CHEVALIER (Auguste). - Lot 117

CHEVALIER (Auguste). Chari-Lake Chad Mission. 1902–1904. French Central Africa. An Account of the Mission’s Journey. Paris: Augustin Challamel, 1907. — 1 work in 2 volumes, in-4 format, 280 x 189: frontispiece, XV, 434 pp., 5 maps; (2 ff.), pp. (437)–776, 8 plates, 1 map, illustrated cover. Red half-basane with corners, ribbed spine, untrimmed, cover and spine preserved (modern binding). First edition of the account of the Chari-Lac-Tchad scientific mission, led by botanist Auguste Chevalier between 1902 and 1904, accompanied by several fellow scientists. The purpose of this expedition was to study the agricultural and forestry resources of Central Africa, as well as its fauna, flora, and geology, while analyzing the social conditions of the local populations under French protectorate rule. It also aimed to explore the regions of the Chad Basin within the French sphere of influence. The Ministry of the Colonies had specifically tasked the mission with studying the agricultural and commercial challenges of this new colony. The book is divided into two parts: the first recounts the journey, while the second, in the form of a scientific appendix, brings together eight specialized studies: Fish (by Jacques Pellegrin), Terrestrial and Fluvial Mollusks of French Central Africa (by Louis Germain), Geology and Mineralogy (by Henri Courtet), Diatoms Collected by the Mission (identified by Paul Petit), a Note on the Insect Collections (by M. Bouvier, Pierre Lene, R. du Buysson, and M. Surcouf), Agricultural and Miscellaneous Topics (by Chevalier and Courtet), Prehistory and Ethnography (by Auguste Chevalier), and The Forest Gallery (by Chevalier). Spine and edges of the covers worn. Cover soiled and restored.