Travel relations, antique maps, geographical discoveries and exploration accounts of distant lands and new world

Duodecimo edition, published in the same year as the first edition, setting out a key episode in the Chinese Rites Controversy, a dispute still ongoing at the time of publication, pitting the Jesuits against the Franciscans and Dominicans.

Contemporary mottled brown sheep, spine with five raised bands and gilt compartments, gilt board edges, red mottled edges. Two early ownership inscriptions, the first on the upper pastedown and the second on the title page, both in brown ink.

First edition, illustrated with 72 hand-coloured plates hors texte (cf. Blackmer 300. Colas I, 545. Quérard II, 75. Brunet I, 1226.)

Uniformly bound in full mottled fawn calf, smooth spines slightly faded, decorated with gilt fillets, garlands and figures, red morocco lettering and volume labels, small wormholes at the foot of the spines of volumes 2 & 3, gilt rolls to the spine ends, covers framed with dog-tooth rolls, gilt fillets and garlands, marbled endpapers, gilt roll borders to the pastedowns, gilt dotted edges, all edges gilt, contemporary bindings.

Some rubbing to certain spines and spine ends, some corners bumped, our copy lacks the 5 leaves of binder's directions a

Complete anonymous manuscript of 23 pages (plus title page and table), from the first half of the 19th century, entitled: Cap de Bonne Espérance. 1er cahier.

Our manuscript is presented in a navy blue half shagreen folder, marbled paper boards, housed in a slipcase edged with navy blue shagreen, marbled paper boards.

An account of a stopover at the Cape, a city under British rule, which, according to the anonymous author, retains many traces of its Dutch past.

Description of the town, its geographical setting, its buildings, churches and houses, whose cleanliness contrasts with the dirt and the smell of meat prevailing in most of the streets.

This

First quarto edition, complete with all volumes and plates, commonly referred to as the “Third Edition” of the Encyclopédie, and also known as the “Encyclopédie de Pellet” or “Encyclopédie de Lyon” or “Encyclopédie du Lac” by Simon-Nicolas-Henri Linguet.

Full marbled and polished brown sheepskin contemporary bindings, spines with five raised bands and four gilt compartments decorated with pomegranate gilt tools, two gilt decorative rolls at foot, title and volume lettering-pieces in red and green morocco, boards twice framed in blind, board edges gilt, all red edges, marbled pastedowns and endpapers

Rare illustrated first edition, with 5 copper-engraved plates hors-texte, including 2 folding plates (cf. Barbier II, 302. Schwab, 517. Hage Chahine, 4320. Wilson, 200. Absent from Blackmer and Atabey.)

Our copy lacks the two dedication leaves to Rouillié, often missing, with repairs to the joints and one corner, and a manuscript ex-libris on the title-page.

Contemporary full mottled fawn calf, spine with five raised bands gilt and decorated with gilt compartments and floral tools, tan calf title-label, gilt fillets to the edges partly faded, speckled edges.

Sanson, a zealous apostolic missionary, tireless traveller and accomplished diplomat, arrived in Persia in 1683

Edition issued after William Robertson’s History of America (cf. Sabin 38363, which records a work comprising the history of these three explorers under a collective title, printed in 1781).

Bound at the end is: "Kurzgefasste Geschichte des Ferdinand Cortez, Eroberers von Mexico und Franz von Pizarro ersten Entdeckers und Eroberers von Peru", published in Frankfurt by Eichenberg in 1781.

Contemporary early twentieth-century half red shagreen, spine in five raised bands ruled in gilt, minor rubbing to the spine, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

Some light scattered foxing.

The preface to the work on Cortez notes that publication was d

First edition, illustrated with two plates, including an engraved portrait frontispiece by S. Desmaretz and Couché after Scheibler, together with an engraved headpiece by De Launay (cf. Quérard, VII, 240; Polak, 7650).

Account of the career of Jean Bart, squadron leader in the French Navy and Knight of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis, forming part of the collection devoted to the nineteen engagements of this celebrated seaman, engraved by M. Le Gouaz; followed by historical, biographical and topographical notes on the origins of Dunkirk and the political importance of its port (...). With engraved plates and vignettes. Dedicated to H.E. the Minister of the Navy and the C

First edition of this important first-hand account of the deportation and enforced stay in French Guiana of the counter-revolutionary journalist and songwriter Louis-Ange Pitou (1767–1846), placed under “preventive” arrest after the Directory’s coup d’état of 18 Fructidor, Year V [4 September 1797], sentenced to transportation, and released from exile only after 18 Brumaire (cf. Fierro, 1170. Sabin 63057. Leclerc 3445.)

