Amédée Boudin / H

First edition of 1852 of the Histoire de Marseille by Amédée Boudin, published in Paris by A. Martinon and in Marseille by A. Terris. An important nineteenth-century work entirely devoted to the history of Marseille, from its origins to the mid-19th century. A specimen of notable presence, in a format of about 27 × 19 cm, preserved in its elegant half-leather period binding, with author and title impressed in gold on the spine, gilded fillets and decorations. The boards are covered in marbled paper with beautiful marbled endpapers and flyleaves. One of the most fascinating elements of the volume is the large full-page color plate, kept inside the binding and still accompanied by its protective tissue paper. It bears the title Histoire de Marseille, the name of A. Boudin, the indication Dessins de H. Pottin and Marseille – A. Terris Éditeur. The rich composition, dominated by Marseille’s coat of arms and animated by flags, armor and weapons and numerous allusions to the town’s history, preserves notable chromatic liveliness and is certainly one of the most visually striking elements of the specimen. Also particularly rich is the iconographic and cartographic apparatus, consisting of 7 plates out of text and 3 folded plans of Marseille, through which the visual evolution of the city in different eras is also documented. Of great effect is the map “Histoire de Marseille – Plan de la Ville en 1852,” which fully unfolded measures about 47 × 55 cm: a detailed topographical representation of eighteenth-century Marseille, accompanied by numerous indications. The other folded plates measure about 27 × 26 cm. The volume comprises 608 pages; the historical text ends on p. 594 with the inscription FIN and is followed by the Table des matières. The specimen well preserves the charm of its nineteenth-century dress. The binding shows natural signs of time and use, with abrasions, wear to margins and corners, and more evident scuffs on the front board. The spine still bears legibly the author’s name, the title and the gilded decorations. Internally there are scattered foxing, traces of old dampness and some folds and marginal halos, including characteristic circular marks visible in the upper corner of several leaves. Such marks do not prejudice the legibility of the text nor the use of the illustrative apparatus. The large final plate on the verso has reinforced areas with tape at fold points, applied to stabilize the more stressed regions. The intervention is documented in the photographs; the paper remains fully legible and retains a striking impact when fully opened. Overall, a specimen of great antique charm and notable historical and iconographic interest, in which the first edition and the period binding are joined by the splendid full-page color plate, the 7 plates out of text and above all the 3 large folded plans of Marseille. A volume capable of appealing to both the collector of old books and cartography and to anyone connected with the history of Marseille, Provence and the urban French history of the nineteenth century.

Estimación:€180

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