BERBRUGGER (Adrien). Algérie historique, pittoresque et monu - Lot 387

BERBRUGGER (Adrien). Algérie historique, pittoresque et monumentale ou Recueil de vues, monuments, cérémonies, costumes, armes et portraits faits d'après nature dans les provinces d'Alger, Bone, Constantine et Oran. Paris, Delahaye, 1843. Five parts in 3 vol. in-folio, modern fir-green half-basin, smooth spine, gilt author, title, tomaison, part and friezes (corners rubbed, rare small dech. in margin of plates, one dech. reaching subject, wetness, brown spots, browning). Unique first edition of this monumental work, one of the most spectacular ever published on Algeria. It consists of 5 parts: 1. province of Algiers. - 2. province of Oran - 3. province of Bone. - 4 Province of Constantine. - 5: Algerian races, coins, flora of Algeria. A total of 134 lithographed plates by Bour, Genet, Bayot, Courtin and Colligon, including an engraved title, two maps, a plan and 167 compositions (including 40 in color of flora), most of which bear the dry-stamp of the title and publisher; 3 title vignettes, 21 vignettes in cul-de-lampe, 3 seals, Port et môle d'Alger and 45 figures of coins (obverse/verse) engraved in-text. Adrien Berbrugger (1801-1869) was the first curator of the library of the Musée d'Alger, and a member of the scientific commission in charge of studying the territory. He collected numerous documents and compiled archaeological and scientific observations that form the core of this richly documented work. (Colas, 298; Tailliart, 718).