Seas and Oceans

Album of 50 full-page plates signed by Lange, each with captioned tissue guards (cf. Polak 6415).

Publisher's binding in red half shagreen, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt dotted rolls and black fillets, gilt naval anchors, gilt title and naval anchor on the upper cover in red cloth, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

Some minor foxing, a few faded spots along the edges of the covers, a well-preserved copy overall.

A fine visual survey of the French navy at the end of the 19th century, featuring 44 warships and 6 merchant vessels (from the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, Messageries Maritimes, Chargeurs Réunis, Albert Méniér, and...

New edition of the French translation.

Bound at the end of this volume are the following two texts:

• Relation du Nouvel Archipel Septentrional, discovered recently by the Russians in the seas of Kamchatka and Anadir. By Mr. J. Staehlin. Translated into English from the original German, and from English into French.
• Account of the singular adventures of four Russian travellers who were cast away on the desert island of Eastern Spitzbergen, with some observations on the productions of this island. By M.P.L. Le Roy. Translated into English from the original German at the request of several members of the Royal Society of London, and from English into...

First edition of the French translation of this account of the Lutheran mission’s activities on the eastern coast of India, originally published under various titles.

Contemporary full marbled light brown calf, spine with five raised bands richly gilt with garland rolls and double decorative panels, light brown calf title label, headcap shaved, gilt fillets along the edges, corners restored, red edges, period binding.

Since 1620, the Danish East India Company had held several trading posts and possessions along the Indian coastline, the principal settlement being Tranquebar. Transferred to the Danish Crown in 1779, these outposts became Danish colonies. However, frequently...

Unpublished French manuscript translation of the Giurisprudenza marittima-commerciale antica e moderna, Luigi Piantanida's monumental four-volume treatise on maritime and commercial law, published in Milan between 1806 and 1808 and dedicated to Napoleon. The translation was prepared by a certain J. Brunet, whose identity has not been established. Folio (25.5 × 39.3 cm), 680 unnumbered manuscript pages.

Modern period-style binding in half mottled tan calf with vellum corners...

First edition.

Official series not listed in Polak.

Full red morocco binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt Romantic arabesques, gilt roll-tooled bands at head and foot, elaborate gilt quadruple fillet frame, garland and lozenge design with gilt corner motifs on covers, gilt crowned monogram stamped in gilt at center of each board, blue moiré silk endleaves and doublures, gilt dentelle borders on doublures, gilt dotting on board edges, all edges gilt; a superb Romantic period binding.

Copy bearing the crowned monogram "FO" of Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans (1810–1842), eldest son of King Louis-Philippe. 

A very fine copy, beautifully preserved in an...

First edition, illustrated with a frontispiece by Ozanne depicting the frigate *L’Aurore*, engraved by Haussard, four plates of instruments, and one folding map at the end of the volume (cf. Polak 2098).

Contemporary-style binding in bronze half calf, flat spine decorated with double gilt fillets, bronze morocco title label with some rubbing, marbled paper boards, modern binding.

In 1767, Coutanvaux was commissioned by the Académie des Sciences to undertake a voyage to the North to test various marine timekeeping systems.

Some light foxing, not affecting the text.

Very rare first edition.

Two small losses to the head and foot of the spine, printed wrappers slightly soiled.

The presentation of the report is signed by the Marquis de Lafressange, Antony Androuët, the Viscount de Mazenod, and Louis Lapierre.

First and unique edition of this work, illustrated with 9 plates engraved by Benard after drawings by Penevert (cf Polak 8371).

Binding in half mottled tawny basane with vellum corners, smooth spine decorated with gilt friezes, black basane title piece partially torn, some rubbing and small holes on the spine, marbled paper boards with small paper losses, contemporary binding.

Some restorations on the spine, corners rubbed.

This work is one of the volumes of the *Description des Arts et Métiers* published at the initiative of the Académie des Sciences.

Author of numerous works on navigation and ships, Romme was a professor of mathematics at the School of Marine...

Second edition, illustrated with two large folding maps mounted on tabs (cf. Polak 1755).

Bradel binding in full marbled pink paper-covered boards, spine sunned with losses. Title and shelving labels affixed at head and foot of spine. Some scratches and paper losses to the boards, minor abrasions and small chips to the edges. Contemporary binding.

In addition to his significant maritime and political activity since the Seven Years’ War, Charles-Pierre Claret de Fleurieu (1738–1810) was the inventor of the first marine chronometer.

Printed stamp of the Imprimerie de la République at the foot of the title page.

