Choiseul-Gouffier, Marie Gabriel comte de

First edition, first issue, 3 volumes, folio (498 x 315mm.), half-titles, 3 engraved titles, portrait frontispiece, 2 double-page maps and a table, 285 plates on 168 sheets, matching early nineteenth-century red straight-grained red morocco gilt, covers with borders tooled in gilt and blind with foliate and palmette motifs, spines gilt in compartments with green morocco lettering-pieces, occasional spotting, vol.1 slightly rubbed, upper cover of vol. 3 with scratch

Sefik E. Atabey, book label, sale in these rooms, 28 May 2002, lot 243

Atabey 241; Blackmer 342; Cohen-de Ricci 238; Weber II, 571

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A very fine copy in a handsome red morocco binding. Because Choiseul-Gouffier’s work was published over a relatively long period of time, copies are usually found with at least the third volume (in fact the second part of volume 2) bound later, very often differently. In this case, the volumes are a very close match. The labels and the endpapers are from the same stock and are identical, in order to enhance the uniformity of the set.

Choiseul-Gouffier travelled with the artist Jean-Baptiste Hilaire to the Levant in 1776. The author's unreserved admiration for Greece and its people, combined with the skill of Hilaire's recreation of its topography and costume was received with great enthusiasm by the French public. On its appearance in 1782 the work was so successful that in 1784 Choiseul-Gouffier was appointed ambassador to Constantinople. A second volume appeared in 1809 and a third (i.e. volume 2, part 2) was published posthumously in 1822. The work is particularly notable for its plates, including as they do fine views, architectural details, accurate maps and head and tailpieces. Despite the title there is considerable information and illustration of Turkey and Constantinople.