1963 Signed by Jean Drapeau to UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson - Montreal A Pictorial Record by De Volpi.
A deluxe two-volume pictorial history of Montreal, with a presentation inscription dated 1964 from Mayor Jean Drapeau to Harold Wilson.
Author: Charles P. de Volpi and P. S. Winkworth.
Title: Montréal: Recueil iconographique / A Pictorial Record: Historical Prints and Illustrations of the City of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada, 1535–1885.
Publisher: Montreal: Dev-Sco Publications Ltd., 1963.
Edition: First edition; deluxe issue; two volumes.
Language: English and French.
Pages: 311 pages (as recorded in the existing catalogue description; pagination by volume not specified).
Size: 13 × 10 inches.
Binding: Deluxe full crushed morocco, with the Montreal coat of arms embossed on the upper boards, gilt-lettered spines and leather endpapers; removable protective covers.
Content: Described as fine, clean and firmly bound; original bookmarks present. Title-page presentation inscription to Harold Wilson, signed by Jean Drapeau and dated 1964.
Illustrations: More than 300 reproductions of historical prints, maps and views of Montreal.
Estimate: USD 1,500–2,000.
The books: Published in 1963, this substantial illustrated survey traces Montreal's visual history from 1535 to 1885 through historical prints, maps and other images. The deluxe morocco bindings give the two-volume work a particularly distinguished presentation.
This copy is notable for its title-page inscription from Jean Drapeau, mayor of Montreal, to Harold Wilson, dated 1964. The inscription provides a direct association between two prominent political figures of the period. Although the presentation is recorded in the volume, the subsequent chain of ownership has not been independently documented here; the inscription should not, by itself, be treated as proof of continuous provenance from Wilson's personal library.
The authors: Charles P. de Volpi and P. S. Winkworth assembled a visual record of Montreal's development through surviving historical images. Their compilation offers a resource for readers interested in the city's urban, architectural and cultural history.