Martel E./Yermoloff A.: “La cote d azur Russe-Voyage en Russie Meridionale,au Caucase Occidental et en Transcaucasie,mission du gouvernement russe “.Paris 1903

First edition, in Small Folio 29x20cm,later cloth over marbled boards preserving the fine original illustrated paper covers, complete 358p.,sixty six ( 66)  full page plates with illustrations (mainly fine photographs) , 26 more illustrations in the text (mostly photographs) and one folded map as called for, text clean and bright, overall in very good plus condition. In 1902 a Russian governmental mission with several French scientists explored the eastern coast of the Black sea ,still a little known place. The climate of the place and the contemporary influx of wealthy Russians in the area made the place a kind of Cote d Azur in Russia. The short and precipitous valleys of the rivers of the coastal areas of western Caucasus were still unexplored and populated with several ancient indigenous races ,mostly Christians .The area was still filled with Greeks with fine Medieval churches of Byzantine style and several other monuments of the Byzantine past .Very rare travel account. Very richly illustrated