Paris: G. Masson, Bibliothèque de La Nature, n.d. [circa 1886]. Hardcover. In his preface, the author says that travel to the United States from Paris was now easy and wonders why his fellow citizens don't sail there to see that beautiful country. He notes that the United States does not have monuments of art, or historic sites, but reminds his readers that it is a very young country. The country does display its extraordinary energy and extreme hard work. The traveler will see there the results of their intelligence and see the grand works that they have accomplished. Albert Tissandier (1839 – 1906) was a French architect, aviator, illustrator, editor and archaeologist. He was the brother of adventurer Gaston Tissandier with whom he collaborated in writing the magazine La Nature, a French language scientific journal aimed at the popularization of science. Tissandier was also a passionate writer and traveller. In 1886, he started a long trip around the world in America, subsequently traveling to the East Indies, Ceylon and many other Asian locales, sending his magnificent illustrations back to Paris so they could appear in La Nature [Wikipedia]. This account in French of his travels in the U.S. naturally focuses on what he finds most interesting - engineering achievements such as the Brooklyn Bridge; natural wonders like the canyons of the west and Niagara Falls; and important developments in transportation and manufacturing. His text is accompanied by his wonderful illustrations. There are eight two-page plates, 82 engravings, and two maps. One of the maps shows Tissandier's route across the United States. Bound in half red leather with marbled paper boards. Spine with raised bands, gilt titling and ornaments. Leather is rubbed with wear along edges and paper boards have some chipping and bumping. Interior pages are clean and bright with a bit of foxing to first and last few pages. Very good condition. Measures 6.25 x 10 inches. 298 pages plus page listing plates and maps. TRAVEL/092121. Very Good.

Item #35306

Price: $120.00