GUÉRIN, Léon. SPLINDER, Louis-Pierre. - Lot 93

GUÉRIN, Léon. SPLINDER, Louis-Pierre. Maritime history of France, including the history of provinces, maritime cities, colonies, voyages and sea battles. New edition. Paris, Dufour et Mulat, 1852-1854. 6 volumes large in-8. Contemporary fawn half-basane, smooth spine, title page, spine underlined with double gilt fillets, edges finely speckled (bindings worn, covers rubbed or missing, scattered brown spots, marginal flaws including light spotting and ink stains, a few browned ff, the type of paper used by the artist varying from laid paper to vellum, a piece of spine missing and spine partially detached in volume 3). Reference work on maritime history from the founding of Marseille. Illustrated with 12 plates engraved on steel or in black: historical scenes, maritime scenes, ships, maritime charts...sometimes printed on chine appliqué. Léon Guérin (1807-1885), French writer, journalist, historian and poet, began his literary career as a writer, sometimes under the name Guérin-Dulion or Léonide de Mirbel. Author of short stories and tales, he also published Chants lyriques et autres essais poétiques (Garnier, 1829) in his youth. As a journalist, he founded the Journal des enfants, then La Gazette des enfants et des jeunes personnes, before specializing in history. Copy enriched with 15 watercolor drawings with gum highlights, by Spindler, dated August 1862, including a frontispiece title for volume 1, MS titles. All are signed and dated in pen with the title and in brush in the image, with reference to the corresponding page in the book. Louis Pierre Spindler (1800-1889), after his English period, depicts beautiful scenes with great pictorial quality, including his depiction of Mont St Michel. I: Frontispiece with republican and monarchical figures and symbols, Flight of Domitius of Massilia, Greek ship after the antique. Scandinavian Drakars in the year 511 AD, II: Boulogne, Battle of La Rochelle 1573, Barcelona in 1610; III: Dunkirk Interior of the port, Jean de Casenove dit Coulon seizes the Dutch fleet, IV: Combat of La Cordelière and La Régente (magnificent naval battle scene); Aigues-Mortes (ramparts); V : Cicero's tomb at Mola di Gaëta, Mont St Michel (with chappe telegraph), VI :Abbeville (cathedral port), Gravelines port entrance, Calais (view from the sea) Mengus, Biographie alsacienne, 35, 3699. Bellier de la Chavignerie