New edition. "American Imprints" 28030. See Lowndes II, 298 for the first edition: "Liveliness of description of scenery and manners, couched in an easy and elegant style…"

Contemporary half havana shagreen with corners, spine decorated with gilt fillets and fleurons, rubbed beige morocco label, a few minor scuffs along the spine. Gilt garland borders framing the marbled paper boards, endpapers and pastedowns of rose paper lightly soiled at margins, marbled edges. Late 19th-century binding.

Some occasional foxing.

A good copy.

Rare first edition including a general map of Africa, compiled from the most reliable observations and the latest discoveries, as well as 8 finely engraved plates (cf. Clozel 505; Gay 2897).

The 8 illustrations comprise: one folding view, three folding maps and plans, a key chart for the plan of Gorée, and three portraits of indigenous figures.

Some restorations and water stains affecting a few leaves.

Contemporary half calf binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt garlands, floral tools, and urns; red morocco title and volume labels, marbled edges.

Born in Colmar, Sylvain-Meinrad-Xavier de Golbéry (1742–1822) spent his entire military career in the Corps of...

First edition of this excellent maritime dictionary, later reprinted in 1780, 1797, and 1799.

The work is complete in all its parts and includes 31 engraved plates by Le Gouaz after the author's drawings.

Contemporary full mottled calf binding, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt compartments and floral tools, red morocco title label, headcap worn down, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, red edges, upper corners worn.

Small loss to the upper left corner of the front free endpaper, tears to the left margin of the title page, occasional foxing, otherwise a pleasant copy internally.

Born in Lyon on 5 November 1743, Daniel Lescallier entered naval service...

First edition of the French translation by A.J.B. Defauconpret (see Sabin 73385).

Illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of the author in the first volume, and in the second volume with a folding map and two plates depicting a view of the Victory and a view of the Filson Islands.

Contemporary green half calf bindings, flat spines decorated with triple gilt fillets, rubbed headcaps, joints slightly split at the head, green paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, corners of the first volume slightly bumped.

Some foxing.

First edition of the French translation established by Lallemant, illustrated with 3 folding maps with hand-colored outlines (cf. Gay 2788).

Bradel binding in full pink paper boards, smooth spine with laterally mounted paper title labels, contemporary binding.

Headcaps trimmed, some wear to the edges, marginal soiling on the lower cover, occasional foxing throughout.

Scottish surgeon and explorer Mungo Park (1771–1806) reached Pisania (Gambia) during a first expedition to Africa (1795–1797), where he stayed for a time to gather information on the Mandingo people and language. He then continued his journey to the Niger River, ascending it as far as upstream from Ségou...

First edition of this biography of the renowned explorer.

Illustrated with a frontispiece portrait and a folding lithographed map bound at the end of the volume.

Copy preserved in a plain temporary wrapper.

Some light foxing, traces of damp-staining along the lower edge of all leaves.

Rare.

First edition, illustrated with 6 maps and 89 engravings after the author's drawings.

Contemporary navy blue half shagreen binding, spine with five raised bands ruled in gilt, small tear at head of spine and minor rubbing, gilt stamp of the Join-Lambert institution in Rouen to the centre of the upper board, cold-stamped fillet frame on navy blue paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges.

Some light foxing, mainly at the beginning and end of the volume; school price label affixed to one pastedown.

A well-preserved copy.

New edition printed in 250 copies at the government's expense, intended to provide work for typographic workers (cf. Sabin 11841. Leclerc 697).

Contemporary half blue calf bindings, flat spines decorated with double gilt fillets and blind-stamped typographic motifs, gilt decorative rolls at foot of spines, restored with minor rubbing to the spines, marbled paper boards, hand-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges.

Some occasional light foxing.

A rare copy, handsomely bound in contemporary bindings.

First edition, illustrated with 18 copper-engraved plates in the first volume and 22 copper-engraved plates in the second.

Contemporary bindings in green half shagreen, spines with four raised bands, decorated with blind-ruled fillets and double gilt panels with ornamental cornerpieces; minor rubbing to the spines, boards in green paper-covered cardboard with blind-stamped frames and a few minor surface abrasions, heavily bumped corners. Endpapers and pastedowns of white moiré silk slightly soiled at margins as often, all edges gilt.

Foxing.

A compilation of selected excerpts from the most celebrated travel narratives.

Jacques-Bernard Hombron (1798–1852), a naval...

Rare first edition (cf. Quérard IV, 457. Not listed in Gay.)

Bradel binding in full paper-covered boards marbled by hand, smooth spine, red morocco title label, minor stains in the lower margins of the first two pages.

The renowned astronomer explores the Niger and the feasibility of crossing Africa from Senegal to the Red Sea.

