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[Elzevir Press] Gilles, Pierre : P. GYLLII DE CONSTANTINOPOLEOS TOPOGRAPHIA LIB. IV

Ex typis Elzevirianis [Barbou], Lugduni Batavorum [Paris], 1632

Second Bonaventure and Abraham Elzevier edition, more beautiful and more correct than their first release of the same year. Modern green boards, 64mo (2”x3”, miniature), 422+ [6] pages. In Latin. Illustrated title page which includes a nice title-frontispiece on copper showing, among others, a bird’s eye view of Constantinople from the harbor. Willems, 367.The author had been commissioned by Francois I to the Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. He left a testimony of the greatest importance describing Constantinople at the time of the great architectural upheavals. Thanks to him, one can locate most of the destroyed ancient buildings. The Elzevirs were “a celebrated family of Dutch booksellers, publishers, and printers of the 17th and early 18th centuries. The duodecimo series of ‘Elzevirs’ became very famous and very desirable among bibliophiles, who sought to obtain the tallest and freshest copies of these tiny books….The family ceased printing in 1712…Bonaventura Elzevir (1583–1652)...began business as a publisher in 1608, and in 1626 took into partnership Abraham Elzevir, his nephew….Abraham died on 14 August 1652, and Bonaventura about a month afterwards. The fame of the Elzevir editions rests chiefly on the works issued by the firm of Bonaventura and Abraham….their small editions in 12mo, 16mo and 24mo, for elegance of design, neatness, clearness and regularity of type, and beauty of paper, cannot be surpassed….Between 1626 and 1649, Bonaventure and Abraham Elzevir published a bestselling series titled the Respublicae (commonly known as the Republics or Petites Républiques), the ancestor of the modern travel guide. Each of the thirty-five volumes in the series gave information on the geography, inhabitants, economy, and history of a country in Europe, Asia, Africa, or the Near East” (Wikipedia). Subjects: Antiquities. Travel. Istanbul (Turkey) -- Description and travel. OCLC: 35259302. Faint blind stamps and paper repair on blank end pages. Nice margins, good attractive paper and internal binding.Very Good Condition. (AC-22-1)

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