MONTULE, Edouard de

Voyage en Amerique, en Italie, en Sicile et en Egypte, pendant les annees 1816, 1817, 1818, et 1819. [With:] Recueil des Cartes et des Vues du Voyage en Amerique en Italie en Sicile et en Egypte fait pendant les annees 1816, 1817, 1818 et 1819

Paris: Chez Delaunay ... et Chez Belon, 1821. Two octavo text volumes plus oblong quarto atlas. Text: 466,[1]; viii,448,[1]pp. Atlas: Fifty-nine lithographic plates (14 coloured) including a lithographic titlepage, a folding map of the United States, and a folding map of Egypt. Half title in each text volume.

Contemporary half calf and paper-covered boards, gilt leather labels. French bookseller's ticket on rear pastedown of first volume. Minor foxing and toning to text, occasional marginal foxing to Atlas plates.

Provenance: From the library of Eugene de Froberville, with his library stamp on each titlepage.

Montule's travels in America, with the very rare atlas

The very rare atlas and the text of Montule's Voyage describes his travels in North America and the Caribbean, and also in Italy, and Egypt in the late 1810s. The atlas contains many American views, and though it was intended to accompany the author's text, it was also issued separately and is not often found with the text volumes. The wonderful lithographic plates depict scenes from Montule's travels in North America, and were made from the author's own drawings. This atlas is not mentioned by Monaghan, Sabin gives the wrong number of plates, and Clark describes it as one of Montule's "other" works, adding that it is "now quite rare." The attractive plates depict New York harbor, the mastodon skeleton at the Philadelphia museum, "Encounter with a Rattle Snake" near the Ohio River, the port of St. Domingo, Niagara Falls, and a view of St. Thomas. Other plates include a view of the Philadelphia hospital, Quaker costumes, "Costume des Negresses de St. Thomas," a country estate in Kingston (Jamaica), a church in New Orleans, "Sauvages du Mississippi," and several other views, mostly of Italian and North African scenery. The folding map shows the United States, including the Missouri and Northwest territories, as well as parts of the Caribbean. "The account is significant because it relates Montule's experiences during his journey up the Mississippi on board the Vesuvius, which is said to have been the third steamboat to ply the waters of the Mississippi. The boat and its navigation are described in detail. Another distinguishing feature of the narrative is the information it contains about Frenchmen in the United States, especially Napoleonic refugees...He seemed to enjoy himself, and his remarks are generally good natured" (Clark). A rare, significant, and early visual tour of the United States.

Howes M750, "B"; Sabin 50230; Clark II:47; Lane, Impressions of Niagara 55,56; Monaghan 1085 (text only); Beinecke Lesser Antilles Collection 698; Lande S1620; Ragatz, p.230.

Item #34546

Price: $9,500.00