Dulaure - Histoire de Paris - 1857-1859

THE GRAND STORY OF PARIS IN FIVE VOLUMES: DULAURE'S MASTERPIECE ILLUSTRATED WITH VIEWS OF THE CITY THROUGH THE CENTURIES
Important and elegant nineteenth-century edition of Jacques-Antoine Dulaure's monumental Histoire de Paris, one of the fundamental works devoted to the history of the French capital. enriched with numerous full-page engravings depicting monuments, buildings, urban views and historical reconstructions of Paris from its origins to the contemporary era, it remains today one of the most authoritative syntheses on the formation and evolution of the city. Five-volume exemplar out of six, bound in uniform contemporary half-leather.
MARKET VALUE
Illustrated editions of Dulaure’s Histoire de Paris continue to hold steady interest for collectors of urban history, topography, and Paris. A complete six-volume set typically commands prices between 300 and 600 euros depending on condition and completeness. The present specimen, missing volume III, still maintains good bibliographic and commercial interest thanks to the presence of the original uniform binding and the rich illustrative material.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Five volumes (of six), corresponding to volumes I, II, IV, V and VI. Contemporary half brown morocco bindings with raised bands on the spine, gold-impressed title labels, stiff illustrated boards, marbled endpapers. Numerous black-and-white full-page engravings and color plates devoted to Paris’s principal monuments, historical buildings, and city views. Bindings with some abrasions, losses, and signs of wear. Internally there are typical browning, foxing, and some sporadic stains. Volume III is missing. In old books with a long history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp.:
(2); 4nn; 414; (4).
(2); 4nn; 358; (2).
(2); 4nn; 350; (2).
(2); 4nn; 376; (2).
(2); 4nn; 152; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Histoire de Paris depuis les premiers temps historiques. 5 volumes (sur 6).
Paris, Dufour, Mulat et Boulanger, 1857–1859.
Jacques-Antoine Dulaure.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Originally published at the beginning of the 19th century, Dulaure’s Histoire de Paris remains one of the most important works on the history of the French capital. The author reconstructs the city’s evolution from Gallo-Roman times to the modern era, addressing political, urban, religious, artistic, and social aspects. The edition presented here, updated by Charles Leynadier, extends the narrative to the Second Empire, documenting the profound urban transformations of nineteenth-century Paris. The rich iconographic apparatus is one of the work’s main strengths, offering an extraordinary gallery of monuments, vanished buildings, squares, palaces, churches, and city views that also makes this publication an important iconographic repository of Parisian history.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Jacques-Antoine Dulaure (1755–1835) was a French historian, archaeologist, and politician. A specialist in the history of Paris and Gaulish antiquity, he devoted much of his activity to studying the origins of the French capital and its urban development. His Histoire de Paris remains his masterpiece and had a profound influence on historical and topographical studies of the 19th century.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The first edition of Histoire de Paris appeared in the early decades of the 19th century. The Dufour, Mulat et Boulanger edition of 1857–1859 is among the most complete and sought-after, thanks to Charles Leynadier’s updates and the rich off-text illustrational material. It helped consolidate the work’s reputation as the leading general history of the French capital before the great urban studies of the late 19th century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Brunet, Manuel du Libraire et de l'Amateur de Livres.
Graesse, Trésor de Livres Rares et Précieux.
Carter, ABC for Book Collectors.
Jacques Hillairet, Dictionnaire historique des rues de Paris.
Cataloghi antiquari dedicati alla storia e alla topografia di Parigi.