Travel - Lot 497

Travel CHORIS (Louis) - [TRAVELS] Voyage autour du Monde. "Vues et Paysages des Régions Equinoxales, recueillis dans un Voyage autour du Monde... ". Sl. (Paris), se., sd. (1826). In-4 oblong: 24 color lithographs by Louis CHORIS lithographed by F. Noël then Bove directed by Noël ainé et Cie. Missing faux-title and dedication leaf to Humboldt. Contemporary ½ fawn calf, gilt title and fillets on smooth spine, faux nerfs à froid, small leather chips, leather chips to one spine. Binding in used condition. These beautiful views were published neither in his "Voyage Pittoresque" (1822) nor in the account of Kotzebue's voyage (published in Weimar, 1821). A very rare album featuring scenes from Tenerife, Brazil, several Pacific islands including Easter Island, the newly discovered island of Romanzov with its spectacular coral reefs, Hawaii and the Philippines, Kamchatka, the Cape of Good Hope and St. Helena, as well as South America. Inspired by Alexander von Humboldt, to whom the book is dedicated, and in particular his "Tableaux de la nature", Choris envisaged this edition as a series of "tableaux" revealing the characteristics of each region, with its fauna, flora and local inhabitants. The plates are remarkable for their realism and bear witness to Choris' talent.