119 - LODOIS DE MARTIN DU TYRAC, compte de Marcellus: Chants du Peuple en Grèce. Paris, 1851-52

LODOIS DE MARTIN DU TYRAC, compte de Marcellus: Chants du Peuple en Grèce. Paris, 1851-52 First edition. In large 8vo, in the original publisher’s paper covers, spine paper of volume two almost gone. Large uncut copy. Text clean, with light scattered spotting in some places, some waterstaining in volume two. Complete:[19], 428 p., 496 p. Volume one is in very good plus condition, volume two in good. Inserted inside the book are three loose pages with manuscript annotations and remarks in pen, in contemporary French, commenting on specific Greek poems in the text with references to the work of Fauriel. A fourth page contains a manuscript additional epitaph of Markos Botsaris (in Greek and French translation) facing page 114 regarding the death of Botsaris. Also inserted is a printed article of a few pages regarding modern Greek literature. One note is written in the form of a classical thank-you card with printed “de Mollard a l’honneur de vous,” most probably referring to Philibert Mollard (1801-1873), an ardent Philhelline, making these his own notes. Marcellus (1795-1861) visited Greece several times and published many popular Greek poems in the original Greek with parallel translations and lengthy annotations. Without doubt, Greek popular songs had a huge contemporary impact on Philhellenic French circles. Some of these effects have not yet been fully studied, as shown by the very interesting inserted manuscript notes by a provincial French officer in this particular copy.