142 - FRIEDRICH VON ZENTNER: DAS KONIGREICH GRIECHENLAND IN HINSICHT AUF INDUSTRIE UND AGRIKULTUR. AUGSBURG, 1844

FRIEDRICH VON ZENTNER: DAS KONIGREICH GRIECHENLAND IN HINSICHT AUF INDUSTRIE UND AGRIKULTUR. AUGSBURG, 1844 First and only edition, in 8vo, contemporary fine green leather richly gilt, covers with the official Greek Royal coat of arms, THE GREEK ROYAL COPY, edges gilt, complete 100p.and additionally with one large (60x40cm) folding map of Greece published by Gustav Fletcher in Leipzig (1840) titled Geognostish-Bergannische Karte von dem Konigreiche Griechenland, text and map clean and crisp, overall in almost fine condition, a lovely unique copy of a work of the utmost rarity. Zentner, a Bavarian philhellene engineer who came in Greece in 1833 and stayed in Athens for 10 years, was the very first Rector of the National Technical University of Athens (later Metsovio) during its formative years (1837-1843). He was among the very few high level contemporary technocrats who played crucial role in the formation of the Greek State. His technical background and administrative role gave him access to official data and firsthand look of the country s infrastructure. It is the very first manual of economic geography of Greece. It is a systematic compilation of statistics, practical observations and data points gathered directly on the ground dealing with the actual conditions and the perspectives of agriculture, manufacturing and trades in Greece. Zentner left his position in the Greek government and as Rector of the University after the Revolution of the 3rd of September 1843, as several high level Bavarians and wrote his memoir. The collected notes on the Kingdom of Greece in respect to Industry and Agriculture is a highly valuable record on the real situation of the newly independent country. The work was privately printed in a very limited number of copies that the author offered to friends. This copy includes, as an extra, a large separately printed contemporary map of Greece by Fletcher which is the very first scientific map of Greece ever printed. This exceptional copy was offered to King Otto, it has a fine green leather full binding with the contemporary official Greek national emblems at covers stamped in gold, a copy for the Greek state library .A unique combination, an extremely rare scientific book on the economic situation of the newly independent country written by a Philhellene, coupled extra with an important map and being the Royal Greek copy