- First work: contents occas. sl. foxed and some browning in inner margin of title-p., otherwise contents fine. Corners worn and joints splitting; turn-in of lower cover sl. dam. near lower corner. Second work: outer blank or lower blank margin of a few textp. and plates (sl.) browned/ foxed. Small oval hole in frontcover (15x6 mm); some sl. scratches on backcover; corners rubbed/ sl. worn; joints starting.
= An exceptional set of desirable LARGE PAPER copies in beautiful uniform bindings by the FIRST STADTHOLDER BINDERY, on which see Storm van Leeuwen, De achttiende-eeuwse Haagse boekband (...), p.55 ff.: "De Haagse binderij met, voor zover bekend, de grootste productie aan semi-luxueus en luxueus bindwerk was die welke naar haar activiteiten voor stadhouder Willem IV de Eerste stadhouderlijke binderij is genoemd." Ad 1: Navari 159 ("The sheer extent of the work is impressive"); Tiele 207; Cat. NHSM 257; Boucher de la Richarderie I, 245; Röhricht 1184; Lipperheide Ci48. The first edition of "one of the best illustrated works on the Levant" (Cox I, p.218). Beautiful panoramic views of i.a. Constantinople (30x190 cm.), Jerusalem (30x120 cm.), Smyrna, Rhodos, Bethlehem, Aleppo, Alexandria. Ad 2: Tiele 209; Cat. NHSM p.257; Cox II, p.251; Schwab, La Perse p.74. Cornelis de Bruin (De Bruyn, Le Brun, Lebrun) (1652-1726), "Holländ. Zeichner und Asien-Reisender (...) reiste 1701-08 durch Russland und Persien (...) nach Ost-Indien. Auf der schon häufig begangenen Wegen in Persien (...) wusste er doch viel Neues, auch naturwissenschaftlich, zu beobachten, und seine Reisebeschreibung, die Gebriel eine der besten aus jener Zeit nennt, verdiente wohl eine kritische Analyse und Würdigung. (...)." (Henze I, p.378/379). Imposing large panoramic views of i.a. Moscow (28,5x187 cm.) and Isfahan (29x190 cm.). As the author states in his introduction to both works, he has aimed at depicting the sites and towns that he describes true to live and not, as he writes, based on verbal descriptions given by others. SEE ILLUSTRATION PLATE LXXXVII.