GIGOT, Ph. Stranger’s guide through Brussels or new historical topographical and critical description of that city. Bruxelles, Ad. Stapleaux, 1820. 12mo, contemporary cardboard binding, frontispiece, map, viii – 167 p.; nice copy
Second English edition of this early Brussels tourist guide, originally written in French by Philippe Gigot, member of the Literary Society of Brussels. The work includes a historical description, three chapters on government, commerce, and local establishments, as well as ten letters detailing morals, customs, climate, theatres, walks, monuments, and the arts. Written from the perspective of a French visitor experiencing Brussels for the first time, the text offers vivid and occasionally slightly censorious reflections on the city and its society.
