Frederic Shoberl / A. L. Castellan - The World in Miniature: Turkey – Bände I–IV - 1821

Frederic Shoberl / A. L. Castellan – The World in Miniature: Turkey – Volumes I–IV – London, R. Ackermann, [1821] – with hand-colored plates – unrestored

Four related volumes of a historic English edition about the Ottoman Empire, with finely executed, hand-colored plates. Preserved in old, uniformly designed half-leather bindings with marbled covers, leather corners, and gilded spine lettering and ornamentation.

The volumes are offered from my private library in their present, unrestored condition. The historic bindings show their long usage history and require substantial conservation or bookbinding work.

Bibliographic details

Editor: Frederic Shoberl.
Text after the French work by Antoine-Laurent Castellan.

Title:
The World in Miniature. Turkey, being a Description of the Manners, Customs, Dresses, and other Peculiarities Characteristic of the Inhabitants of the Turkish Empire; to which is prefixed a Sketch of the History of the Turks.

Publisher: Printed for R. Ackermann, 101, Strand.
Place of publication: London.
Dating: [1821]. The title pages are undated; one of the available plates bears the publisher’s date 1821.
Language: English.
Extent of the offer: four separate volumes, designated Vol. I, II, III and IV.

Important note on extent
The “Turkey” section originally appeared in six volumes. The offering consists exclusively of Volumes I–IV. Volumes V and VI are not part of the offer.

The designation “Seventy-Three Coloured Engravings” on the title pages refers to the full six-volume series and not to the four volumes offered here.

Illustrations
After private inspection and cross-checking with the bound plate list, the following contents apply to the offered volumes:

Volume I: 2 plates.
Volume II: 2 plates.
Volume III: 16 plates.
Volume IV: 17 plates.

Thus, by my count, a total of 37 hand-colored plates are included. The motifs listed in the contents for Volumes I–IV could be matched to the plates upon review. This statement is based on private examination and does not constitute a standalone completeness guarantee. A complete collation of all text pages was not undertaken.

The illustrations show among others Ottoman rulers, the Sultan and Grand Vizier, members of the court and harem, court servants, Janissaries and other military personnel. Additional depictions of writing implements, musical instruments, weapons, armor, banners and military equipment are included.

Content
The volumes combine a historical portrayal of the Ottoman rulers with descriptions of court life, governance, administration and military organization. They document the European perception of the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century.

Condition — please note explicitly
Unrestored antiquarian lot with considerable binding damage.
The front and back covers are, depending on the volume, already fully detached from the book block or in the process of detachment. The binding joints are broken or severely damaged. The spine coverings are, in some volumes, already detached or starting to detach; spine and binding parts sit partly loose.
The leather is heavily rubbed, cracked and, in places, flaked off, with loss of substance. Edges, corners and the upper and lower spine ends show clear wear and damage. Binding and sewing material lies partially exposed.
The volumes thus have no continuously stable binding construction and must be handled with care. They are expressly offered as restorations-needed historical books.

Internally, age-toned and foxed to varying degrees, with sporadic darker brown spots and imprint of adjacent plates. Plates themselves may also be affected by spots and discoloration. Occasional margin and gutter damage, small tears as well as creases and signs of use are detectable. Captions or publisher’s notes are sometimes placed very close to the page edge or cut off.

The hand-colored plates still display vivid colors in many cases. Historical or later handwritten ownership and inscription marks are present.

The appeal of the lot lies in the historical book substance and the colored illustrations. Proper securing or restoration is left to the future owner.

Photos and description

All provided photos show the four volumes as they are offered. They form part of the description and supplement, in particular, the information on bindings, detached parts, paper condition, stains and signs of use.

Please also view the images in high magnification. The explicitly described binding damage and the unrestored, restoration-needed condition are part of the offered state. Lighting and screen display can cause color variations.

Private sale and liability

The books come from my private library. I am selling as a private individual.

The description has been prepared to the best of my knowledge based on the available books. The plate count and bibliographic record were done privately. No separate guarantee of completeness, dating, edition or a specific restoration outcome is provided.