Pouqueville, François Charles Hugues Laurent.

Estimate

1,800 - 2,400 GBP

bidding is closed

Description

Voyage en Morée, à Constantinople, en Albanie, et dans plusieurs autres parties de l'empire Othoman, pendant les années 1798, 1799, 1800 et 1801. Paris: Gabon et Comp., 1805

first edition, 3 volumes, 8vo (210 x 130mm.), half-title in each volume, 2 engraved frontispieces, 2 folding maps and one folding plate, one folding printed table, later green half morocco by Loisellier, spines gilt, top edges gilt, occasional slight spotting or soiling, half-title and title in vol.2 repaired at fore-edge, half-title and frontispiece in vol.1 with small repair in upper outer corner, p.47 vol.3 repaired

Literature

Blackmer 1344; Contominas 575; Weber I, 5; Atabey 988

Catalogue Note

"the first and probably the best of all pouqueville's books on greece" (Blackmer), written before he acquired the strong philhellenism expressed in his later works.

Having studied medicine at Paris, Pouqueville joined Napoleon's expedition to Egypt. Returning to Italy in 1798, he was captured by corsairs and imprisoned at Tripoli and later Constantinople for a total of almost three years. This unfortunate experience was the making of a celebrated writer: at Tripoli he was allowed a certain degree of liberty and was able to study the Greeks and their language. It was from the observations made at that time that the work was eventually published (he was released in 1801).

The Voyage en Morée is dedicated to Napoleon and was a great success. It brought its author to the attention of the government and he was made consul at Ioannina in 1805 where he gained the trust of Ali Pasha (see lot 162). He was sent as consul to Patras in 1815, where he stayed for two years.