Lot 98
  • 98

Empson, Charles

Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 USD
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Description

  • paper
Narratives of South America; illustrating Manners, Customs, and Scenery. London: A.J. Valpy & William Edwards for the Author, 1836



8vo (8 1/2 x 5 1/4 in.; 215 x 133 mm); some mostly marginal spotting, heavier in the first few leaves. Later fawn calf, spine gilt, sprinkled red edges; backstrip torn.



With:
Fac-similes of Twelve Drawings of Tropical Scenery from Sketches made on the spot by Charles Empson. [London: 1836]. Folio (13 3/4 x 10 in.; 350 x 254 mm). 12 plates of which 10 are etched and 2 are lithographed, all hand-colored, and mounted on cards. Publisher's blue embossed portfolio with gilt paper label on upper cover; extremities torn. With a duplicate of a lithographed plate, matted and laid in.

Provenance

Purchased from Francis Edwards Ltd., London, in 1961

Literature

Abbey, Travel 702; Sabin 22548

Condition

some mostly marginal spotting, heavier in the first few leaves. Later fawn calf, spine gilt, sprinkled red edges; backstrip torn.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

First edition, first issue, with hand-colored plates in a separate portfolio. Empson spent three years in the Americas travelling and working with the engineer Robert Stephenson. The text consists of twelve narratives providing a series of informative vignettes of South American life.

The twelve plates in the portfolio correspond with Abbey's 3-14, with neither of the Coleoptera plates, nor the two extra plates there mentioned.