Les Promenades de Paris: Histoire, Description des Embellissements, Depenses de Creation et d'Entretien des Bois de Boulogne et de Vincennes, Champs-Elysees, Parcs, Squares, Boulevards, Places Plantees by Alphand, Adolphe - 1873

Paris: J. Rothschild, Editeur, 1873. First edition. Hardcover. Very good. Two volumes of unbound sheets as issued in publisher's portfolios. Elephant folio (18 x 26 inches). Illustrated with 487 wood engravings (gravures sur bois), 80 engravings on steel (acier) and 23 chromolithographs. Two title pages, both printed in black and red, the first dated 1868, the other, 1867-1873. Volume I. (Texte) contains signatures loose in the portfolio, and Volume II, (Planches) contains the loose plates and plans, many folding, as well as the brilliant chromolithographs. Some pages of the text volume have light soil; page xvii has a slight separation at the fold, xlvii a marginal corner tear (no loss) and Le Bois de Vincennes also has a marginal tear (no loss). The plates include 22 magnificent chromolithographed botanical plates; one of the plans is also chromolithographed, bringing the total to 23 as called for in the title. There is a corner dampstain to the plates, mostly light, and not affecting any images, occasional light soil else very good. The publisher's portfolios are in green pebble-grained cloth, gilt. All hinges have been repaired, both within and without; the plate portfolio is worn from damp on the rear board, the text portfolio has a repaired scrape on the rear board, and the leather spines and gilt spine titles are worn and cracked and have had repairs to the head and tail; cloth ties have perished on both cases; but they still give a nice presentation and protection to the text and plates. Collated and complete, and rare thus. In French.