The Ancient Cities of the New World; Being Voyages and Explorations in Mexico and Central America from 1857-1882.
New York, NY: Harper & Brothers, 1888. Reprint. Hardcover. Small Quarto (10 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches). xlvi + 516 pp. Blue cloth with gilt titling to spine; illustration and gilt titling to upper board; frontis with tissue guard; fold out map, b&w illustrations. An account of the travels of French explorer and archaeologist Claude-Joseph Désiré Charnay (1828 – 1915) through Mexico and Central America, from 1857-1882. Although some of his theories about the relationship between Asian and Meso-American civilisations now seem somewhat eccentric and simplistic, he was a pioneer of scientific archaeology, systematically documenting and photographing the ruins and artefacts that he uncovered, and observing the local population with an anthropologist's interest. The book is generously illustrated with some 150 steel engravings, many full page, depicting the peoples and places that he encountered. The book was first published in French as "Les Anciennes villes du Nouveau Monde" in 1885 and as far as we can ascertain the English translation was published near-simultaneously, in the UK and the US, in 1887. As this copy has the year 1888 on the title-page it is presumably an unstated second US edition. Ex-library copy with minimal markings. Book-plate on front paste down, ink stamps on front free end paper, title-page and last page; blind stamp to title page. Edges and corners chafed and bumped with some fraying and few short tears at spine ends; horizontal closed tear to cloth at extreme lower spine; page edges darkened and paper lightly browned. The usual reasonable wear for a book of this vintage that has seen quite some use. Overall, a solid VG- copy. No dust jacket. A large heavy books may require additional shipping. Item #4716
Sold