Second edition of a splendid set of 31 large tinted and hand-coloured lithographed views of life in the Nile valley, showing Bedouins, Nubians, dancers, warriors, horses, buildings, local life and costumes, one of the earliest and most sought-after publications by the artist Émile Prisse d'Avennes (1807-1879). Prisse d'Avennes spent many years in Egypt after 1826, first as an engineer in the service of Mehmet Ali. After 1836 he explored Egypt disguised as a Muslim, using the name Edris Effendi. During this period he carried out archaeological excavations in the Nile valley. This unusual visual collection of "characters, costumes and modes of life in the valley of the Nile" is augmented by a commentary by the renowned orientalist and Egyptologist James Augustus St. John.
Light foxing, affecting some plates, but still in good condition. Splendid views of society in the Nile Valley in the mid-19th century. Atabey 1001 note; Blackmer 1357 note; cf. Colas 2427 ; Lipperheide Ma 30.