First edition, illustrated with 6 photographic plates and 2 folding maps.

This is the text of a lecture given at the Norwegian Geographical Society on 22 September 1937.

A very good copy.

Second edition of the French translation, expanded with a few remarks and illustrated with a map of the North Atlantic and 9 folding plates outside the text (natural history, views, Inuit types, etc.), cf. Sabin 22312n. "European Americana" 750/110. See Leclerc 717 for the first French edition published a year earlier.

The plates are captioned in both French and Dutch; the original English edition was published in London in 1748; the first French edition appeared in Paris in 1749.

The work opens with a historical account of earlier attempts to discover a route to the East Indies via the Northwest Passage.

Contemporary binding in full marbled calf, spine with gilt...

Rare first edition, illustrated with a folding map bound at the end of the volume (cf. Backer & Sommervogel VIII, 827).

Only one copy recorded in the CCF (BnF).

Contemporary full black shagreen binding, spine with four raised bands adorned with blind-ruled fillets, minor rubbing to spine, covers framed with double and single blind fillets with corner volutes, some rubbing to covers, bumped corners, sprinkled edges.

Father Benito Viñes [Poboleda (Tarragona) 1837 – Havana 1893] arrived in Havana in 1870, where he was appointed director of the magnetic and meteorological observatory, a position he held until his death. His studies on Caribbean hurricanes remain...

First edition of the French translation established by P. Arsène Mousqueron, an employee of the French telegraph administration, with the collaboration of Manuel Rouaud y Paz Soldan.

Contemporary black half shagreen, spine with four raised bands decorated with blind-ruled fillets, restored to spine and joints, black paper-covered boards framed with blind tooling, yellow paper endpapers and pastedowns.

Some minor foxing.

This highly detailed geography of each Peruvian province also includes studies on the country's production and trade, merchant navy, political education, and territorial organization.

New edition of the French translation, illustrated in the first volume with a folding map of India with hand-colored borders, printed on bluish paper; and in the second volume with a folding map of Arabia, also printed on bluish paper (see Gay 83 and Lorin 2065 for the first edition of 1786).

Contemporary full speckled calf bindings, spine with five raised bands, gilt-tooled compartments with floral motifs, red morocco title and volume labels, gilt roll tooling at head and foot of spine, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges.

Library stamps to title pages, shelf labels at foot of spines, some rubbing to spines and covers with minor surface losses, internally clean...

First edition of the French translation, revised under the author's supervision, by Joseph Lavallée, of this highly regarded travel account.

The atlas includes 16 plates depicting views and natural history subjects, 12 pages of engraved music, and 1 folding map (cf. Monglond VI 729–730).

Contemporary bindings in half blond calf over green vellum-tipped boards, smooth spines decorated with gilt tooling, yellow edges, for the three text volumes.

Contemporary binding for the atlas in half green sheep with vellum tips, smooth spine decorated with triple gilt fillets, soft green paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

Wormholes on title pages, scuffed...

Uncommon first edition containing highly interesting observations on life aboard the Newfoundland fishing vessels (cf. Sabin 11020).

The chapters on whaling and seal hunting were overlooked by Thiébaut, Jenkins, and Vaucaire.

The author, Constant-Jean-Antoine Carpon (1803–1872), was a medical officer and surgeon in the merchant navy. He began his career in 1826 and continued until 1865, taking part in numerous fishing expeditions to Newfoundland.

Contemporary quarter maroon paper binding, flat spine slightly faded and decorated with blind-stamped fillets, brown paper boards with minor rubbing.

Some light foxing.

Inscribed by Constant-Jean-Antoine...

First edition of the author's first work; Aboal Amaro, Amerigo Vespucci, page 31. Leclerc, 263 (does not mention this edition). Sabin, 10704.

Contemporary limp cream paper boards, plain spine, original binding.

Spine worn with some loss, a marginal stain affecting two leaves at the beginning, otherwise a clean and attractive copy.

This essay, in which the author argued "with a certain force of reasoning" (Larousse) that Vespucci discovered America before Christopher Columbus, was awarded the prize of the Academy of Cortona in 1788. The Florentine scholar Stanislas Canovai (1740–1811) devoted his life to restoring the reputation of the famed navigator Amerigo...

Illustrated with a facsimile letter as frontispiece and a folding map at the end of the volume (cf. Sabin, 80002 and 25852).

Only one copy listed in the CCF (BnF).

Contemporary binding in red half shagreen, spine with five raised bands framed by gilt dotted rules, gilt triple compartments, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

Traces of damp to the beginning of the volume, with clumsily restored paper margins to the upper right corners of some leaves, occasional foxing.

