‎FELLOWS, Charles:‎
‎A Narrative of an Ascent to the Summit of Mont-Blanc. On title: (Nil mortalibus ardum est. / Coelum ipsum petimus stultitiâ. / Horace Lib 1. Ode 3).‎

‎London, Printed by Thomas Davison. Whitefriars, MDCCCXXVII (private printing for the author), 1827, in-4to, VIII (halftitle - titlepage with coloured lihogr. vignette ‘view of the Mont-Blanc’ taken from the ‘Lake Leman’ (printed by C. Hullmandel)), verso blank + dedication + introduction + description of the Montblanc plate from The Brevan) + 35 p. printed on heavy stock (+ 1 p. with printer’s name) + 1 plate (the so-called original: fac-simile) ‘certificate of the ascension’ by ‘guides de Chamonix... 1827’) + 11 orig. coloured plates‘ + added paper slip ‘directions for placing the plates’, engraved armorial ex libris ‘Marcus de Lavis-Trafford’ with devise ‘Gripe-Grippin-Hold Fast’ + Captain Helot John Eliot + hw. initials « GHM » or « GHW ». + a small bookseller’s ticket ‘William Hutt. Dealer in rare and curious books. Full leather binding, gilt frame on covers, small black titlepiece on spine. Edges gilt. Housed in a modern cloth box, morocco title-ticket on spine.‎

Reference : 116861aaf

‎First edition. Coloured copy - exceedingly scarce. This was the 18th ascent of Mont Blanc. Fellows and his companion, William Hawes, adopted a variation of the customary route, i.e. via the Mur de Cote (for the first time). (Neate). The number of copies printed were reviewed by Meckley in 1995 and by Stuart Legatt in 2006 who came to a result of appr. 150 copies printed of which only about 30 coloured (Meckly states 18 coloured). Plates: Mont Blanc from Servoz / Mont Blanc from the Breven / Mont Blanc from the Col de Balme / Passing the rocs / Frequent appearence of the ice / Arriving at the Grand Mulet / Ascending a cliff / Difficult pass of a crevice / Comparative heights / Descending the steep snows / Descending a cliff. Perret, 1605 “Très rare et magnifique ouvrage, très recherché. Sans doute la plus estimée des relation des premières ascensions du Mont Blanc”; Regards sur les Alpes, 48 page 145; Meckly, 071; Neate, F18; Gattlen n° 745 ‘Mont Blanc from the Col de Balme’. Image disp.‎