Oriental Album Charaters, Costumes and Modes of Life in the Valley of the Nile. Illustrated from Designs Taken on the Spot by E. Prisse. With Descriptive Letter-press by James Augustus St. John.

London: James Madden, 1848. PRISSE D'AVENNES, Emile. . ST. JOHN, James Augustus. Oriental Album. Charaters, Costumes and Modes of Life in the Valley of the Nile. Illustrated from Designs Taken on the Spot by E. Prisse. With Descriptive Letter-press by James Augustus St. John. London: James Madden, 1848.

First edition. Folio (21 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches; 540 x 390 mm). vi, 60 pp. Later English editions are in a smaller format. Deluxe edition with thirty-one beautiful mounted hand-coloured lithographs, including frontispiece portrait. Bound without the additional decorative title-page. Additionally with numerous wood-engraved illustrations in the (truncated) text. Each plate has an accompanying leaf of text by renowned Egyptologist James Augustus St. John. Tissue guards. The engraved dedication is made out in memory of the artist's friend George Lloyd who is also depicted on the frontispiece portrait.

Contemporary half red morocco over red morocco-stamped cloth. Boards ruled in gilt. Front board with central gilt title, ruled in a gilt border. Spine lettered in gilt. Colorful patterned endpapers, heightened in gilt. Hinges with neat repairs. Some rubbing and soiling to binding. Some mild foxing and toning, but overall a very good copy.

"Émile Prisse d'Avennes was a French archaeologist, Egyptologist, architect and writer. In 1827 when he reached Egypt, he was hired by the viceroy of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha, as a civil engineer. He spent many years living as an Egyptian, adopting the name Idriss-effendi, learning to speak Arabic and practicing Islam. He stated that adopting Egyptian culture resulted in a greater understanding of Egyptian society and people. In 1848, he contributed 30 lithograph images depicting the people living on the Nile Valley to a costume book titled Oriental Album written by James Augustus St. John who was a British author and traveler."

HBS 69386.

$22,500. (Inventory #: 69386)