Louis Choris

LOUIS CHORIS (1795-1828)
Voyage Pittoresque Autour de Monde, avec des portraits de sauvages d'Amérique, d'Asie, d'Afrique, et des iles du Grand Ocean; des Paysages, des Vues Maritimes, et plusieurs objets d'histoire naturelle; Accompagné de Descriptions par M. le Baron Cuvier, et M.A. de Chamisso. Paris: Imprimerie de Firmin Didot, 1822-[?1823]. 2° (412 x 260mm). 105 lithographic plates comprising frontispiece portrait of Romanzoff and 104 hand-coloured plates from drawings by the author, folding map with route traced in colour, 2 further maps on one leaf, dedication, original protective tissues, list of subscribers, directions to binder listing 104 plates overall. (Portait, title and a few plates lightly spotted in margins.) Contemporary English diced russia gilt [free endpapers watermarked 1823], boards with gilt-ruled borders, gilt-ruled board-edges and turn-ins, spine gilt in compartments and lettered in one, marbled edges (lightly scratched and chipped, skilfully rebacked). Provenance: Thomas Brooke, L
VERY RARE FULLY COLOURED COPY OF THE SOLE ISSUE of Choris' splendid plates to illustrate Kotzebue's world voyage 1815-1818 on which he was expedition artist. Essentially, this is an illustrated album recording only the most memorable facts of the voyage but with full explanations of the plates -- more of which relate to California, Hawaii, Kamchatka and Alaska than any other work of the period -- and the Philippines, Chile and Easter Island. It is arranged in 8 sections which were first sold in 22 livraisons, 1820-1822 (although both Brunet and Howes state that publication ended in 1823). Two title-pages were printed, dated 1820 to accompany the first livraison, and 1822 for the successive parts. There was only one issue of the text and plates, according to Forbes, and although a lithographic portrait of the artist is found in a few copies, its presence does not constitute an issue point. Indeed, it may have been produced only after the work was completed. The text was written and edit