Harrsch, Count Ferdinand Amadeus

in French, the text written in French by a single scribal hand, in brown ink, evidently prepared for publication, with the title-page and the index in another hand (inscribed "Donnés Gratis p[ou]r estre inprimés en M.D.CC.XX", subsequently deleted), with copious additions, revisions and alterations throughout, in a quite distinct hand and in dark brown ink, possibly authorial, a few important passages also deleted by him; the Memoirs include an extended account (pp. 322-544), of Harrsch's year-long visit to Turkey and Persia in 1699-1700, and his travels through Malta, Cyprus (praising religious tolerance there: "...les vins sont excellent, et les vivres à tres bon marché; mais ce qui est le meilleur, c'est que les Chretiens y sont assés considerés, et vivent avec plus de liberté, que nulle autre part dans l'empire des Turcs..."), Syria, Aleppo, Erzurum, Yerevan, Isfahan, Tabriz, Trabzon, then by ship on to Constantinople

800 pages, plus 28 pages ("Table des Matieres") and title, folio (315 x 200mm.), contemporary calf, 3 blind fillets, spine in compartments, raised bands gilt, brown-gilt title-label, 1720, a few repairs, some damp-staining at the end

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."

UNPUBLISHED.  The Memoirs of Count Harrsch (1661-1722) contain a rare example of an early eighteenth-century travel report of Turkey and especially Persia, most of which was not to be described in any detail until several decades later.  Count Harrsch was a military commander, who had fought against the Turks in the 1680s, inspired by the Siege of Vienna, and he also recounts these exploits.  He became Imperial Commander at Freiburg in Breisgau, acquiring fame during the Siege of Freiburg in 1713, although it eventually fell to the French.  Harrsch describes the topography, people, customs, religion, music and culture of Turkey and Persia, and of course devotes particular attention to military matters

The remark at the foot of the title-page indicates that the volume was prepared for publication in 1720.  Both this remark and a few side-notes were subsequently deleted in the dark ink of the reviser, who adds several passages and remarks ("Chez moi", etc), that appear "authorial".  We can infer that the revisions were not part of plans to publish the manuscript but instead include the decision against it.  However we have not been able to trace any example of Harrsch's own hand-writing, in order to confirm that this scribal manuscript has been revised by him in person.  The "Memoirs" were never printed, and even Harrsch's much shorter (47-page) diary of the Siege of Freiburg (also a scribal manuscript), was not published until 1898.