Adlerfelt, Gustaf (1671-1709): Histoire militaire de Charles XII roi de Suede. Tome I-IV.
€800,00
Adlerfeld Gustave (1671-1709)
HISTOIRE MILITAIRE DE CHARLES XII,
Amsterdam Chez J. Wetstein & G. Smith, M.DCC.XL (1740)
Description : [in 12mo]
Vol. I – pp. XXIX, (b), 434 + 5 folding maps note : missing engr. portrait
Vol. II – pp. (2), 627, (b);
Vol. III IV – pp. (2), 547, (b); (2), 240 + 1 folding map
MILITARY HISTORY. CHARLES XII OF SWEDEN. The Battle of Poltava (or Pultowa) on 28 June 1709 was the decisive victory of Peter I of Russia over Charles XII of Sweden in the most famous of the battles of the Great Northern War. Gustave Adlerfeld, as royal historiographer, had accompanied King Charles on several of his campaigns down to the disastrous battle of Poltava, where he was slain : very full and complete diary of military events which he kept for the King, translated in French language by his son Carl Maximilian Emmanuel (1706-
1747).
The work includes six large copper engraved plates very finely sculpted depicting accurate battle plans. A very attractive set of four parts bound together in three volumes in full calf, in french xviii century style, with gilt armorial monogram decoration at the center of both boards, five raised bands, gilt lettered titles at spines and compartments richly decorated with gilt tooled motives and the same armorial monograms repeated in smaller size, marbled endpapers, all edges painted in red.
Good interiors, in the overall well preserved, usual foxing, some browning and spotting more marked in a few pages, titlepages printed in red and black with copper engraved printer´s device, woodcut head and tail pieces in text, copper engraved vignette at the beginning of the first volume and woodcut decorated initials. Defects include a partial crack at the lower end of front joint of first volume, some restoration done with tape to reinforce the creases of two plates. As noted in the description the engraved portrait at the beginning of the first volume is missing, apparently it seems it has not been bound at the origin due to binder’s mistake, for the rest complete. Attractive set in prestigious armorial binding
Cfr.: C. WELFORD, Catalogue of an extensive Collection of Valuable, Choice and Important Books,
NY, Baker Godwin (1853), pag.98, n.1191 ; J.KOHNEN, Ein Zeugnis Königsberger Spätaufklärung:
Ludwig v. Baczkos ‘Karl von Adlerfeld’ – In: Königsberger Beiträge : von Gottsched bis Schenkendorf. –
Frankfurt am Main ( 2002), p. 181-198; C.G.WARMHOLTZ, Bibliotheca historica Sueo-gothica; eller
förteckning uppå så väl tryckte, som handskrifne böcker, tractater och skrifter, hvilka handla om
Svenska historien, eller därutinnan kunna gifva ljus; med critiska och historiska anmärkningar,
(1805), Vol X, p.p.74-75 n .5542
