LE CHEMIN DE FER DU YUNNAN. [2 VOLUMES] TOME PREMIER. AVRIL 1910

Paris: Imprimiere G. Goury, 1910. Folio. Original publisher's maroon cloth [shaken, chipped at extremities and along spine], with gilt-lettered spine title. [2], 202, [2] pp, illustrated within text and with many unpaginated full-page plates, some color, most containing black and white photographic illustrations. Brightly colored decorative extra title page. Printed on glossy paper. Except as noted, Very Good.
[with] LE CHEMIN DE FER DU YUNNAN. TOME SECOND. AVRIL 1910. Paris: Imp. G. Goury. 1910. Maroon folio cloth, with gilt-lettered spine title. Inner hinges shaken and reinforced. 55 maps and plates, some folding. Brightly colored decorative extra title page. Very Good, except as noted.

This remarkable set displays many photographic illustrations of the amazing geography, nearby villages and locals, the progress of the work, completed bridges and tunnels, and workers accomplishing this feat. The second volume includes maps and the intricate engineering plans that brought this truly remarkable vision to life.
The Yunnan Railway, also known as the Yunnan-Indochina Railway, was built by France between 1904 and 1910, in hopes of facilitating trade and access to geological resources. The railway connected Haiphong of French Indochina [now Vietnam] to Kunming, the capital of the Yunnan Province in China. It was a great undertaking, with the railway running through high mountains and deep valleys, requiring numerous bridges and tunnels. Approximately 60,000 engineers and workers were involved, with an estimated 12,000 dying during construction from accidents, disease and harsh working conditions.