The work is illustrated with two folding engraved frontispieces: La détention des déportés sur la frégate La Décade and Le désert de Konanama dans la Guyane.

Contemporary bindings in fawn calf, half-bound with small vellum corners, smooth spin

First edition of the French translation (cf. Gay 3146).

Our copy is preserved in the original wrappers, with yellow and black marbled covers and a title label pasted at the head of the spine.

Occasional light foxing; a numbering in black ink facing the half-title.

First edition of the French translation of this account, originally published under the title: "An Account of the Island of Ceylon" in London in 1803 (cf. Boucher de La Richarderie, V, 135. Brunet, IV, 490 and Quérard, VII, 43 mention an edition published by Dentu, 1804).

Contemporary full mottled calf bindings, smooth spines decorated with gilt compartments and gilt tools, red morocco lettering pieces, green calf volume labels, gilt rolls at the head and tail partly worn, fragile joints, marbled paper endpapers and pastedowns, bookplates pasted to the pastedowns, gilt fillets on the board edges, speckled edges.

Bindings rubbed, small losses at the foot of the joints,

New edition of the French translation of this work, originally published in 1731 in two quarto volumes (see Brunet IV, 456).

This edition is illustrated with 8 folding plates, comprising 3 maps and 5 views.

Contemporary full marbled tan calf bindings, smooth spines richly decorated with gilt floral panels, bronze calf lettering- and volume-pieces, small wormholes to the spines, gilt rolls to the caps, single blind fillet framing the boards, marbled endpapers, gilt fillets to the board edges, red edges, bindings of the period.

Repairs to the joints, a few occasional spots of foxing.

The translator of this French version, written "en un style aisé, clair, même él

First edition of this in-folio printed broadside signed "Phelypeaux", printed on one side only.

Visible fold marks to the broadside.

First edition of the French translation (cf. Chadenat, 494; Brunet I, 24.)

Contemporary half green sheep, smooth spines faded and decorated with double gilt fillets, marbled paper sides with minor rubbing, marbled endpapers, two small tears at the joints, contemporary bindings.

Light waterstain to the upper right corner of a number of leaves in the second volume.

An Indian traveller, Mirza Abu Taleb Khan was born in 1752 at Lucknow in Hindustan and died in Calcutta in 1806. 

After serving in the army of the Nawab of Oudh, he embarked for Europe on 16 February 1799 with his friend Captain David Richardson.

Following a three-month stay at the Cape, he landed at

Second edition of the french translation.

Some light foxing.

Contemporary full mottled calf bindings, smooth spines richly gilt with typographical ornaments, slight rubbing to the joints, red morocco title and volume labels, gilt rolls to the headcaps, sides framed with a gilt floral dentelle, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt dotted edges, marbled edges.

Gay 368 : "On y trouve l'extrait du voyage de Picard qui se rendit à Fouta Tora ; cette relation ne se rencontre pas ailleurs". 

First edition illustrated with 1 large folding map: "Carte de la côte occidentale d'Afrique depuis le Cap Barbas jusqu'au Cap Tagrin par Lapie, Ingénieur Géographe (et) gravée par P.F. Tardieu" (cf. Gay 2905.)

Our copy in original stitched wrappers with interim covers lined with marbled paper.

Light dampstaining to the right margin of the final leaves.

Important details on the slave trade in connection with the Gorée Island stopover at the end of the volume.

Pierre Labarthe (Dax 1760 - Paris 1824) was appointed head of the Bureau of Eastern Colonies and African Coasts in 1794, a position he held until 1808.

He had gathered numerous authentic documents an

First edition.

Contemporary full mottled fawn calf, smooth spine gilt with floral tools and gilt geometric tooling, tan calf lettering-piece, gilt rolls to the headcaps now largely faded, a small loss to the upper headcap, some rubbing to the joints, single blind fillet framing the covers, marbled endpapers, gilt fillets to the edges of the boards mostly worn away, yellow sprinkled edges, corners just a little softened; a period binding.

Sole edition of this history of travel since Antiquity, considered from the standpoint of its benefits to trade and commerce.

The work is nominally presented as a translation, though it is in fact by the Marseille man of letters Marc-

First edition of the illustrated French translation, with 2 plates outside the text, one of which folding.

