SPON, Jacob (1647-1685).Biblio.com
The History of the City and State of Geneva from its first foundation to this present time.
1687TK0098London:: Printed for Bernard White 1687. 1687. 4to. iv 250 6 pp. 5 plates including: engraved frontispiece "Old Geneva" p.9 City Stamps plate p. 107 folding engr. plate of the surrounding regions of Geneva city of Geneva p. 148. Ancient Inscriptions which are to be seen at Geneva p. 193; faint waterstain viewable on the outer margins rear. NOTE: A2 final leaf of Preface trimmed on the right margin replaced with similarly toned paper however with some minor loss of a few letters neatly repaired; some waterstaining. Modern half calf raised bands gilt-stamping red gilt-stamped spine label marbled boards. Ownership signature of the British politician Somerset Davies 1754-1817 of Croft Castle. Bookplate of Robert J. Hayhurst. Handsome copy. First edition in English. Jacob Spon was born into a Calvinist family of German origin in Lyon in 1647. He became a doctor and archeologist traveler and wrote respected studies of Greece. "After a period in Geneva he published Histoire de la ville et de l'Estat de Geneve 1680 a compilation of ancient chronicles of the city state". – Irini Apostolou "Jacob Spon" in: Christian-Muslim Relations 1500 - 1900 vol. 9 Western and Southern Europe 1600-1700 General Editors: David Thomas John Chesworth Brill 2017 pp. 406-412. / With the large folding plate of Geneva and the surrounding area showing Lac Leman / Lake Geneva and all the small municipalities that dot the region such as Eyvan = Evian Morges the mountainous terrain there are even a few cows shown in the plate. The city view of Geneva p. 148 shows the original wall at the city entrance. Spon was a numismatist thus his interest is shown p. 107 with a plate devoted to early coinage of the city. The frontispiece features a view of Geneva with Saint Pierre Cathedral as a focal point. That cathedral dates from 1150 and was founded in the 4th century. / With this text one learns of the origin of the name for the city of Geneva derived from the Latin word for the Juniper shrub which populated the hilly regions there. PROVENANCE: 1 Ownership signature of the British politician Somerset Davies 1754-1817 of Croft Castle; 2 Robert John Hayhurst 1929-2016 inherited and improved a successful group of retail pharmacies John Hayhurst & Son based in Nelson Lancashire. He was a keen collector of naval history and of eighteenth-century literature in contemporary bindings. Printed for Bernard White, 1687. hardcover