Previously published as the fourth volume in French’s major series, Historical collection of Louisiana, this compilation concerning the exploration of the Mississippi...

First edition of the French translation, made from the second English edition and illustrated with 7 plates outside the text and 1 folding map (Gay 1496 bis).

Contemporary quarter fawn sheep bindings, smooth spines decorated with gilt fillets and typographic ornaments, brown morocco title label on the first volume, red morocco title label on the second; some restorations and rubbing to spines and joints, marbled paper boards, bumped corners, a few scrapes along the edges.

Some foxing; bookplates mounted to the pastedowns, names carefully erased.

New edition of the French translation, reissued for sale with a substitute title, of this anonymous account first printed in 1793 (Schwab, 612. Barbier, IV, 1097e. Quérard, Supercheries, I, 606e.).

The translation is by Louis Matthieu Langlès and François Joseph Noël.

Contemporary full tree calf, smooth spine with gilt-decorated compartments, gilt fillet at foot, joints rubbed, spine ends worn, maroon morocco title label, endpapers and pastedowns lightly soiled at margins, corners bumped.

The work includes a description of the principal towns and regions visited during the journey from Bengal to Persia: Ceylon, Goa, Bombay, Muscat, Oman, Bushehr, Shiraz, followed by...

First edition, one of 50 numbered copies on alfa paper, the only deluxe copies.
Bound in red half shagreen with corners, spine with four raised bands framed by blind fillets, sides covered in gilt-effect paper, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt on witnesses.
A handsome copy in an attractive binding.

First edition, illustrated with 7 plates: a plan of Fort William and a large folding view of Calcutta in the first volume; 5 folding plates in the second volume (including 3 views of Mocha and its surroundings), see Gay 3317bis.

Contemporary full tree calf bindings, smooth spines decorated with gilt fillets, floral tools and geometric patterns, now largely faded, red morocco title-pieces, green bottle-morocco volume labels, some wear to joints, marbled endpapers, red-speckled yellow edges.

Rubbing to the spines, split to one joint.

Rare sole edition of one of the author's two travel accounts. A naval officer and son of a slave trader from Saint-Malo, Louis Ohier de...

First edition, illustrated with a folding map and 11 tinted lithographic plates (cf. Gay 3137).

Contemporary half aubergine sheep, smooth spine ruled and lettered in gilt, some rubbing to hinges, one joint fragile, marbled paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers, speckled edges.

Some repairs to the spine, occasional foxing.

Arbousset, a Protestant missionary and explorer, recounts the discovery of the Mont des Sources and offers vivid descriptions of the peoples among whom he lived: Bastaards or mixed-race communities, Hottentots, Bushmen, Kaffirs, etc.

Rare.

First edition of the French translation based on the second English edition, with additions drawn from Robert Adams's narrative in Africa, 1810. (cf. Gay 2788.)

Illustrated with 10 plates, including a frontispiece portrait of Mungo Park and a map showing his route from Kayee on the Gambia to Boussa on the Niger.

Contemporary full marbled tan sheep, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets, garlands and fleurons, cream title labels, gilt dentelle and fillet frames on boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, speckled edges.

Some wear with minor losses at head and foot of one joint, a few scuffs to the covers, occasional foxing, otherwise a...

French edition translated from the English by Charles Athanase Walcknaer, illustrated with 8 folding maps inserted out of text: 5 in the first volume, 3 in the second (see Gay 2996).

Contemporary half purple sheep bindings, flat spines faded and decorated with gilt garlands, joints with some repairs, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers, printed stamps to endpapers, occasional light foxing.

Autograph letter signed by Pierre Loti, addressed to Alphonse Daudet (not named explicitly), inviting him to the premiere of his *Pêcheur d'Islande* at the Grand Théâtre on 18 February 1893; 8 lines in black ink on a bifolium.

"Je voudrais bien vous avoir samedi à la première de 'Pêcheur', avec madame Daudet. Vous ne pouvez pas me refuser cela. J'irai vous chercher. Tendres respects. Pierre Loti."

In collaboration with Louis Tiercelin, Pierre Loti adapted his literary masterpiece and great popular success for the stage.

This note was previously mounted on a guard to be inserted into a book, and was later removed.

Very rare edition comprising the independent pre-publication of the first part of the major geological expedition to the Antilles and the islands of Tenerife and Fogo, a seven-volume quarto work also covering Guadeloupe, Martinique, and others.

Illustrated with 9 lithographed plates, including a folding map of the Cape Verde Islands and 6 tinted views.

Not recorded by Sabin in his entry on the Voyage.

