Benoît de Maillet - Description de l'Egypte - 1735

Title

Description de l'Egypte

Author

Benoît de Maillet

Year

1735

Publisher

Louis Genneau & Jacques Rollin, Paris

Description

First edition of Maillet’s landmark Description de l’Égypte, with folding map and seven plates. Compiled and edited by Jean-Baptiste le Mascrier from letters by Benoît de Maillet (1656–1738), French Consul in Cairo (1692–1708), the work presents a comprehensive survey of Egypt’s antiquities, architecture, and contemporary life. Plates illustrate tombs, sarcophagi, obelisks, animals, while folding plates depict the Cairo Nilometer and a cross-section of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The final chapter addresses the annual Hajj and describes Mecca, Medina, and Mahomet’s tomb. Maillet’s observations significantly expanded European knowledge of Egyptian culture, history, and material heritage.

xxi, [3], 328 pp., 242 pp., [8]

Condition

Rubbing and splitting to the covers; occasional spotting throughout. Front free endpaper torn and partially detached.