Przez Edwarda Raczyńskiego. First edition. - The very rare original edition of this important account of a journey through Turkey and Asia Minor.... Show morePrzez Edwarda Raczyńskiego. First edition. - The very rare original edition of this important account of a journey through Turkey and Asia Minor. According to Brunet the finest publication ever to leave a Polish press, it was soon translated into German as "Malerische Reise in einigen Provinzen des Osmanischen Reichs" (last sold for £20,400 at Sotheby's 2004 Natural History and Travel Sale; no copy of the present original edition has appeared at German auctions during the last decades). The Polish statesman Count Edward Raczynski (1786-1845), a patron of the arts and founder of the Raczynski Library in Poznan, travelled to Constantinople by way of Odessa during the months of July through November 1814. He was accompanied by Ludwig Christian Fuhrmann (1783-1829) as draughtsman, and most if the plates are engraved after his drawings. Raczynski also visited the Troad, the peninsula containing the ruins of Troy, of which a detailed description is given. This beautifully illustrated work is highly sought-after for its many detailed engravings, including a folding map of Istanbul, illustrations of the ruins of Troy and Assos, the bay of Lesbos, a portrait of Sultan Muhammad IV, the mosque of the Sultan, etc. Brunet praises it as "l'ouvrage le plus magnifique qui ait encore paru en Pologne". Binding somewhat rubbed; edges, corners and hinges showing some wear. Interior rather browned throughout due to paper. Only 5 copies of this original edition listed in library catalogues internationally (BL, BnF, LoC, Stabi Berlin, NL Sweden). Plates no. 20 and 45 not published; no. 28 repeated. "Na dochód ubogich w Poznaniu i towarzystwa dobroczynności, szkoły głuchoniemych i szpitalów Dzieciątka Jesus i P.P. Marcinkanek w Warszawie." "Dodatek. Słownik języka kwiatów": viii p. at end. Main Heritage Shelves General DR425 .R33 1821 Book Item-ID: i16875448 BIB-ID: 1510963 Show less
