France: 1916. An album of original sketches by Marcel Eurgene Louveau-Rouveyre (1881-1956). Comprising seven watercolour sketches and nine graphite drawings, all signed and all but one dated. Mainly captioned "Prisonnier Allemand" [German prisoner], "Malades allemands" [Wounded Germans], "au travail" [at work] or similar. The images, on various different papers, are all tipped into a note book, with brown card wraps, titled to the front in red and black crayon. It seems likely that the images were made in the rear of the front line trenches, where wounded soldiers were treated, prisoners processed etc. Louveau-Rouveyre was a French painter, etcher, copperplate engraver and watercolourist. He was active in Paris, and studied under Jean Benjamin Constant, Leon Bonnat and Jean Paul Laurens. The paper covers are somewhat chipped to the corners, and the front spine edge has been repaired with archival tape. Inside, the watercolours and sketches are in very good condition, with slight markings to the album pages and where affixed etc. 315 x 245 mm (12½ x 9¾ inches).

Bruxelles: Spineux & Cie, 1883. Second edition. Originally a softback, recently rebound as a hardback, with the original covers laid onto the front and rear boards. matching titles to the spine. Beautifully illustrated with six full colour chromolithographs about the Belgian Cavalleria, its history, its creation, its participation in the most important political and military events in the country, its service to different countries such as Austria, France, etc. its groups, the most important Belgian gentlemen, their decorations etc. Binding is new, internally, mainly in very good condition, with a few minor creases and a touch of edge wear. The last two leaves have very small tape repairs to the top edge. Discrete ownership stamp for Col. Henri-Jaspar and separate ex libris to the front end paper. xii, 424 pp. 265 x 175 mm (10½ x 7 inches).

Paris: Imprimerie Royale, 1826. First edition. With two folding lithographed maps hand-coloured in outline and 19 hand-coloured lithographed plates. Complete. Marbled boards, with decorated leather spine. Clean and tidy covers, with minimal handling. Internally clean and tidy throughout, with a touch of darkening to the pages. The rear folding map has a 10 cm repaired closed tear (with archival tape). Colouring to maps and lithographs is clean and bright. Bookplate of contemporary owner to the inside board. Comte de Noé (1777-1858) was one of the French nobility who were able to escape to England during the Revolution and joined the English Army for service in India. These forces in India were then sent to Egypt to serve against Napoleon at the time of the Battle of the Nile. At the island of Socotra they joined up with a companion expedition from the Cape of Good Hope (cf Abbey). Fine illustrations depict military uniforms and costumes from India, Ceylon, Egypt and Turkey. A large folding map shows Egypt. Abbey, Travel 350 - Lipperheide 1584 - Gay 2168. iv, 1-288, [iv]. pp 215 x 130 mm (8½ x 5 inches).

Paris: H. Remy, 1821. 8 volumes of the Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène and 2 volumes of the Suite au Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène. Complete. First Thus - H. Remy of Bruxelles edition. The ten volumes are in uniform red cloth, with blind stamped design to the boards and gilt decoration and titles to the spine. Unfortunately the final volume (V2. of the suite) has lost its spine. Each volume is 17cm x 10 cm. Generally, there is some cracking to the hinges, a little nicking to the head and tail of the spine. Moderate foxing to each volume. There are a few other flaws, itemised in the collation below. (1). Memorial Tome premier. 1822. Frontis engraving: floor plan of Longwood. 350 pages. (2). Memorial Tome Second. 1822. 330 pages. (3). Memorial Tome Troisieme. 1823. 320 pages. folding engraved map of the Campagne d'Italie (moderate foxing to map.) (4). Memorial Tome Quatrieme. 1823. 324 pages. (5). Memorial Tome Cinquieme. 1823. 332 pages. (6). Memorial Tome Sixieme. 1823. 326 pages. Slight weakness to the front hinge. (7). Memorial Tome Septieme. 1823. 323 pages. Closed tear and creasing to the rear end paper. (8). Memorial Tome Huitieme. 1823. 400 pages. Frontis folding Carte de L'Ile St Helene by a former engineer of Napoleon (from information by Marchand). Light to moderate foxing to the engraving. (9). Suite au Memorial. 1824. 468 pages. Frontis engraving of the Comte de Las Cases. (10). Suite au Memorial Tome II. 1825. 472 pages. lacks spine. Front board is held in place by thick archival tape. Each volume has the bookplate of Henri de Greeve. He was a Roman Catholic Priest, radio speaker on KRO in the 1930's and charity worker in The Netherlands. During the Second World War, he was interned because of his opposition to National Socialism. He died in 1974. A journal-memoir of the beginning of Napoleon Bonaparte's exile on Saint Helena. The core of the work transcribes Las Cases' near-daily conversations with the former Emperor on his life, his career, his political philosophy, and the conditions of his exile. First published in 1823 after Napoleon's death, the work was an immediate and continuing literary success, receiving multiple translations and appearing in new editions throughout the 19th century and into the 20th. The work entered the popular imagination as something like Napoleon's own personal and political testament, and as such became a founding text in the development of the Napoleon cult and the ideology of Bonapartism.

