by Pardoe, Miss Julia; William Henry Bartlett, illus
London: Published for the Proprietors, by George Virtue, 26 Ivy Lane, 1839. 4to, original half green morocco with ribbed green cloth over boards, spine in five compartments, gilt title and raised bands; light purple watered silk endpapers with leaf and tendril pattern. Engraved frontis. port., engraved half-title, [iv], 164 pp., 78 steel-engraved views and 1 full-page engraved map with inset. An intimate and rich observation of life in Constantinople in 1836 by Miss Julia Pardoe (1806-1862), in collaboration with popular topographical artist W. H. Bartlett, depicting the Ottoman empire during an era of growing European influence and illustrated throughout with delightful engravings after Bartlett. Miss Pardoe traveled to Constantinople with her father in 1836-7, inspiring first the work "City of the Sultan" in 1836 and then the collaborative "Beauties of the Bosphorus" in 1838. In the tradition of travel writer Lady Mary Wortley Montegu, Pardoe focuses her attention on the Turkish culture. According to Pardoe, "The work [Beauties of Bosphorus] is purely a descriptive one and I have followed this talented artist [Bartlett] wheresoever he has led me, and found him no inefficient guide. Together we have visited mosques, wandered in burial places, climbed mountains, and glided over the sun-lighted Bosphorus." Indeed, illustrated with graceful words and exquisite drawings are: panoramic views, camels, kiosques, Turkish baths, slave markets, harems, aqueducts, markets, homes, the Valley of Sweet Waters and more. Pardoe delighted in the "varying character of the native population, constituted as it is by such anomalous materials -- the truthful Turk, the wily Greek, the stately Armenian and the timid Jew..." Also, "I was able to penetrate the very center of Turkish society, and to domesticate myself with both princes and peasants." The work is dedicated to Mustafa Rechid Pasha, a government official who embraced modern reform and was an architect of the Tanzimat constitutional reform. The map, entitled "Environs of Constantinople with the Thracian Bosphorus", was drawn and engraved by W. Hughes and depicts Istanbul from the Black Sea in the north to the Sea of Marmara in the south, with the Bosphorus separating the "Part of Turkey in Europe" and the "Part of Turkey in Asia." Also included is an inset map entitled "Continuation of the Coast with the Princes Islands." CONDITION: Very good, rubbed at extremities, mild splash stains on covers, 2" partial separation of bottom front endpaper, generally clean and attractive. Heavy book. May require additional postage.
(Inventory #: 4086)