Sonnini - Travels in Upper & Lower Egypt - 1799

A scarce and important three-volume first English edition of Charles-Nicolas-Sigisbert Sonnini de Manoncourt’s Travels in Upper and Lower Egypt; Undertaken by Order of the Old Government of France, translated from the French by Henry Hunter, D.D., and published in London by John Stockdale, Piccadilly, 1799.
Issued during the great European revival of interest in Egypt following Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign, Sonnini’s work is among the important early European travel accounts of Egypt before the rise of modern Egyptology. The volumes provide detailed observations of Egyptian geography, antiquities, customs, natural history, and the landscapes of the Nile Valley.
This complete three-volume set includes the engraved illustrations described on the title page as “Forty Engravings”, together with the important folding Geographical Chart of Egypt.
The set retains an early armorial provenance, bearing the bookplate of:
Rod. H. Alexander, Brampton, Kent
an indication of early private ownership consistent with the period of publication.
Bibliographic Details:
Author: Charles-Nicolas-Sigisbert Sonnini de Manoncourt (1751–1812)
Title: Travels in Upper and Lower Egypt
Translator: Henry Hunter, D.D.
Publisher: John Stockdale, Piccadilly, London
Date: 1799
Edition: First English Edition
Format: Three volumes
Illustrations: 40 engraved plates and folding geographical chart
Language: English (translated from the original French)
Condition:
The volumes present well for their age, with expected age-related toning and foxing consistent with late 18th-century paper. Bindings and plates should be carefully examined by prospective bidders. The folding map and engraved illustrations remain important features of this exceptional early Egypt travel set.
A desirable example of late Georgian-era travel literature, combining exploration, natural history, and early European documentation of Egypt.