PETER WILHELM FORCHHAMMER: Topographische und Physiographische Beschreibung der Ebene von Troia. Frankfurt 1850 First edition. Large 4to (27x23 cm). Contemporary marbled hard covers, preserving the original publisher’s front paper cover, with author’s dedication dated 23/12/1850. Text with some light scattered spotting in a few pages. Complete: title, [1], 28 p. Manuscript ownership inscription of William St Clair, leading Hellenist, on front pastedown. Overall in very good condition, with fine provenance. Forchhammer, a German archaeologist, travelled in Greece and the Levant between 1838–1840. His works focus primarily on topography and ancient mythology, and he was among the first to argue that Greek myths had a historical and topographical foundation. This work is an extended commentary on a map of Troy published by the English traveler Spratt in 1842. Having personally visited the plain of Troy, Forchhammer strongly disputed Spratt’s identifications. The debate became so prominent that it reached the Royal Geographical Society, which convened a special session on the matter. An extremely rare publication, with important provenance, as this copy belonged to William St Clair, who revisited the Troy question in the 20th century.