MILLIN de GRANDMAISON (Aubin Louis) - Lot 264

MILLIN de GRANDMAISON (Aubin Louis) Voyage dans les départemens du Midi de la France. Paris, Imp. Impériale, 1807/1811 followed by : Atlas pour servir au voyage dans les départements de la France. Paris, Imp. Royale, 1807-11. 4 volumes in-8 : XII, 548pp. / 2f.,600pp. / 2f., 662pp. / 2f., 468pp. / 2f., 918pp. ; some illustrations in the text, one folding table out of text. Atlas small in folio: Portrait of the author (added), 28pp. 73 plates numbered I to LXXX (plates X, XII and XLIX have an encore), half of which are folding. Light half-mark at foot of last 6 plates. Contemporary fawn shagreened basane, ornate smooth spines, red title-pieces, green tomaisons, gilt fillet on edges, yellow edges speckled with blue (text). The atlas in blue soft paper covers, in a contemporary red morocco folder, ornate smooth spine, green title and author labels, wide gilt lace around the boards, gilt roulette on the edges, inner lace, modern blue flaps, red silk binding strap. Copy in perfect condition. The Atlas appeared in 1807 with the first 2 parts corresponding to the 1807 text, i.e. volumes I-III, and each part was published separately. The third part of the plates was published later, probably in 1811, as was volume 4. The second part of the 4th volume covers the entire Pyrenean region. This is one of the very first archaeological surveys carried out under the Empire, concerning the legends and history of Provence, Dauphiné, Languedoc and the Pyrenees. It also deals with the Provençal language and popular festivals. There are many curious anecdotes, as in La Boulinière, and apart from the somewhat laborious descriptions of the inscriptions, the work is a pleasure to read. Aubin-Louis MILLIN de GRANDMAISON was a French naturalist, but above all a "jack-of-all-trades". A scholar in many fields, he was interested in archaeology and the history of medieval and classical art, and was a renowned librarian.