1918. Handwritten diary of World War I of a French officer Auguste Broutier. Handwritten diary of a French Officer of 125 Infantry, Sector 66, 20 section. Specialties: Observer, Grenadier, Canon VB, Bombardier, Carpenter, Carpenter. Cuisto. 1914-1919. Three volumes each with a red label on the front cover with handwritten titles and with squared paper. Different sizes and covers in black leather and imitation leather. Handwritten Entries Vol 1 34pp. Vol II 19 pp of manuscript entries, Vol III 11pp of entries, all volumes written largely in ink in a neat and tidy hand. Two volumes with pressed flowers, including poppies. Vol III without a free front cover page, allowing the cover to separate from the block of text, although still securely attached. The diaries, written after the fact, recount memorable days from 1914 onwards, interspersed with longer accounts of key actions; 4 pp, Phase of the Battle of Verdun; 2 pp, Attaque de Champagne April 16, 1917; Souvenir of Coussaint. November 1, 1915, 3pp "La reléve d'un trenchée en Hiver"; Souvenir d'automne October 24, 1915 Infirmary; 4 pp, February 5, 1918 Done in the village of Lébricourt, advanced point of the French lines. Numerous white sheets in volumes II and III. We have a translation of several extracts. One of the things that most excited us about these diaries, is that the pressed flowers include poppies, perhaps taken from Verdun or the Somme around the time of the battle. The most moving symbol of the battlefields of Flanders. 145 x 95 mm (5¾ x 3¾ inches). Extracts: "The relief of a trench in winter 1914-1915." "Bad weather, cold, so dark that you could not see a metre in front of you, & the machine guns. It was necessary to forget the hard work of the lucrative professions. Night approached, the chef poured soup and bread, then smoked beef, a small ration each & to finish the meal a litre of good wine. The captain arrived, the chiefs of each section quickly prepare a silent whistle and the procession sets off again in the darkness of the night. At this point all conversations cease. Everyone is in control and is plunged into complete silence." They have arrived in the area of the fire zone - no cigarettes so so as not to show their position to the Bosche... "we had difficulty moving forward, the road had countless ruts which had filled with water, and slowed our advance and we did not want to take a bath , which would not be favorable because of the cold. You had to go fast so as not to get trapped. The weather persists every day, the water falls without stopping. We are stuck in the mud (up to our ankles). Finally, after many superhuman efforts, we arrive at the communication trench. Here we feel a certain ease, we will soon arrive." The diaries report firsthand the horrors of the Western Front, from the point of view of the French soldiers. Broutier left for the front in August 1914 and was soon injured and hospitalized. In 1915, he fought in Belgium and spent from January to March in the trenches. He writes that they were relieved by the English, spending some six days in liaison with them. In September and October, Broutier is engaged in the battle of Loos, and is wounded a second time, sent to the hospital of Lourdes. There is a long description of his stay there. He tells of his departure for the depot, the passage of his commission, his arrival at his parents and his return to the depot in Poitiers. In 1916, Auguste was in Verdun, and he provides a four-page account. Below is a translation of an extract on March 20, "the enemy tries to turn our flank to the left in the Malancourt Avocourt sector. On May 20, they entered the Bois de Malancourt. on the 22nd they established a toe hold at Haucourt. On the 28th they attacked on the Malancourt front but without success. We attacked in our turn on the 29th and re-took a part of the Avocourt wood. On May 31, the Germans completely occupied the village of Malancourt. On April 1, they launched themselves on the fort of Vaux." On the night of the 24th day / 25th May, at Villers in Belgium, he wrote "We are under a rolling barrage of fire, it is appalling. It is very bad for the Macchabies (the Jews). The whole division is in line, we fear an attack from the Fritzes ". In August 1918, Broutier wrote "Boche planes bombed the villages. 17 dead and 35 wounded... What a loss was caused to the Macchabies. We buried them as we went along. We had to collect considerable equipment, batteries, machine gunes etc." On August 8, 1918, the newspapers recorded the" great Somme offensive" alongside the British 4th Army. At 5 o'clock in the morning a terrible barrage begins, "of all caliber". At 6 o'clock in the morning "the waves separate and simultaneously the advance is rapid" the first prisoners immediately pour in. We are thrown against their batteries, "les tireurs sont cloues a leurs pieces", literally the gun crews are nailed to their pieces. The writing is lively and familiar, giving a strong picture of events in a rather dashing style. He writes of the Armistice "Le Novembre le 11 a 11 heiress du matin suspension des hostilities = armistice a Seloigne Belgique"