CHAUSENQUE (Vincent de) - Lot 290

CHAUSENQUE (Vincent de) Les Pyrénées ou voyages pédestres dans toutes les régions de ces montagnes depuis l'Océan jusqu'à la Méditerranée, avec une carte et quelques vues des Pyrénées. 2nd edition, corrected and enlarged. Agen, Noubel, 1854. 2 volumes small in-8: 2f., 574pp., 1f. (errata) / 2f., 348pp. 2f. (legend, errata); 3 panoramas and a folding map. Added free in the book, the same map in fine of volume 1 as well as a double-page plate of the Breche de Roland by SHRADER. Contemporary ½ brown chagrin, gilt titles, fillets and irons on lightened spines. Definitive edition and considerably enlarged second edition. "Chausenque, here... adds 400 (pages) of reported pieces, almost all of which apply to the Hautes Pyrénées... a veritable corpus Juris, which one can no longer read in succession. Many readers even give up altogether. They're wrong, there are plenty of good pieces here. CHAUSENQUE (1782-1868) was born and died in Gontaud. He discovered the Pyrenees at the age of 11, but arrived in Bayonne as a topographical officer in 1804. During his service, he carried out several missions in the upper Pyrenees before resigning in 1808. He visited the Alps in 1811. We lose track of him for a while until 1822, when the great period of Pyrenean ascents begins. He climbed the Pic du Midi de Bigorre with La BOULINIÈRE, met RAMOND at the Escoubous waterfalls, climbed the Canigou with ARBANÈRE and the Montcalm with G. de Luppé. Haunted by Le Néouvielle, at the age of 65 he attempted to climb the peak again, conquering it in 1847.