[SUCHTELEN, Paul van]. Précis des évènements militaires des campagnes de 1808 et 1809 en Finlande, dans la dernière guerre entre la Russie et la Suède, par le L.-G. C. P. de S***.

How Finland Became Russian

[SUCHTELEN, Paul van]. Précis des évènements militaires des campagnes de 1808 et 1809 en Finlande, dans la dernière guerre entre la Russie et la Suède, par le L.-G. C. P. de S***. Saint Petersburg: Gretsch. 1827.

8vo. Contemporary Danish quarter calf over marbled boards, spine decorated and with vellum lettering-piece; pp. [iv], 220, with six folding tables and large engraved map, hand-coloured in outline and printed on thick, heavy paper, light spotting here and there, map with a few short tears to folds, otherwise a very good copy; provenance: from the library of the Royal Danish Artillery Corps with their contemporary stamp to title-page and cancellation stamp, later stamp of the Royal Garrison in Copenhagen to title-verso, a few shelf-marks.

This is the very rare first edition, one of 250 copies printed for 'quelques militaires et amis'. The editor of the English 1854 edition (which we are currently stocking as well) writes :'The following pages were given to me by the Author, a Russian officer of rank, since deceased. The work was never published, only 250 copies having been printed for distribution among the Author's friends' (title-verso of the limited English edition, which we currently stock as well). - The map must be one of the best Finland maps of the period and is by far superior to the map in the English edition.

Not in Fekula and Rosenthal, Bibliotheca slavica.

SKU: 2111719