Lot 287: THE ILLUSTRATED SUEZ MARITIME CANAL, EGYPT. AUGUSTE MARC ET CIE, 1869. FIRST EDITION

Fontane, Marius and Riou. Le Canal Maritime de Suez Illustré. Published in Paris by Auguste Marc et Cie, Aux Bureaux de l’Illustration, in 1869. This quarto volume is the first edition of the work, issued in the year of the canal’s opening. The content is divided into two sections: Histoire du Canal et des Travaux by Marius Fontane and Itinéraire de l’Isthme by M. Riou. The volume is quarter-bound in maroon leather with five raised bands and gilt-ruled compartments on the spine, over dark blue pebbled cloth boards. The interior is profusely illustrated with wood-engraved plates and text illustrations, including a tinted wood-engraved portrait of S. A. Ismaïl-Pacha, vice-roi d’Égypte. A distinctive feature of this copy is the inclusion of several contemporary manuscript inscriptions in Arabic ink located beneath various illustrations. The title page bears the logo of L’Illustration and pencilled notations 17 and 800. The printer is identified on the verso of the half-title as Imp. de l’ILLUSTRATION, A. Marc, 22, rue de Verneuil.