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a book with a picture of a man in a military uniform
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109 - BURTHE D’ANNELET (Jules).
See original version (French)

Estimate €150 - €200
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Description
BURTHE D’ANNELET (Jules). Across French Africa. From Senegal to Cameroon via the Libyan borderlands (Mauritania, French Sudan, Niger, Aïr, Kaouar, Djado, Tibesti, Borkou, Ennedi, Ouadaï, Sila, Baguirmu, Chad, Upper Oubangui) and on to Morocco in 1935 via the Saharan borderlands (October 1932–June 1935). Paris: Firmin-Didot et Cie, [1939]. — 2 volumes in-4, 316 x 239: portrait, (4 ff. first blank), 743, X pp., (1 f. blank), 2 maps, illustrated cover; (2 ff.), pp. (745)–1549, (1 f.), 2 maps, 2 plates, illustrated cover. Grey Bradel-style cloth, covers lined with wood-grain paper, smooth spine, untrimmed, cover and spine preserved (modern binding). First edition of the account by Lieutenant-Colonel Jules Burthe-d’Annelet (1870–1945), forming the sequel and complement to his first account entitled *À travers l’Afrique française. From Cameroon to Algiers (1932). At the time, the work made a major contribution to our understanding of French tropical Africa, which had long been the preserve of a select few. In it, the author recounts an epic journey (October 1932 – June 1935) through little-known or poorly mapped regions, setting out from Senegal to cross Mauritania, French Sudan, Upper Côte d’Ivoire, the Niger Valley, the Aïr, the Kaouar, and then the Libyan borderlands (Tibesti, Borkou, Ennedi, Ouadaï, Sila, Baguirmi), before reaching Cameroon via Chad and Upper Oubangui. His precise itinerary, from Atar to Douala, complements and links his previous journeys, enriching existing maps with topographical surveys (carried out at a scale of 1:500,000 using a compass and barometer), sketches of mountain ranges, panoramic profiles and numerous photographs, for ‘in Africa, everything is an image’. The book is a collection of varied observations, combining geography, history, prehistory, ethnography and the natural sciences. The account is based on daily travel diaries, ‘hastily scribbled on the knee, after long treks by jeep or on horseback, under the scorching sun or by moonlight’. The author has transcribed them almost verbatim, without literary embellishment, to preserve their authenticity. His approach is that of an eyewitness account, free from generalisations, and driven by a desire for absolute sincerity. The edition is illustrated with a portrait of Burthe d’Annelet on the frontispiece, numerous black-and-white photographs within the text, many sketches, two plates, as well as several dozen maps, including four fold-out maps. A good copy in a modern binding. Covers are soiled and pitted. Spine has been restored.
See original version (French)
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About the sale Claude Mozis Library – Black Africa and the African diaspora
Auction location
Auction time 10/21/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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