Impressively bound in full green morocco extra gilt

Beautifully bound example of this celebrated travelogue; the first of Demidoff's travelogues to be published, with all plates printed on India paper.

In 1837 Count Anatoliy Nikolaevich Demidoff, Prince of San Donato (1812-70), launched a geological expedition to Ukraine and Crimea at his own expense. He was accompanied ion his travels by the artist Denis Raffet, who illustrated Demidoff's account.

The present copy seems to belong to a rare 1841 reissue of the 1840 first edition, and is identical to the 1840 edition in every way, including the errata. This 1841 second issue is not mentioned in the usual bibliographies, which date the second edition (with different pagination) from 1854.

Tall 8vo. (26 x 16.7 cm). Half-title, wood-engraved frontispiece on India paper, title, vii, 621, [3 including errata and table] pp., with 23 wood-engraved plates after Raffet, all printed on India paper mounted and with tissue guards, one page of sheet music, numerous wood engravings in text; some occasional spotting, a bit browned towards end. Contemporary green morocco by Boutigny (with label), boards with richly gilt floral ornaments and Russian double-headed eagles, flat spine titled and decorated in gilt, all edges gilt, yellow endpapers; spine slightly rubbed, corners slightly bumped.

Cf. for the 1840 issue Atabey 337 and Brunet II, 583; not in Blackmer.