Charles Antoine Thoumas — Autour Du Drapeau 1789-1889

Paris, A. Le Vasseur et cie, 1889. First edition. Leather. A leather bound copy of Thoumas' historical work, which details French military campaigns from 1789-1889, with over two hundred lovely illustrations by Lucien Sergent. First edition. Bound in half crushed-morocco on marbled boards by H. Wood. Beautifully illustrated with a title page engraving, a frontispiece engraving, a title vignette engraving, and over two-hundred illustrations by Lucien Sergent (1849-1904). Sergent was a French academic painter, perhaps best known for his military art. This is an informative work containing a history of the French military and its campaigns between 1789 and 1889, written by General Thoumas. The author focuses primarily on the army and chooses not to include details on naval conflicts, instead leaving those for a possible later volume. Contents include 'Valmy et Jemmapes', 'Fleurus et la Montagne-Noire', 'Novi, Zurich et Bergen', 'L'Espagne', and 'Algerie, Tunisie et Tonkin', as well as a conclusion. Written by Charles Antoine Thoumas (1820-1893), a French military officer.With a prior owner's ink inscription to front free endpaper, which reads 'To Dearest Tommy with Love from Bird Xmas 1936&apos. Collated, complete. Bound in half-crushed morocco on marbled boards by H. Wood. Externally, very smart. Minimal wear to the extremities and to the spine, particularly around the head of spine and raised bands of joints. A few marks to boards with a bit of fading. Light spotting to text block. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are very bright throughout, with light spotting to the occasional page. Prior owner's ink inscription to verso of front free endpaper. Very Good . Ill.: Lucien Sergent. Very Good .