Ode sur les Alpes. Ornee d'une vignette pour chaque strophe par Mons. Herrliberguer, Seigneur de Maur &c. &c.- Gedicht, von der Schönheit und dem Nuzen der Schweizerischen Alpen. Vermehrte, und mit Vignetten gezieret. Herausgegeben von David Herrliberger, Gerichtsherrn zu Maur und der Enden.

Berne, Brunner & Haller, 1773. With engr. frontispiece by David Herrliberger, and 49 engravings on 25 (of 26) plates by B.-A. Dunker (?). IX, 71 pp., (1) blank p. (misbound). 4to (150 x 200 mm). Old stiff boards. Berne, Brunner & Haller, 1773. First edition of an illustrated French-German parallel edition. It contains the original German poem "The Alps", by Albrecht von Haller (which was first published in 1732 in a small volume entitled "Versuch Schweizerischer Gedichte") and for Goethe "the beginning of a national German literature" and its translation into French by Vinzent von Tscharner. The delightful engravings by David Herrliberger (1697-1777) make this present book one of the most beautiful illustrated Swiss books of the 18th century. Lonchamp and Rümann suggest, that the unsigned rococo leaves probably are made by B.-A. Dunker (1746-1807). More likely however, is that Johann Rudolf Holzhalb (1723-1806) made the delicate drawings since we can find a certain accordance with his works, for example in Holzhalb's "Neujahrsstück der Musikgesellschaft 1771". - Probably lacks 1 engr. plate with Haller's portrait and his medaillon as mentioned by Spiess-Schad, some browings, otherwise a nice copy. - Spiess-Schad 4.18; Lonchamp 1358; Rümann 394; Studia Halleriana 0134; Lundsgaard-Hansen 35.