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219 - [MANUSCRIPT] - [ROYAN - COUBRE FOREST]. DE VASSELOT DE REGNE…
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Estimate €400 - €500
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Description
[MANUSCRIPT] - [ROYAN - COUBRE FOREST]. DE VASSELOT DE REGNE (Médéric). LETELIE (J.-André). A collection of documents on Mr De Vasselot and the Forest of La Coubre (Charente-Maritime). A unique and valuable collection of documents devoted to Médéric de Vasselot de Régné (1822–1919) and his pioneering work in stabilising sand dunes and reforestation on the Arvert peninsula, near Royan. No place, [c. 1890]. One volume, 8vo (260 x 175 mm). Black half-shagreen with corner pieces, spine with faux-ribbing decorated with gilt metal. At the foot of the spine: "E. Lételié". A composite collection of approximately 60 documents (handwritten letters, printed brochures and newspaper clippings), some of which are inserted or pasted in. Normal wear to the edges and joints A substantial miscellany compiled from the personal papers of J.-André Lételié (1825–1891), a civil servant and historian from Charente-Maritime. The collection includes, in particular: - Frontispiece: A photographic portrait of J.-A. Lételié dated 1867 (contemporary albumen print). - Correspondence (over 50 handwritten pages): 19 signed autograph letters (L.A.S.) from Vasselot de Régné addressed to J.-A. Lételié (in-12 and in-8 formats), including 4 written in 1868 and 15 from 1878 to 1879. - Two extremely rare printed pamphlets by J.-A. Lételié: 1 Excursion to the Dunes of La Coubre, 12 June 1868. Marennes, [ca. 1868], in-12, 12 pp. A valuable first-hand account of Vasselot’s work. 2 The work of a Poitou forester. The Count de Vasselot de Régné, Forest Inspector. Melle, Imp. E. Lacuve, 1884, in-8, 20 pp. - Press cuttings of articles written by J.-A. Lételié, Vasselot himself, and Garnier, including three documenting Vasselot’s activities from 1880 onwards in South Africa, where he was appointed Superintendent of Woods and Forests. - Miscellaneous items at the end: A final section brings together various documents, including 11 handwritten letters, one of which is from a member of the Vasselot family written from South Africa, and two items from the Baron de Traversay. An officer trained in Nancy, the Inspector of Water and Forests Vasselot de Régné is the central figure of the Coubre massif. From the 1860s onwards, for nearly twenty years he oversaw the colossal project to stabilise the Arvert coastline through the systematic planting of maritime pines (Pinus pinaster). Celebrated at the 1878 World’s Fair in Paris, this feat of ecological engineering was showcased there in the Forest Pavilion through large official photographic albums. Thanks to this showcase, this environmental model was exported worldwide (to the United States, Spain and Africa) to combat the encroachment of the sands. An exceptional private archive dedicated to this ‘ecologist’ forester and his pioneering work in coastal management in Charente-Maritime.
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About the sale Fine antique and collectible books, manuscripts and modern illustrated works
Auction location
Auction time 06/29/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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