Le Geographe Parisien ou Le Conducteur Chronologique et Historique des Rues de Paris.

Unsophisticated example of this first edition complete in two volumes with 18 plates in volume I and 9 in volume II including the large folding map of Paris, highlighted in colour. Both volumes are bound in the remnants of original marbled wrappers.

Vol I [4] pp 386 [4], upper marbled wrapper, lower wrapper and back strip lacking. Much dog earring to pages and covers. Text block untrimmed and unmarked. Eighteenth century English ownership signature of ‘Hen: Rutter’ opposite half-title in both volumes, likely the English Roman Catholic priest (1755-1838). Noted during collation: Vol I: map at p344 detached; p 385-6 detached. 18 full page engraved maps, some folding. Vol II, pp420 [8] marbled wrappers, lower wrapper detached. 7 plates including large map. Plate 1 detached; several leaves torn close to the gutter around pp211-220 - a production fault.

A fascinating description of Paris, district by district, each section preceded by an engraved map of the area. Louis Denis’s large map is a fine example. Henry Rutter writes about his book collecting in extant letters, acquiring some of the library of Sir Thomas Tempest which ended up at Ushaw College.