Cépages; Illustrations Extraites de "L'Ampelographie"
(Turin): Printed by Vincenzo Bona for Editions Glenat, (1991). Viala, Pierre; Vermorel, Victor. Hardcover. Folio size, 167 pp., in French. Fine. Item #CNJL826
All oenophiles revel in the beauty not just of the wine sparkling in the glass, but in the delicate vines and glowing fruit; to be in a vineyard, surrounded by the lush vines, is a delight to the senses. Wine has been a source of joy since ancient times, with grapes and grapevines often being featured in artwork. However, it was in the nineteenth century that the science of ampelography turned decidedly serious, as pests and diseases such as phylloxera began ravaging vineyards, and so a precise classification was needed to determine which species and varietals would be resistant.
This edition reproduces seventy of the plates from the original seven-volume "Ampélographie", published by Professor of Viticulture Pierre Viala (1859-1936) and industrialist Victor Vermorel (1848-1927) from 1901-1909; it focuses on the "principaux cépages" of France, narrowing in on the most common varietals. The plates are beautifully reproduced, the text is in French, and includes the introduction from the original edition and short biographies of the authors. This is a fairly uncommon title, printed by the publisher during a short period when they deviated from printing almost exclusively comics.
___DESCRIPTION: Full burgundy paper, gilt lettering and illustration of a cluster of grapes on the front board, gilt lettering on the spine, cream endpapers, title page with vignette of a grape cluster, seventy full-page colour plates with the information about the varietal on the page opposite; folio size (14.5" by 10.5"), pagination: [1-6] 7-167. Please note that the text is in French. Loosely laid in is a folding colour map showing "Principaux Cepages des Vignobles de France", one sheet folded into six panels. Housed in a slipcase made of cork with burgundy text and illustration on the rear board.
___CONDITION: A fine copy, the covers clean, the corners straight and unrubbed, the binding tight with solid hinges, the interior clean and bright, and free of prior owner markings; clean, crisp, as new. The cork slipcase is fine also, strong and sturdy, clean, without wear, with barcode sticker on the bottom edge. The map is fine, clean, without wear, and with only original creases.
___POSTAGE: Please note that this is an extremely large and heavy book, and therefore additional postage may apply; please inquire for details.
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Price: $1,000.00