Bindings in contemporary full mottled fawn calf, smooth spines richly gilt with panelled compartments, joints split and restored, some rubbing and small wormholes to the spines, marbled paper endleaves and pastedowns, gilt fillet to the board edges, marbled edges, two rather clumsy restorations to two corners; bindings of the period.

Pleasing internal condition.

This is an abridged translation (but, unusually, explicitly stated as such) of the major work Reise durch Sibirien, published in Göttingen in 1751–1752, comprising 4 quarto volumes and an abundant i

New edition illustrated with 66 plates and maps printed outside the text, most of them folding: 3 frontispieces, 39 plates and 24 maps, including a world map and charts of the various islands, some printed with coastal profiles, as well as views of ports (Manila, Bahia, Scio), of islands (the Canaries, Cape Verde), monuments, a shipwreck, battle scenes, indigenous peoples, flora (apricot, cocoa), and fauna (birds, fish), together with a curious depiction of the “hippopotamus or sea-horse” (vol. 3, p. 361).

Cf. Sabin, 18382. Borba de Moraes, I, 243-244. Leclerc (1867), 416. Cordier, Bibl. Indosinica, 1459-1460. Boucher de La Richarderie, I, 121-122. Hoefer, XII, 881-885.

Cont

First edition.

Our copy is offered in loose sheets, unbound.

First edition of this defence of the exclusive privilege of the Compagnie des Indes, then being challenged by the deputies of the National Assembly.

This memorandum is signed by Le Couteux du Mollay, Greffulge, Boyd, Dangirard, Picquet, and Le Cocq, commissioners representing the Company’s shareholders.

Our copy is preserved in its original stitched wrappers, issued in the temporary blue waiting covers.

A central fold throughout, rubbing with losses to the waiting covers, otherwise a pleasingly clean copy internally.

First edition of this collection of anecdotes and allegories drawn from Turkish, Arabic and Persian manuscripts held at the Royal Library (cf. Quérard, II, 50. Brunet, 19466. Cioranescu, 15566. Graesse, p. 46. Goedeke, 651.)

Contemporary half calf with corners, the flat spine gilt with decorative garlands, the spine rubbed and crazed, cherry-coloured calf lettering-piece, green paper-covered boards, yellow edges, small nicks to the extremities.

Denis-Dominique Cardonne (1721-1783) lived in Constantinople for twenty years, from 1730 to 1750, where he learned Turkish, Arabic and Persian.

On his return to France he was appointed the King’s secretary-interpreter for orien

Second edition, partly original, as enlarged (cf. Barbier II, 241: gives "Deslandes". Polak 1130. INED 737. See Sabin 19744 for the first English edition published the same year.)

Full brown sheep binding, smooth spine gilt-ruled and decorated with gilt compartments and floral tools, rubbing to the joints, gilt rolls on the head- and tailcaps partly dulled, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on the board edges faint in places, red edges, a period binding.

Some repairs to the spine.

Pages 191 to 252 contain the "Mémoire historique sur les Indes Braves, et les Forbans François du Golfe de Darien".

This edition appeared in the same year as the original

First edition of the illustrated French translation, embellished in the second volume with a plate, a folding table, and a large folding map printed as a separate leaf (cf. Gay 2996).

Contemporary full mottled fawn calf, smooth spines gilt with fillets, garlands, and floral tools, red morocco title and volume labels, with the volume labels inlaid with green morocco, gilt rolls at the headcaps, minor rubbing to the spines, dentelle, single gilt fillet and gilt garland framing the boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, corners rubbed, gilt fillets to the board edges, lemon edges; bindings of the period.

In 1797, John Barrow (1764–1848) accompanied Lord Macartney, as his perso

New edition (cf. Sabin 73468.)

Our copy is preserved in its original wrappers, lacking the spine and without any provisional binding covers.

England ceded the island of Tobago to France in 1783.

English creditors laid claim to considerable sums from the colonists; a demand deemed unfounded by Roume de Saint-Laurent.

First edition for each of the volumes.

Contemporary full mottled fawn sheep binding, spine with five raised bands, tooled in gilt with alternating anchors and fleurs-de-lis, joints split and restored at head and foot, burgundy shagreen title-piece with a small angular loss, spine ends trimmed, gilt arms stamped at the centre of the covers, red edges, corners bumped, contemporary binding.

