Description de l'Égypte ou Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée française. Seconde édition [...].

37 vol. Plates: 11 vol., folio (without in-plano vol.; scarce light foxing passim, more extensive on some text leaves). - Text: 26 vol., 8vo (sl. foxed).

Plates: contemp. three quarter brown shagreen, cloth on covers, spines with raised bands (sl. rubbed, few scratches, traces of white paint on back cover of "Antiquité" vol. V). Text: half blue calf, marbled paper on covers, blind- and gilt-orn. spines with raised bands and "ornement à sec" (sm. defects).

Second edition (1st 1809-1829), called "Édition Panckoucke", promoted by Louis XVIII and considered as the first encyclopaedia on Egypt, following the Napoleonic expedition (1798-1801), concerning its ancient ("Antiquité", 5 vol.) and modern history ("État moderne", 2 vol.), the geography (1 atlas vol.) and natural history (3 vol.).
Impressive large scale engraved illustrations for which the best engravers were requested. The "Description" is composed of 888 plates, some on double pp. or folding: 2 frontispieces ("Tableau des monuments [...]" nicely hand-coloured and portrait of Louis XVIII), 419 pl. for the Antiquity (Philae, Edfu, Minet-Abou, Luxor, Abydos, etc.), 170 pl. for the "État moderne" (architecture, inhabitants, "métiers", etc.), 53 maps (incl. the "carte d'assemblage", the engr. title and the engr. leaf with two tables "Caractères topographiques" and "Alphabet harmonique"), 167 zoological pl. (shells, reptiles, insects, birds, etc.) and 77 botanical pl. Copy also comprising a set of 11 (of 12) unnumbered unbound plates (edges frayed and browned, few folds, foxing): 8 pl. "Inscriptions intermédiaires de la pierre de Rosette", usually bound in the plano vol., 1 pl. "Canevas trigonométrique du Caire" and "Canevas trigonométrique d'Alexandrie", 1 pl. "Produits de la machine à graver" and 1 pl. "Médailles trouvées en Syrie". Without "Tableaux des constellations semblables dans les planisphères". With the addition of the unnumb. plates, this set totalises 899 plates. "Antiquité" vol. I also includes the "Description du Tableau" and "Médailles", and the general table of plates.
The "Description" initiated the fascination for Ancient Egypt and established Egyptology as a scientific discipline.
Complete text in 26 vol. (t. XVIII in 3 vol.: n.c.) containing some folding maps, alphabet and coin pl.
Ref. Cp. Blackmer, Sothebys cat., n. 526 (ed. 1809-1812 & 1817-1822). - Nissen (ZBI) 4608 and (BBI) 2234. - Bruwier M.C. - Présence de l'Égypte dans les coll. de la Biblioth. universitaire Moretus Plantin, Namur, 1994, pp. 166-174. - En français dans le texte, n. 219. - Brunet II:617.
Prov. E. Van Havre (bookpl. on text books).