Arbois F., “Memoire sur les trois departments de Corcire, d’Ithaque et de la mer Egee”, Paris, 1798 (An VI). FIRST and only edition. 8vo, 20x13, pp.104. Complete. EXTREMELY RARE. Bound together (at head): Rooke H., “Voyage sur les cotes de l’ Arabie Heureuse sur la mer Rouge et en Egypte”, Paris, 1788. First edition in French. 8vo, 20x13cm, pp.153. Complete. RARE. Bound together: Mimaut J. “Notice historique sur l etat actuel, le commerce, les moeurs et les productions des isles de Malte et du Goze”, Paris 1798 (An VI), FIRST and only edition. 8vo, 20x13cm, pp.61. Complete. EXTREMELY RARE. Bound together: Delpuech-Comeiras, “Considerations sur la possibilite, l’interet et les moyens qu auroit la France de rouvrir l’ancienne route de commerce de l’Inde, accompagnees de recherché sur l’Isthme de Suez et sur la junction de la mer Rouge a la Mediterranee”, Paris, 1798 (An VI). First and only edition. 8vo, 20x13cm,pp.139. Complete. EXTREMELY RARE. Bound together: [Anonymous], “Etat actuel de l’ Inde, et considerations sur les etablissements et le commerce de la France dans cette partie du monde… sur la meilleure maniere de faire le commerce”, Londres- Paris, 1787. First edition. 8vo, 20x13cm, pp.224. Complete. RARE. Contemporary full leather, spine richly gilt, interior clean. A fine copy of a unique collection. Obviously a Napoleonic made to order combination of five, mostly extremely rare, publications on the Levant, all dealing with the trade route to India, via the Levant and demonstrate French state policy to control the key positions of this road. After the Revolution the project started to be implemented by Napoleon. In summer 1797 the Ionian islands had been occupied and incorporated to France by November, as departments de Corcire (Kerkyra), Ithaque (Kefalonia, Lefkada etc) and mer Egee (Zakynthos and Kithira). The Arbois were French officers of the Levant army in the Ionian Islands and their detailed description of the islands, obviously based on official documents and their eyewitness account, its unique, as French rule lasted only one year. Delpuech-Comeiras, the writer of the other above mentioned work, was the first Commissioner General in Kerkira. Malta had been occupied by Napoleon in his way to Egypt and Mimaut (1773-1837), a French diplomat was later consul in Egypt. But the French naval disaster at Aboukir, in August 1798 destroyed any French hope to open a trade route to India. After all these publications on trade via the Levant with India, the control and descriptions of key positions along this road were useless. So it could be assumed that, the assemblage in one volume of the five works, had been made in summer 1798 to boost Napoleonic invasion to Egypt. It is demonstrated that Napoleon had a very organized propaganda and used particularly the publications. A historical piece. None of the five books on Atabey or Blackmer.