Benoît de Maillet - Description de l'Egypte - 1735

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

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