Beschreibung:

EGYPT]. Description de l'gypte, ou Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont t faites en gypte pendant l'expdition de l'arme francaise. Paris: Imprimerie Impriale 1809, Imperimerie Royale 1817-[30]. Text volumes with 31 engraved maps and plates, including 4 portraits, plate volumes with 894 engraved plates, including 160 double elephant folio plates, 65 colored plates and 6 partially colored plates (many printed in color with additional hand-coloring). 23 volumes, folio, 430 x 270 mm. (17.7/8 x 10 in.), large folio (710 x 530 mm. (28 x 21 in.) and double elephant folio, 1070 x 690 mm. (42 x 27 in.) comprising 10 text volumes (9 folio and 1 large folio), 10 plate volumes (large folio) and 3 plate volumes (double elephant folio), contemporary quarter sheep each with 2 morocco lettering pieces, uncut, some wear to edges and spines, few joints of plate volumes starting, a few volumes with dampstaining mostly to foot of spines; scattered foxing, and offsetting, marginal dampstaining to some text volumes, one map torn, a few marginal tears. FIRST EDITION. The first comprehensive description of ancient and modern Egypt, compiled by the 165 members of the Institut de l'gypte established by Napoleon to accompany his expedition to Egypt (1798-1801). This exhaustive survey of all aspects of ancient and modern life in Egypt was carried out under the supervision of the mathematician Gaspard Monge the appointed president of the new Institute (Napoleon was vice-president) and was published, in various issues and formats, over a period of 23 years. The members of the Institut were mainly civil engineers, surveyors and cartographers, artists and art historians (Denon, H.J. Redout, Dutertre), an architect and a musician. Rarely has such a huge amount of information been gathered in such a short time and under such difficult circumstances. "The egyptologists of the 19th century owed their knowledge of ancient Egypt to the efforts of the engineers who described the monuments of antiquity, and it was in the plates of the Description that these were revealed." (Narvari Blackmer, p. 104). Brunet II:616-17; Nissen BBI 2234; Nissen ZBI 4608; Blackmer/Navari 476. Contents: Prface Historique: One volume, large folio, text by M. Fourier (Napoleon is said to have edited and added to the proofs), explanation of the plates by Cont -- Antiquits: Descriptions 2 volumes, Mmoires, text, 2 volumes, plates 7 volumes, consisting of 5 volumes large folio containing 326 plates and 2 volumes double elephant folio containing 100 plates -- tat Moderne: text, 2 volumes in 3, plates 2 volumes in 3 large folios, containing 170 plates (12 plates bound in Carte Topographique elephant folio volume) -- Histoire Naturelle: text, 2 volumes, plates 2 volumes in 3 large folios containing 244 plates -- Carte Topographique: one volume, double elephant folio, comprising 12 plates form the tat Moderne volume (as described above), engraved title, engraved map-key and index leaf (on one sheet), general map in 3 sheets, detailed map in 47 plates on 45 sheets. (23)