LORTET, Louis. - Lot 179

LORTET, Louis. La Syrie d'aujourd'hui. Voyages dans la Phénicie, le Liban, et la Judée, 1875-1880. Book containing 364 engravings, a map of Palestine and 8 other maps. Paris, Librairie Hachette et Cie, 1884. Large in-4 (34 x 27 cm). (2)-675 pp. Publisher's red half-chagrin, red percaline boards decorated with a gold and black composition with a framed frieze, large floral motifs at the corners and center, the title in a central cartouche surrounded by the star and crescent, as well as a crown of thorns (these motifs repeated twice) symbolizing the country's two main religions (Christian and Muslim), spine with false nerves richly decorated with gilded panels (the same as on the boards), gilded edges (rubbing of the leather, small marginal defects on qq. leaves). A fine copy of the first edition. Louis Lortet, driven by a deep passion for the Middle East, particularly Syria and Egypt, recounts in this work his journey from Marseille to Palestine, offering a description of the cities, populations and evolution of these regions, with a particular focus on Beirut. Numerous illustrations in the text, many of them full-page, including a small map of Dr. Lortet's itinerary, seven plans, views and portraits depicting the costumes of various regions. The book includes a large map of Palestine and Lebanon, drawn by geographer L. Thuillier and printed in color, tracing Dr. Lortet's itinerary, bound in fine. [Holy Land].