BERTHIER (général). - Lot 116

BERTHIER (général). Histoire de l'expédition de Bonaparte en Égypte et en Syrie, sent by Alexandre Berthier, division general, chief of the general staff of the army of the East, to the Minister of War. Bordeaux, B. Cutty, An huitième [1800]. In-8, long-grained red half-maroquin, ornate smooth spine, gilt title throughout, yellow edges (modern binding). Extremely rare edition, of which only 2 copies are listed in the CCFr (Marseille and Bordeaux). It is not cited by Meulenaere in his Bibliographie raisonnée des témoignages oculaires imprimés de l'expédition d'Égypte, who, on p. 26, mentions only other editions, including the one published by Didot in Paris the same year under the title Relation des campagnes du général Bonaparte en Égypte et en Syrie. Berthier took part in the expedition as Bonaparte's Chief of Staff. He was therefore practically constantly in the general's entourage [...]. It is therefore only natural that his work should be considered the semi-official account of the campaign. Although his work is an apology for Bonaparte, it remains a first-rate document on military operations (Meulenaere). Minor spotting on a few pages, otherwise a pleasant copy.