Tableaux

Rhododendron. Lake and Mountain Scenery of the Swiss Alps W/ 24 ALBUMEN PHOTOGRAPHS

1874 · réf. 54483 — New York: Stroefer and Kirchner 1874. First English edition. Hardcover. vg- to vg. Folio. 148 1pp. Brown-burgundy illustrated cloth boards over leather spine. The front cover and spine are lavishly tooled and ruled in gilt with landscape imagery and period floral designs. Glossy textured endpapers. This is the English version of the original German work Rhododendron: Bilder aus den Schweizer Alpen Pictures from the Swiss Alps first published in 1872. The text of the original work was written by German political activist writer and publisher Hermann Alexander von Berlepsch 1813-1883. Here the English text is written by British geologist and mountaineer Thomas George Bonney 1833-1923 who doesn't so much translate from the original German text but rather uses it solely for reference. As stated in the preface Bonney mainly used his own notes and recollections from his experiences in these locations as the basis to create a mostly original text. Like the German edition accompanying and inspiring the text are a total 24 plates of mounted albumen photographs reproducing original paintings of various locations and landscapes of the Swiss Alps by Gustav Paul Closs 1840 - 1870 and Otto Frölicher 1840-1890. Also included are numerous smaller in-text engraved images including historiated initials and tailpieces by artist Gustave Roux 1828-1885. Table of contents at the back. Binding with minor rubbing to corners. Spine lightly rubbed with minor cracking to the front hinge. Minor scratches to the back cover. Book block tight overall with starting at p.33. Interior mostly clean with only minor age toning to the very edges of pages as well as a few sporadic instances of minor to light water staining and/or smudges. Images all clean throughout. Period inscription to a previous owner in pen at the top of the front free endpaper. Binding in very good- interior in very good condition overall. Stroefer and Kirchner hardcover books