Description

RUSSIA — ASIA Levesque, Pierre-Charles (1736-1812). Histoire de Russie [History of Russia]: Atlas Volume. Paris, Hamburg & Brunswick: l’Imprimerie de Guilleminet,Pierre-Francois Fauche, An VIII [1800]. Nouvelle Edition. Quarto (26 x 20 cm). 16 pp. With a folding engraved outline hand colored map and sixteen engraved plates (many folding). Handsome period brown gilt tooled quarter calf with red gilt lettered morocco labels and marbled boards. Occasional very mild foxing, otherwise a very good copy. Atlas to the third edition of Histoire de Russie (earlier editions were published without separate atlas). The folding map drawn by A. Brue shows European Russia and the Caucasus. The plates depict views, temples and buildings mostly of the region of Volga, Ural Mountains and Kirghiz steppes. Among them are the ruins of the ancient city of Bolghar and of the mysterious Buddhist monastery Ablaikit in vicinity of Ust-Kamenogorsk in modern Kazakhstan. Ablaikit was built by a Kalmyk khan in 1654-1656 and was destroyed in 1670. At the beginning of the 18th century there were still sculptures and pictures in the monastery’s temple. Manuscripts found there in 1720 were sent to Saint Petersburg. The plates include a general view, topographical plan and interior view of the temple of Ablaikit. Costumes of Kasimov Tatars, Samoyeds, Ostiaks, Mordvinians, Kalmyks, Tshouvach, Mongols and Kirghiz are also included. Pierre Charles Levesque was a French historian, philosopher and moralist, initially engraver. He lived in Russia for seven years working as a teacher in the Cadet Corps and the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg. His "Histoire de Russie" was recognized as the most significant research on Russian history written by a foreign scientist in the 18th century. It was widely popular in Russia before Nikolai Karamzin published his famous work, and kept its scientific significance until the end of the 19th century. Levesque was the first author who based his work mostly on Russian sources and historical works. For his achievements Levesque was accepted as a member of Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-letters (1789) and taught history in Collège de France (Nouvelle Biographie Générale, vol. 31, 38-39). #O46 ABOUT US Globus Books is an independent San Francisco-based bookshop and a member of the American Booksellers Association and the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and has been in business since 1971. Globus Rare Books and Archives is the department within Globus Books that specializes in rare travel and exploration related items from around the world with an emphasis on the Americas, the Pacific and Russian explorers and travellers. GUARANTEE All items are guaranteed to be as described. Purchases may be returned for any reason within ten days of receipt for a full refund or credit, but please notify us of any returns in advance. Returns should be adequately packed and insured. SHIPPING We offer free shipping worldwide on any purchases over 500 USD. All orders are properly packed with care and attention and shipped within 2-3 business days. FEEDBACK We leave feedback for buyers once they have left feedback for us. Please contact us immediately in the case of a rare problem and we will try our best to resolve any issues promptly. Customer satisfaction is very important to us. PAYMENT METHODS We accept Mastercard, Visa, Paypal, Venmo, bank transfers and $US checks.