Featured in this lot is "Le Magasin Pittoresque" Two Volumes, by Édouard Charton, 1880 and 1881. The French language "Magasin Pittoresque" was a sort of popular encyclopedia which, without neglecting important modern discoveries, was above all concerned with resurrecting the past. The term magasin, ("magazine"), was intended to indicate that the collection contained a little of everything: morality, history, archaeology, art, natural sciences, industry, travel, all subjects, in a word, which addressing the heart,the imagination and the taste, would be of a nature to enrich with pure and instructive distractions activities of the interior life and domestic hearth. Inspired by period English magazines and especially, "The Penny Magazine", Édouard Charton (1807-1890) believed in the emancipation of people through education, respect for human dignity and fought for the dissemination of knowledge and political action in favor of liberal and republican ideas. He sought to reach his target audience of the working class through illustrative engravings. He supplemented the written teachings with images, in what he called, "speaking to the eyes to reach the mind more surely." Édouard Charton was a French literary figure who founded the magazine "Le Magasin pittoresque", and served as its editor-in-chief for fifty-five years. He also served as director of publication of the French publisher Hachette for thirty years. The leather and marbled gold gilt hardcovers are in amazingly well preserved condition, scuffing exhibited to covers and edges, the title label is missing from one spine. Intact pages are in good overall condition displaying age tanning and foxing. Each measures 8.25"W x 11.75"L x .875"D, combined weight 5lb, 4oz.