COMBES (Edmond) - TAMISIER (Maurice). Journey to Abyssinia, to the Lands of the Galla, Choa, and Ifat; Preceded by an Excursion to Happy Arabia… Paris: L. Passard, Lavigne, 1843. — 4 volumes, in-8, 206 x 128: (2 ff.), 367 pp.; (2 ff.), 362 pp.; (2 ff.), 379 pp.; (2 ff.), 383 pp., 1 map. Dark blue half-basane, smooth spine with decoration, mottled edges (contemporary binding). Second edition, following that of 1838, of the account of the expedition conducted between February 1835 and March 1837 by Edmond Combes (1812–1848) and Maurice Tamisier (1810–1875), two Saint-Simonian disciples sent on a mission by the entrepreneur Barthélemy Prosper Enfantin as part of projects for commercial development and exploration in East Africa. This was the first French exploration of the Horn of Africa after a long hiatus. The account provides precise geographical descriptions, ethnological observations (particularly regarding the status of women, slaves, and artisans), as well as linguistic and historical remarks. Upon their return, Combes and Tamisier were awarded the Legion of Honor (1838) and received the silver medal from the Paris Geographical Society (1839); their journey marked the resumption of relations between France and Ethiopia. The edition is illustrated with a fold-out map “of Abyssinia, the Land of the Galla, Choa, and Ifat,” compiled by Combes and Tamisier and drawn by A. Vuillemin in 1838. A fine copy in a contemporary binding. Some normal wear and tear. Foxing. A tear in the map with no missing material, previously repaired.