Julian's Books

[Vietnam] La Cochinchine et ses Habitants 1894 SIGNED 1st - 120 plates

Dr. J. C. Baurac

1894. First edition. 1/4 leather. Item #125609

RARE SIGNED FIRST EDITION (1894) — La Cochinchine et ses Habitants (Provinces de l’Ouest) by Dr. J.-C. Baurac Up for sale is an exceptional and highly sought-after piece of Southeast Asian history. This is a genuine First Edition of Dr. J.-C. Baurac’s landmark study, La Cochinchine et ses Habitants, published locally in Saigon in 1894 by the Imprimerie Commerciale Rey, Curiol & Cie. What makes this specific copy incredibly rare is that it includes a handwritten signature and inscription by the author. Books from this colonial era published directly in Vietnam are incredibly difficult to find, especially with the author's own signature. Content & Illustration Highlights (All 120 Plates Bound-In + Map Included!) This volume serves as one of the most critical early ethnographic and photographic records of late 19th-century colonial Vietnam. Dr. Baurac’s text provides a deeply comprehensive study of Southern Vietnam, the Mekong Delta (Western Provinces), detailing local economic conditions, customs, laws, and regional administration. Crucially, this copy includes the complete set of all 120 original full page photographic plates securely bound directly with the text, alongside the original regional map. Because colonial books from the tropics are highly prone to humidity, insect damage, and missing pages, finding a copy with its entire visual record flawlessly intact is extraordinary. These pioneering phototypie images offer an invaluable visual history of French Indochina, capturing: Ethnic Communities & Customs: Detailed portraits of local Vietnamese, Khmer, and Chinese populations in traditional attire. Colonial Landscapes & Architecture: Rare 1890s street scenes, marketplace hubs, and river networks across the Mekong. Daily Life: Late-19th-century agricultural practices, fishing techniques, opium smoking, and religious ceremonies. Cartography: The included regional map detailing the geography and administrative boundaries of the Western Provinces during the early colonial era. "NO REPRODUCTIONS - GENUINE 1894 IMPRINT" Dr. Baurac’s 1894 work is legendary precisely because it documented the raw, unpolished reality of late 19th-century French Indochina. Cultural & Historical Highlights: Opium Culture & Colonial Realities This 1894 Saigon imprint captures French Indochina at a fascinating and volatile historical crossroads. Because Dr. Baurac was a colonial medical officer, his observations provide a stark, un-sanitized look at daily life that goes far beyond standard travelogues of the era. The Opium Culture Sequence: Crucially, this book features an incredibly famous, pioneering photographic sequence capturing a local woman preparing and smoking opium. It explicitly documents the "before, during, and after" phases of the ritual, serving as one of the earliest visual records of the region's colonial opium trade (just as the French Governor-General established the official Régie de l'Opium and the Manufacture d'Opium refinery in Saigon). True Colonial Demography & Commerce: The text goes deep into the ethnic composition of Cholon and the Western Provinces, detailing the vast trading networks of Chinese, Khmer, and Vietnamese wholesalers dealing in rice, silk, and imported goods. High-Stakes Justice: The work documents the early French administrative and judicial system, famously including photography and accounts surrounding high-profile local events—such as the execution of local figures like Thầy Thông Chánh. ***Market Scarcity Note for Serious Collectors*** At the time of listing, there are zero other original 1894 first editions of this landmark work available for purchase anywhere on the global market. The only copies currently found online are low-quality, modern print-on-demand reproductions of the later 1899 edition. This offering represents a genuinely rare, arguably unique opportunity to acquire an original important 130+ year old Saigon colonial imprint—complete with its map, all 120 bound-in plates, and the author's personal signature. Once sold, it may be years before another original copy surfaces.

Price: $3,500.00