Las Cases - Atlas - 1833

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THE WORLD IN 33 TABLES: LAS CASES’ MONUMENTAL ATLAS OF HISTORY AND POWER
Monumental historical atlas conceived to transform centuries of world history into spectacular synoptic plates. Cartography, chronology, genealogy, political history and statistics merge into a single grand visual instrument. The plates illustrate empires, dynasties, wars, migrations and territorial transformations from antiquity to the contemporary age. Of particular fascination are the large maps dedicated to the ancient world, Greece, the Roman Empire, Italy, Spain and the United States. Work of Count Emmanuel de Las Cases, also renowned as faithful companion, secretary and chronicler of Napoleon at Saint Helena.

ABSTRACT
Atlas historique, généalogique, chronologique et géographique by A. Lesage (comte de Las Cases), Popular and study edition. Paris, at Delloye, 1835. Great didactic atlas by Emmanuel-Auguste-Dieudonné de Las Cases, published under the pseudonym A. Lesage, in which history, geography, genealogy and chronology are organized into elaborate synoptic plates of exceptional size. Large folio of about 53 × 38 cm, consisting of about 70 maps and 33 plates, each formed by two maps. The copy also includes a “Feuille complémentaire de l’Atlas historique, chronologique, généalogique de Le Sage, pour l’année 1833,” testimony to the progressive updating system characteristic of the work.

MARKET VALUE
€450–650. A work of notable decorative and collectible impact, interesting for the history of cartography and for the visual teaching of history in the nineteenth century. The large format, the complexity of the synoptic plates and the colorings enhance the copy’s interest. The particular numbering of the plates must be read in light of the described editorial configuration: numbers 24, 25, 26 and 30 do not appear, relating to the sovereign states of Germany and to the political geography of Europe and Germany according to the Napoleonic arrangement, plates indicated as suppressed and not missing.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Half leather binding with boards covered in marbled paper, spine with raised bands and gold-pressed ornaments and gilt title “ATLAS HISTORIQUE A. LESAGE.” Large array of historical, geographical, genealogical, chronological and statistical plates, with numerous maps affected by coloring. Physiological foxing, wear and abrasions to the binding and some worming along inner margins. The numeration does not include plates 24, 25, 26 and 30, indicated in the bibliographic description of the copy as suppressed in this configuration of the work. In old books with a multigenerational history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI visualizations. Refer to the original photographs to verify the object’s actual condition. The images are an integral part of the description.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Atlas historique, généalogique, chronologique et géographique.
Paris, chez Delloye, [1833].
Emmanuel-Auguste-Dieudonné de Las Cases.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Atlas historique by Las Cases represents one of the most interesting nineteenth-century examples of synoptic visualization of history. Its aim was not merely cartographic: the large plates combine geography, chronology, genealogy, political history, dynastic succession, wars, migrations and statistical information, allowing the reader to observe simultaneously phenomena that in ordinary manuals required many chapters. The indication “Édition populaire et d’étude” emphasizes the edition’s specific educational purpose. Of particular interest is the principle of updates through supplementary sheets: in the copy present, the one relating to the year 1833 is included, which must not be confused with the edition date, bibliographically given as 1835.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Emmanuel-Auguste-Dieudonné de Las Cases (1766–1842) was a French naval officer, aristocrat, cartographer, writer and statesman. Born in 1766 in the territory of today’s Haute-Garonne, he developed during the years of emigration following the French Revolution the project of his Atlas historique, published under the pseudonym A. Lesage. His international fame remains chiefly linked to Napoleon Bonaparte. Faithful to the Emperor, he followed him into exile on Saint Helena, becoming his secretary and collecting daily memories, conversations and confidences. After about eighteen months, the British governor Hudson Lowe expelled him from the island. From that experience sprang the famous Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène, published in 1822–1823: a source not always considered historically impartial, but of exceptional interest and fundamental to the shaping of the Napoleonic legend.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The Atlas historique had a long and complex editorial history. The early editions appeared at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and the work was subsequently reprinted, enlarged, modified and updated. Its particular structure allowed for intervention on the plates and for the addition of supplementary sheets to update chronologies, borders and political situations. This copy belongs to the Édition populaire et d’étude published in Paris by Delloye in 1835 and comprises 33 plates, each consisting of two maps. The presence of the “Feuille complémentaire … pour l’année 1833” documents an incorporated chronological update in the edition and does not necessarily indicate the volume’s printing date. Of particular significance is the numbering: plates 24, 25, 26 and 30 do not appear, which included the sovereign states of Germany and the maps of Europe and German political geography according to the Napoleonic arrangement. According to the bibliographic description of the copy, by the date of this publication these plates had been suppressed; their absence should be noted as a characteristic of the described editorial configuration and not automatically as mutilation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Bibliothèque nationale de France, Catalogue général: Atlas historique, généalogique, chronologique et géographique by Emmanuel de Las Cases [A. Lesage], in the different nineteenth-century editions and configurations. The BnF records for Delloye a Paris edition dated 1835. Bibliothèque nationale de France – Catalogue général

WorldCat: bibliographic records of the different editions of the Atlas historique, généalogique, chronologique et géographique by A. Lesage [Emmanuel de Las Cases]. WorldCat

Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des Cartes et Plans: cartographic repertoires related to Emmanuel-Auguste-Dieudonné de Las Cases and the different issuances of the Atlas historique.

Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène, Paris, 1822–1823, for biographical and Napoleonic context of the author.