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three old books are lined up in a row on a white surfacean open book with a picture of a man and a woman sitting on a benchan open book with a picture of a woman in a dress and a man in a robean open book with a picture of a woman holding a basketan open book with a picture of a group of people on it
MILLON RIVIERA

Estimate €250 - €300
Sale commission
Description
[TRAVEL] A Literary Journey through Greece, or Letters on the Greeks, Ancient and Modern, with a Comparison of their Customs. GUYS (Pierre-Augustin): A Literary Journey through Greece, or Letters on the Greeks, Ancient and Modern, with a Comparison of their Customs. Third edition, revised, corrected, considerably expanded, and illustrated with ten fine plates. Various travel accounts and a few short works by the same author have been appended. Paris. Published by the widow of Duchesne, 1783. 4 volumes in 8°. Full contemporary binding in marbled calfskin. Smooth spine, decorated with fleurons and gilt metalwork. Triple gilt border on the covers. Volume I: Frontispiece, VIII, 527 pages. 8 fine plates, some of which are fold-out. Volume II: 382 pages and one large fold-out plate: Plan of an ancient aqueduct at Bourgas, 3 leagues from Constantinople. Volume III: 373 pages. Volume IV: 240 pages. The set is complete with all 10 out-of-text engravings, including a frontispiece by Dalbou after Hoüel, 5 out-of-text plates by Laurent after Favray, and 4 fold-out out-of-text plates by Laurent after Massit. The first three volumes contain all the letters on Greece; the last volume contains other short works by the author: Essays on the Elegies of Tibullus (followed by a translation of the latter), The Seasons and Light Poetry. Numerous floral headpieces and footpieces (baskets of flowers, garlands, etc.). Broader in scope than its title suggests, the *Literary Journey through Greece* contains a wealth of information on the Turks, the Armenians and their walls, and, naturally, the peoples of Greece. The letters are the work of a merchant residing in Constantinople, Monsieur Guys, addressed to an art lover, Bourlat de Montredont. Deeply enamoured of literature and research into antiquity, the author, in his description of Greece, its customs and traditions, draws his material from the writers of antiquity, constantly drawing parallels with modern Greece and demonstrating how much of Greek literature is reflected in it. Each letter focuses on a specific subject; many deal with art, whilst others, more specialised, cover furniture, jewellery, make-up, festivals, etiquette, baths, architecture, and, naturally, a field of particular interest to the author: trade and navigation. Some letters are additions, dealing with the customs of the Turks and the Jews. An ambitious project by a man firmly rooted in the reality of his time (and who spent more than 30 years in the Levant), *The Literary Journey through Greece* identifies the entire legacy of Antiquity in modern Greece, and presents modern Greeks as the direct heirs and descendants of the ancient Greeks. The author thus revives interest in travelling to Greece. Ahead of its time, it is one of the earliest works of anthropology. A fine copy.
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About the sale Bibliophilia – A fine selection of antique and modern books
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Auction time 10/15/2026 at 1:00 PM
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