Physiologie du voyageur

Paris, 1841. Wood engravings throughout. Later cloth-backed marbled boards. Light foxing, otherwise a good copy. First edition, a satirical typology of tourists and travelers. The text opens with a historical account of travel modes across cultures, then describes different kinds of travelers: artists, students, vagabonds, humanitarians, etc. Alhoy goes on to categorize train conductors and ship mates, along with the perils of traveling by train and sea. Each chapter includes humorous anecdotes poking fun at the French. For example, a description of a journey between Paris and Saint-Germain in which the travelers overcome all odds to arrive in time for dinner.