Paris, Gandouin et Fournier, 1725.
8vo. Uniformly bound in four contemporary full calf bindings with five raised bands and richly gilt spines. Edges of boards gilt. Small paper-label pasted on to upper compartments on spines. All edges coloured in red. A few stains and scratches to boards and spine-ends with wear. With marginal annotation in contemporary hand throughout. (8), 523 pp. + 10 folded plates; (2), 545 pp. + 11 plates. (2), 442, (2) pp. + 9 plates; (2), 407, (5) pp. + 10 plates.
Eighth revised edition of Brice’s travel guide to Paris. Uncountable travel guides to Paris were published in the period but the present work excelled in its beautiful plates and topographical accuracy. “Pour la première fois, un ouvrage se propose de décrire au voyageur étranger et à l'amateur la ville de Paris dans sa réalité topographique” ("For the first time, a work sets out to describe to the foreign traveler and the enthusiast the city of Paris in its topographical reality." (Jean-Pierre Babelon). Brice offered a modern and contemporary depiction of the city offering them the opportunity to discover the architectural and artistic riches of the capital. The work immediately became a succus and numerous editions, each updated with the most recent improvements, were published. The work remained one of the most successful travels guides to Paris in the 17th and 18th century.
Order-nr.: 60991