"picturesque" Journey Through Paris; Or A Guide To All The Most Beautiful Sights In ... 1749.

A Picturesque Tour of Paris, or a Guide to All the Finest Aspects of This Great City in Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture. By M. D***** (Antoine-Nicolas Dezallier d'Argenville, 1723–1796). In Paris, at De Bure, the Elder, Bookseller, Quai des Augustins, at the Statue of Saint Paul. A.D. 1749. (1749). 1 volume in 12mo, full speckled glazed calfskin, ribbed spine adorned with gilded rosette metalwork, red morocco title label, marbled endpapers, red edges... A beautiful, lustrous example in period binding (Louis XV). This first edition is the very first modern guide to the art and cultural heritage of Paris. Divided into 20 chapters (corresponding to the 20 Parisian districts of the time). It provides a detailed description of the artistic masterpieces housed in the capital’s churches, convents, and grandest mansions... The handwritten inscriptions on the title page are by Jules Bernard Luys (a great bibliophile) who was a pioneer in neurology. Furthermore, this copy bears his bookplate.