Corners slightly bumped and rubbed, joints with just a hint of flaking, but the period bindings solid and still extremely attractive survivals. Internally with a handful of quires faintly browned, other trivial defects, BUT AN UNUSUALLY WELL-PRESERVED SET inside and out.

This lively narrative of travel at the turn of the 18th century includes a wealth of illustrations and a pleasing period bindings. A professor at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656-1708) developed a system of botanical classification that became the standard method until it was superseded by Linnaeus in 1753. He made numerous collecting trips throughout his career; the present work is the record of his most significant voyage, through Greece, Turkey, and along the Black Sea to Armenia and Georgia. The expedition, which took place between 1700-02, had been proposed by the Comte du Pontchartrain, then Secretary of State, in 1699, as both a botanical and commercial endeavor. Tournefort's observations include a wealth of botanical detail, but are also a rich source of information about the landscapes and peoples he encountered. He was accompanied on this voyage by German botanist Andreas Gundelsheimer and by the painter Claude Aubriet (ca. 1665-1742), who had collaborated with Tournefort on his previous work, "Eléments de Botanique." The work of Aubriet, a botanical illustrator at the Jardin des Plantes, was long appreciated by botanists and laypeople alike for its beauty and accuracy. The detailed depictions of plants here are accompanied by illustrated maps and engravings depicting zoological specimens, archaeological sites, and the costumes and cultures of the areas visited. The account was published posthumously in 1717, first in Paris, and then shortly afterward in the present Lyon edition. The bindings here were never meant to be showy, but they have come down to us in a remarkable state of preservation, given their pedestrian construction and expected use. (ST20754)

Price: $2,900.00