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[DAGESTAN] Prikaspiiskii krai [i.e. Pre-Caspian Region]

Berge, A.

Item #2163

Tiflis: v tipografii kantseliarii namestnika Kavkazskogo, 1856. 67 pp., 1 ill., 1 folding map. 21х13,5 cm.
In contemporary owner’s wrappers with pencil lettering. Period pencil marks in the same hand as the writing on the front cover, otherwise very good.

This essay on Dagestan was written by Orientalist historian Adolph Berge (1828-1886). He was born into the family of a French professor of St. Petersburg University and studied in Gatchina Orphan Institute and the Oriental Department of Saint Petersburg University. After his graduation, Berge moved to the Caucasus, in the office of the Caucasian governor.
The most important activity of the scientist was his work as chairman of the Caucasian Archaeography Commission. Among Berger’s Caucasian studies, the following works became well-known: “A Brief Overview of the Mountain Tribes in the Caucasus” (Tiflis, 1858), “Chechnya and the Chechens” (Tiflis, 1859); “The history of the Adyghe people” (Tiflis, 1861); “The Caucasus in Archaeological Relation” (Tiflis, 1874) and the 10 volumes of “Acts collected by the Caucasian Archaeological Commission” (1866-1885). Most articles were published in periodicals “Russian starina” [Antiquity] and “Kavkazskii kalendar” [Caucasian Calendar].
This publication is based on Berge’s trip to Dagestan, undertaken in 1852 together with Alexander Meyendorf (1798-1865), Russian economist, traveler and promoter of local crafts, the very first exhibition of natural and manufactured products of the region was organized by him in the halls of the Tiflis Gymnasium in 1850.
In this publication, Berge outlined Dagestan population (with numbers of men and women by 1856), borders and landscape, rivers and bridges, transport routes, administrative divisions, climate with a table of average air temperature in 1852-1855, numbers of harvesting in 1855 and livestock farming, trade and crafts, literacy and languages.
On languages of Dagestan, interestingly Berge points out Azerbaijani language as the main one, as well as Arabic being the second – both are technically not correct, although he mentions Avar and Lak languages as well in his survey.
All in all because of the small font, the publication contains a lot of information for such a compact book.
The publication contains a folding map (31x29,5 cm) depicting the territory and a lithograph from a drawing of highlanders by artist the famous artist count Georgiy Gagarin (1810-1893), best known for creating one of the most beautiful albums on Caucasus ‘Le Caucase pittoresque’ (1847) with the lithographs of views of the land made from his art; and for Cathedral painting of the Sioni church in Tbilisi.

Price: $3,500.00

Status: On Hold