Ilbert, Heliopolis, Le Caire 1905 - 1922.

Condition : good, flyleaves slightly curled, cover slightly browned.
Binding : contemporary half leather, colour illustrated cover preserved.
Illustrations : 8 graphics and 49 photos, plans and diagrams in black and white in the text.

Heliopolis illustrates the creation of a city in a colonial situation. It is the expression of a political situation - European domination of Egypt -, the result of a financial operation and also the work of a man - Edouard EMPAIN, baron from 1907 - and the reflection of his dreams. However, it is difficult to distinguish between calculation, "commercial promotion" and the affirmation of pride. A self-made man lives on in a town, a Xanadu expanded to the dimensions of a city, where he realises his talents, passions and fantasies.
Robert Ilbert has solidly substantiated - and clearly presented - his demonstration. He is not content with "publicity" figures, but has sought out the company's true accounts and found them, even though he did not have access to the archives of the Empain group in Brussels, a small gap in the impressive documentation. He meticulously follows the phases of construction and operation, the variations of the company's policy and brings a mass of new information.