41 - PÂRIS (Fr. E.).

PÂRIS (Fr. E.). Essay on Shipbuilding Among Non-European Peoples, or a Collection of Ships and Canoes Built by the Inhabitants of Asia, Malaysia, the Pacific Ocean, and the Americas, drawn and measured by Monsieur Paris, lieutenant commander during the round-the-world voyages of the Astrolabe, the Favorite, and the Artémise, published by order of the King under the auspices of the Minister of the Navy. Paris, Arthus Bertrand, undated [1843]. 1 volume of text and 1 atlas volume bound together into 1 sturdy large folio volume, in violet half-shagreen with corner pieces, smooth spine richly decorated, double gilt line on the covers (contemporary binding). First edition of this important treatise on the canoes and boats of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, Asia, and Oceania. It is illustrated with 133 separate plates, either line drawings or lithographs with tinted backgrounds. An important and rare work: it is the first serious inventory of the watercraft of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, Asia, and Oceania. Lieutenant Edmond François Pâris (1806–1893) participated in the Dumont d’Urville expedition and in the two Laplace expeditions aboard *La Favorite* and *L’Artémise*. This last voyage had “a result of the utmost importance, as it allowed the lieutenant to continue his work in naval archaeology and to publish a book—the first of its kind—that is still considered today to be an irreplaceable source. Already, during the voyages of the *Astrolabe* and the *Favorite*, the young officer had collected more than two hundred documents that remained unpublished until 1992. Despite a serious accident that cost him an arm during a visit to a foundry near Madras, Pâris, during the Artémise’s expedition, compiled approximately six hundred sketches, watercolors, and coastal views depicting sites and monuments. Passionate about naval engineering, he also devoted himself to studying all types of ships used by the peoples he visited and to collecting plans and drawings. Strongly encouraged by Baron Tupinier, director of ports and arsenals, Pâris published his *Essai sur la construction navale* in 1843. A fine copy, with some wear or minor repairs to the binding and some interior flaws, including foxing that is at times significant.