Bound after, by the same author: Recherches sur les principaux phénomènes de météorologie et de physique générale aux Antilles, printed in Paris by Gide and J. Baudry in 1849.

Bradel binding in full black textured cloth, smooth spine decorated with blind...

First complete edition of this major work in Africanist literature (cf. Bibliography of Côte d'Ivoire, 286. Not listed in Bruel, Bibliography of French Equatorial Africa. Lorentz, XIV, 215.)

This book contains an overall map, numerous detailed sketches, and one hundred and seventy-six wood engravings based on the drawings of Riou. Bindings in half cherry morocco with corners, spine with five raised bands decorated with cold-tooling, a small tear at the top of one joint, paper-covered boards, some light rubbing to the boards, endpapers and pastedowns made of marbled paper, corners slightly bumped, gilt edges, period bindings.

This exploration mission ordered by Faidherbe left...

Autograph postcard signed and addressed to his friend Ariel Denis from his summer residence in Vendée, 22 lines in black ink.

The postcard shows a general view of the coastal cliffs of Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez in Vendée.

Julien Gracq expresses his satisfaction with the advice he had given his friend, while lamenting the petty calculations of administrative life: "j'avais décidément raison de vous recommander une saine stratégie syndicale : faute ce cet appui je crains qu'il n'y ait plus de belle carrière dans l'enseignement ! J'espère tout de même que la stabilité au moins va venir couronner vos efforts (il y en a un de ma part sous le beau style ! malgré...

First edition of the French translation, illustrated with a portrait of the author and 29 engraved plates depicting objects, ornaments, coins, plants, and animals (cf. Cordier, Bibl. Japonica, 447. Gay, 3151. Brunet, V, 850).

Contemporary full marbled calf bindings, flat spines richly decorated with gilt typographic tools, gilt roll tooling at head and tail, brown morocco title-pieces, dark green morocco volume labels, gilt roll-tooled borders on boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, yellow edges.

A Swedish botanist and naturalist, Carl Peter Thunberg (1743–1828) studied medicine and natural history at Uppsala and became one of Linnaeus’s most...

Rare first edition (cf. Gay 367; Leclerc 638).

The work is illustrated with a map of the port and harbor of Brest and five plates: How the beds of the Negroes are made [and] The house of the Negroes – How the Moors ride their Camels, Horses and Oxen with their merchandise – How the Negroes collect palm wine [sic] [and] How they climb the palm trees [and] How the Negroes make incisions to extract the palm wine [and] how they are dressed – Dress of lords and notable persons – How the women are dressed and how they carry their children on their backs [and] How the Negroes dance in a circle.

This account is considered a valuable narrative, offering noteworthy details on the trade...

Rare first edition (cf. Borba de Moraes II, 753: "famous book of navigational bearings". Rodrigues 2144.)

Minor marginal foxing on the endpapers, otherwise a clean and appealing copy.

Contemporary-style binding in quarter tree calf with corners, smooth spine, blind-ruled panels on marbled paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns. Modern binding.

Baron Roussin (1781–1854) explored the coasts of Brazil in 1819–1820, during which he charted and described the Abrolhos archipelago—later made famous by Darwin’s observations aboard HMS Beagle (1832).

Manuscript ownership inscription: Guillotin.

First edition, a Paris edition appeared the same year, see Cioranescu, XVII, 26842. Brunet V, 1222, under the entry "Villa," mentions this Paris edition under the title Voyage. Blackmer 505.

Contemporary full stiff vellum, flat spine, inked title at head of spine, speckled edges.

"This work is an abridged version of, or rather based on, Rostagno's Viaggi Dell'… Sign. Marchese Ghiron Francesco Villa In Dalmatia, e Levante, Torino, 1668. Du Cros, who in the preface says Rostagno lent him his manuscript, has produced a day-by-day account of the siege of Candia and of Villa's part in it. Villa took up arms against the Turks in 1665, sustained the siege of Candia for 2 years, and...

First edition of the French translation, illustrated with 12 folding plates and maps outside the text, and 11 folding tables included in the pagination (cf. Sabin 62574).

Contemporary full mottled calf binding, spine with five raised bands decorated with double gilt panels, floral tools and gilt medallions, red morocco title label with some loss and partially lifting, gilt garland frame on covers, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, all edges yellow.

Some minor foxing, one joint fragile.

Famous account of this "unfortunate expedition which served to demonstrate the impossibility of crossing the Polar ice" [Hoefer]. Pages 187 to 208 are devoted to natural history...

First edition, rare, illustrated with a large folding engraved map (cf. Gay 3082).

Contemporary full marbled calf, smooth spine gilt in compartments adorned with gilt floral tools, tan morocco title label, gilt roll tooling at head and foot of spine, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, red-speckled yellow edges.

