Travel
GARNIER, François
Voyage d'exploration en Indochine effectué pendant les Années 1866, 1867, et 1868, par une Commission Française présidée par M. le Capitaine de Frégate Doudart de Lagrée ...
Hachette, Paris, 1873. First edition.3 volumes comprising1 volume 8vo. text, original red morocco-backed boards, 51 plates ,2 maps; 2 volumes, folio atlas (51 x 39 cm approx.), 12 maps (2 double-page), 9 plans (2 double-page), 1 aerial view, and 48 plates (including 44bis) on 40 sheets (6 double-page), 11 of the plates in full colour, original cloth-backed printed boards, some soiling and staining to covers else an excellent set.
The fine and rare official account of the most important exploration in Indochina in the nineteenth century, only 800 copies printed. The expedition left Saigon in 1866 proceeding along the Mekong in the hope of finding a navigable route into south-western China. They travelled through Phnom Penh, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos before reaching China. Although the Mekong was found to be ultimately unnavigable, the expedition mapped some 4000 miles of previously unsurveyed territory, and became the first Europeans to enter Yunnan by a southern route. The maps are by Garnier himself; the fine views are after sketches by Louis Delaporte, a naval officer and accomplished artist, and it is his work which makes the mission one of the most pictorially complete for the exploration of Indochina. Amongst the most important images are those of Angkor in Cambodia and Viet Chan, the ancient Laotian capital. Cordier Sinica 329 & Indosinica 1012.
Price: £ 25000
US Dollar Price: $ 0
Stock Number: 65171