Pacis annis MDCCCXIV et MDCCCXV foederatis armis restitutae monumentum

BARTH, Johann August. Pacis annis MDCCCXIV et MDCCCXV foederatis armis restitutae monumentum orbis terrarum de fortuna reduce gaudia gentium linguis interpretans.75 leaves mostly with lithograph borders printed in as many as five colours, one lithographed colophon leaf picturing a printing press and 5 leaves letterpress translation. Folio (455 x 355 mm), contemporary boards with new endpapers. Breslau: J. Barth, [1818].

A splendid copy of the extremely rare first edition of possibly the earliest book using multiple colour lithography, published to celebrate the peace of 1814-15. It contains poems in about 100 different languages printed on the rectos only in a great variety of printing types. Barth was a well-known printed and publisher at Breslau and introduced lithography into Silesia. The present work first appeared in 1816 in a smaller edition containing only 43 poems and was printed in letterpress with colors added by hand, thus lacking the lavish lithographed decorations. This new edition is printed in colors using the new technique of "Steindruck." Nothing like this was to appear until Thomas Shotter Boys "picturesque Architetcure in Paris..." in 1839 and Owen Jones's Plans, elevations, sections and details of the Alhambra published between 1842 and 1845.In this book the decorations range from small headpieces to full-page designs.Some light darkening, offsetting and spotting, but nevertheless an extremely appealing copy PROVENANCE: Tetschner Bibliothek, red inkstamp on title verso; Cornelius J. Hauck, bookplate. Berlin 5356; Brunet I:673; Burch pp.175-77; Friedman 117; Graesse I:300; McLean p.74; Aloys Senefelder 38; Twyman (1990) p.129; PMM (1963) II:140.