Some restoration to spine and covers, occasional foxing and slight age-toning to a few gatherings.

Written from the memoirs of the missionaries Descourvières and Bellegarde. The first part offers a description of the country and the customs of its inhabitants, followed by notes on their language; the second part recounts the history of...

First edition, illustrated with a frontispiece, a portrait of the author, and 14 copper-engraved vignettes within the text, mostly depicting inhabitants of the North (cf Sabin, 38711.)

Restored binding in full grained morocco, spine with five false raised bands adorned with gilt fillets and double compartments, gilded roulettes on the partially faded caps, small repairs to the joints, gilt fillets on the edges, slightly worn corners, binding of the period.

Ink annotations on the white endpaper and at the top of the false-title page.

Born in Rouen in 1634, La Martinière embarked around 1670 as a surgeon on a ship of the Northern Company bound for Norway, and visited...

Rare first edition of this curious travel account, originally written entirely in verse (7,500 lines), though the author—on the advice of friends—agreed to intersperse it with prose narrative (retaining 2,500 lines of verse); see Sabin 20128, Gagnon 1134 (1710 edition), and Dionne II.

Contemporary full brown calf binding, spine with five raised bands, gilt compartments decorated with gilt floral tools, cherry red morocco label, gilt roll tooling at head and foot, double black fillet border on covers, gilt fillets on board edges, sprinkled yellow edges with red mottling.

Lower right corner of upper cover restored; some spots and minor scuffs to the boards; occasional light...

Rare first edition of this "relation (...) much sought after for its accuracy", illustrated with 19 folding plates, including 2 maps (cf. Sabin 3604, Leclerc 119).

Full marbled tan calf binding, spine with five raised bands, gilt compartments decorated with gilt floral motifs, small chip at foot of spine, scuffing to covers, red edges, bumped corners, gilt fillets along the board edges, contemporary binding.

The author, a physician and botanist born in Perpignan in 1690—where he held a post at the military hospital—was introduced by Antoine de Jussieu to the Conseil de la Marine in August 1721 and appointed royal physician and botanist in French Guiana. He landed in...

First edition, illustrated with 3 hors-texte plates (cf. Rodrigues 1357. Borba de Moraes I, 381. See INED 2496 for the 1774 edition).

The plates depict: Brama, god of the Indians – View of a pagoda tower – Snake charmer.

Contemporary-style binding in marbled tawny calf over vellum-tipped corners, spine with five raised bands, ruled in gilt, brown calf lettering-piece, marbled paper-covered boards, red sprinkled edges, modern binding.

Coromandel Coast, European trading posts, military strongholds, Indian religion, medicine, anatomy, caste system, Indian manners, dress, dwellings, gardens, food (and temperance), wedding rituals, funerals, Indian morals, fauna, flora...

Paris, Knapen & Fils, 1782. Octavo, viii, 244 pages and 2 unnumbered leaves of approbation and privilege.

First edition, illustrated with a large folding map entitled "Terres Australes ou partie septentrionale de l'Isle de Kerguelen", surrounded by eight coastal views and profiles. The volume contains the accounts of Kerguelen's two expeditions to the southern seas between 1771 and 1774, a memoir on Madagascar on pages 154-169, and "Observations on the War in America" on pages 121-133. Cf. Sabin, 37618.

Contemporary full mottled tan calf, smooth...

Rare first edition of the French translation (not recorded by Sabin or Cordier).

Contemporary half calf bindings, spines with four raised bands ruled in gilt and adorned with blind-stamped typographic ornaments and gilt fillets, gilt Greek-key rolls at foot, marbled paper boards showing some scuffing with losses to paper at a few corners, marbled edges.

Some foxing.

The Scottish naval officer Basil Hall [Edinburgh 1788 – Gosport 1844], son of geologist and antiquary Sir James Hall, undertook numerous voyages as a Royal Navy officer to the East Indies, the seas of China, Japan, and Korea, the coasts of South America, the United States, and Canada, publishing detailed and...

Very rare first edition (cf Dunmore, p. 16. Ferguson, 225. Forbes, Hawaiian National Bibliography, 285. Gove, The Imaginary Voyage in Prose Fiction, pp. 397-8. Kroepelien, 283. McLaren, 269. Sabin, 38958. Missing from Negley, Utopian literature, and the Dictionary of literary utopias.)

Binding in full marbled calf, smooth spine adorned with compartments and floral gilt motifs, red morocco title label, gilt roulettes on the headbands (partially faded) and on the edges, binding of the period.

A tear with loss on the spine, small crack at the foot of one joint, rubbing on the joints, some foxing, a moisture stain on the first endpaper fading on the following pages, light halos at...

First edition, illustrated with 39 full-page plates and numerous in-text vignettes (cf. Lorenz IX, 494).

Bradel binding in full brown buckram, smooth spine gilt-stamped with a floral tool, gilt double fillet at foot, green morocco label, modern binding signed by Lobstein-Laurenchet.

Some foxing, mostly to the first and last leaves.

A pleasant copy.

Very rare first edition illustrated with 4 maps and 2 plates out of text: map of Amsterdam Island, map of part of the northwest coast of America, of the northern mouth of Queen Charlotte Sound, plan of Bokerelle port on the northwest coast of America, sea wolves and sea lions (cf. Sabin 61001. Howes 7897. F. Monaghan 1174. Lada Mocarski 89. Gay 272. Ferguson 980. Hill 230. Borba de Moraes II, 663: "A description of Bahia appears in Vol. I").

Scattered foxing. Minor losses and rubbing to joints.

Contemporary full khaki green calf bindings, spines faded and decorated with raised false bands adorned with gilt garlands, dotted lines, and gilt rules, along with blind-stamped...

Autograph letter, dated and signed, sent from Toulon to his friend Pierre Louÿs, four pages penned in violet ink on a bifolium.

Folding crease from mailing, manuscript envelope included.

Through this correspondence, Claude Farrère reproaches his friend for deepening his sadness and distress: "Votre petite lettre de l'autre jour m'a très bien fait comprendre que vous avez dix mille ennuis en ce moment. Et vous en ajoutez un de plus, pour m'envoyer plus vite cette bêtise à laquelle je ne songeais pas du tout , Pourquoi, encore ! Je suis votre ami, enfin ! Et je vous jure que cela m'a fait de la peine, de songer que j'avais involontairement augmenté cette...

Autograph letter signed, addressed to his friend Pierre Louÿs from Toulon, 16 lines written in violet ink, expressing concern about a mutual friend nicknamed Augusto, almost certainly Auguste Gilbert de Voisins.

Folding crease from mailing, envelope enclosed. A handsome copy.

"Friday,

my dear friend, it's mail time. Quickly, quickly! I received your telegram this morning and have replied. Your opening words were very sweet to me. Thank you. I'm forwarding you a letter from Augusto. It frightened me terribly. I’ll telegraph you as soon as I know more. Yours with all my heart. C.B."

First edition of André Gide's French translation of Typhoon, completed in print on 25 June 1918 by the Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, in the small blue-wrapper series devoted in particular to Gide's own works and translations. One of 300 numbered copies on Rives paper, the sole deluxe issue, this copy no. 250.

Half black morocco with bands, signed Creuzevault at the head of the front free endpaper. Smooth spine with longitudinal title, title and top edge in palladium. Original wrappers and spine preserved. Some rubbing to the boards and corners, with slight rubbing to the joints. A rare...

First edition, with no deluxe copies issued.

Pleasant copy, complete with its publisher's wraparound band.

Fine dated and signed autograph presentation inscription from Pierre Schoendoerffer to Jean-Claude Descoings : "Pour le bon docteur... qui fut médecin en Algérie, pendant cette guerre. (Docteur un des plus beau métier du monde ! L'aile du papillon... mon dernier "petit crabe" - sans tambour ! Amicalement."

First edition, with no deluxe copies issued; one of the review copies.

Spine and covers lightly and marginally sunned, a crease mark to the lower right corner of the rear cover, complete with the publisher's review slip.

Signed presentation copy from Jehan Laurent Gheerbrandt to the writer Jean Henri Guillaumet.

Autograph postcard, signed "Alain", addressed to Lucien Daniaux in Papeete, Tahiti, written on the reverse of a photographic portrait of a smiling young Polynesian woman. Stamp of Australian Papua, postal marks, English censorship stamp ("passed by censor").

Sent a few months before his death, this postcard documents the final journey of the French traveller, undertaken amid the hostile climate of the Second World War.

First edition, illustrated with 59 drawings by Léon Bennet and Paul Philippoteaux, 35 facsimiles of early engravings, and 20 maps or plans.

Catalogue S bound in at the end.
Publisher’s brick-red cloth binding in the so-called “Ptolemaic Sphere” design, one of Souze’s most harmonious binding compositions, bound by Engel; upper cover decorated with a special plaque designed by Souze, lower cover of type b with central rosette and darkened corner palmettes; brown endpapers characteristic of the first edition; all edges gilt. 

Scattered foxing. One lower corner bumped, minor rubbing to the upper cover along the joint, lower cover darkened and with a few small...

Illustrated edition with 154 drawings by Jules Férat, engraved by Barbant.
Hetzel publisher's binding in full red percaline, in the "anchor spine" design, with Engel type "i" rear board as identified by Jauzac, original blue endpapers, all edges gilt. 
Spine ends slightly sagging, spine lightly faded, lower left-hand corner of the front board frayed, blue endpapers marginally faded as usual, small black marks to the outer margins of the boards, occasional foxing at the beginning and end of the volume, and a bibliophile's ink stamp in the upper left-hand corner of the front pastedown.
A pleasing copy of this novel, which forms a sequel to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the...

Later edition published only a few months after the first edition.
An attractive copy of this work, which won the 2001 Prix Goncourt and was adapted for television a few years later.
Dated and signed presentation inscription from Jean-Christophe Rufin to a woman named Muriel, to whom he also wishes a merry Christmas.

New illustrated edition with 43 drawings by Jules Férat, engraved by Charles Brabant for Les Indes noires; and by Edouard Riou and Jules Férat for the two other titles.

Catalogue CR at end.
Publisher's full polychrome cartonnage by Lenègre, type 3, known as the “Deux Éléphants” binding, on a red ground; headcaps slightly softened, as almost always; upper cover decorated with a plate by A. Souze featuring a fan-shaped design, with the title printed on two lines and no mention of Martin Paz; lower cover of Lenègre type “e”, with central medallion on a black ground; gilt lettering at foot of spine: Hetzel éditeur and A. Lenègre relieur (partly rubbed away).

Some...

First edition, one of 50 numbered copies on pur fil paper, the only deluxe-paper issue (cf. Claude Menguy).

Endpapers slightly and partially toned.

A rare and attractive copy.

Red-medallion Steamer binding edition (single volume), illustrated with 48 drawings by Léon Benett (40 for the first title and 5 for the second). 

Catalogue FX at end.
Publisher’s full polychrome pictorial boards signed Charles Magnier, headcaps slightly sagging as almost always, upper-cover plaque signed Paul Souze, a few small foxing spots.

A pleasing copy, the binding retaining fine freshness.
Two heirs, one French and one German, divide 500 million francs between them. Each builds a city in keeping with his dreams: the Frenchman an hygienist city, the German a city of steel.

Edition published in the same year as the first edition, with edition statements in each volume.

Contemporary half brown shagreen bindings, spines with four raised bands ruled in black and decorated with double black compartments featuring gilt central tools, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, speckled edges; corners rubbed.

Occasional foxing, with minor nicks to the top edge of one volume.

A handsome copy, attractively bound at the time.

Illustrated edition featuring 26 original drypoint engravings by Jacques Boullaire, printed in an edition of 200 copies on Rives wove paper.
A pleasing copy.

Edition issued in the year of the first edition, bearing the fanciful statement of "Fourth Edition."

Contemporary half brown shagreen over marbled boards, spine with four raised bands ruled in black and decorated with double black panel compartments featuring gilt floral tools, marbled endpapers, sprinkled edges, contemporary binding.

Three small nicks to the edges.

A handsome copy attractively bound in a contemporary binding.

First edition, one of 24 numbered copies on Lana laid paper, the only deluxe paper issue.
A pleasing copy.

Rare first edition. First volume published on 6 May 1867, the second on 27 July and the third the next year (28 January 1868). All of 18° format are first editions of Verne's novels.

Contemporary brown half shagreen bindings, spines with four raised bands ruled in black and decorated with double black panels featuring central gilt floral tools, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, two upper corners slightly bumped, speckled edges, contemporary bindings.

A handsome copy attractively housed in its contemporary bindings. In Search of the Castaways is the very first Verne novel to be adapted for the cinema. predating even...

First octavo edition, the second issue following the original quarto published in 1797. Without the atlas. At the end of volume III, tables (68 leaves) of the routes of the Astrolabe and the Boussole.
Contemporary full mottled calf binding. Smooth spine decorated in a grotesque style with lozenges, with roll tooling at head and tail framing the title label. Title and volume labels in black Russia leather. Decorative roll border to the covers. Small loss at the head of volume I, and another at the head of volume IV. Narrow split at the head of volume IV along the upper joint, and at the lower joint of volume I. Upper joints of volumes I and III slightly sunken and somewhat rubbed...

First edition of the French translation, one of 50 numbered copies on vellum, the only deluxe paper copies.

Illustrated wrappers.

A handsome copy.

New edition.

Photographic covers and numerous illustrations, both in-text and on plates.

A pleasant copy.

Autograph inscription signed by Eric Tabarly to Jean-Pierre Clément.