 2 ff.n.ch., 81 pp. Sabin 12235. Polak 1655 records this work from the Maurice Chamonal catalogue no. 31.

Bound after: Cyprien-Antoine de Lieudé de Sepmanville: "Détail particulier pour la carte de la Gonave, ajoutée en 1788 au Pilote de l'Isle de Saint-Domingue", printed in Par

First edition of the French translation (cf. Blackmer 1752. Not in Weber or Atabey. See Barbier IV, 1083.)

Contemporary full marbled tan calf bindings, smooth spines gilt tooled in compartments with floral motifs, red morocco lettering-pieces, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets to board edges.

Some restorations to a few joints and spines, minor scattered foxing.

Volume IV is entirely devoted to the author’s stay in the Greek islands: Crete, Candia, Damaste, Retimo, Mount Ida, Gortyn, the labyrinth of Crete, Milo, Syphante, Seriphos, Antiparos, Paros, Naxia, Stenofa, Amorgos, Skinosa, Delos, Rhenia, Syra, Cynthos, Zia, Macrounisa, Jura, Tenos, Scio, Tenedos

Atlas volume only from this important 8-volume work, produced within the broader movement to generalize the use of statistics initiated by ministers François de Neufchâteau and subsequently Chaptal. 

Contemporary half flexible paper boards, smooth spine without lettering in blue cloth, marbled paper-covered boards with a printed title label of the period to the centre of the upper cover, spine restored.

Marginal dampstaining to the boards, occasional spotting or soiling to the margins of some leaves.

Herbin, who coordinated the work, draws upon official data that prefects were required to supply for this purpose. 

This volume, in accordance with the table of conten

New edition, partly original, published anonymously (see Sabin 20,288).

Disbound copy, preserved in a modern marbled paper wrapper.

Abbé Louis Genty (1743–1817) is better known for his Influence de la découverte de l’Amérique sur le bonheur du genre humain, published in 1788, but this Dissertation appears here in a form close to its first draft.

First edition, illustrated with a folding plate bound at the end of the volume (cf. Quérard IX, 259).

Contemporary full boards covered with marbled paper, smooth spine heavily rubbed, a label with a now-effaced manuscript title affixed at the head of the spine, surface abrasions with paper losses to the boards, snags to the edges, bumped corners, sprinkled edges; a period binding.

Following general remarks on the designation, status, quality, and responsibilities of consuls, the work presents the texts of ordinances, treaties, and conventions relating to the Levant and Barbary trading posts (1781), prizes brought into foreign ports (1784), navigation and commerce between Franc

First edition, illustrated with three folding in-text tables (Cf. Brunet, III, 330. Vivien de Saint-Martin, Voyages faits en Asie Mineure depuis le XIIIe siècle, no. 148. Atabey, The Ottoman World, 1126. Weber, II, 595. Not in Blackmer, but see nos. 1530 & 1531.)

Half calf binding with corners, spine gilt-tooled with lyres and decorative friezes, marbled paper boards, endpapers and pastedowns of decorative patterned paper.
Restorations with small losses to head and tail of spine, staining to the boards and to the upper and lower margins of the leaves.

This account follows that of the Voyage de Constantinople à Bassora. The journey was undertaken

Second edition, embellished with a copper-engraved map by Giraud l’aîné, folded, together with a copper-engraved plan of the labyrinth of Knossos by Chapuy.

This edition is not recorded by Contominas, Atabey or Blackmer (1493 for the first edition).

Contemporary half mottled sheep with parchment corners, smooth spine decorated with delicate black fillets, paper labels serving as title pieces, green paper boards with some rubbing, sprinkled edges.

Spine foot restored.

Three gatherings very lightly toned, otherwise a clean, fresh copy.

Bound at the end is the first edition of the French translation prepared by Jean-Claude Pingeron of Dominique Sestini’s work: <

First edition of the French translation, illustrated with a plate showing the alphabet and a large folding map at the end of the first volume (cf. Quérard V, 561). Two modern bookplates pasted to the front pastedowns. 

Contemporary full marbled tan calf bindings, smooth spines decorated with gilt friezes (partly rubbed), blond morocco lettering-piece, lower headcap slightly damaged, some wear to joints and boards, old restorations on boards, a few bumped corners, gilt rolls on board edges, red edges.

Small ink stain and marginal tear on the map, otherwise a clean and appealing copy.

The most comprehensive work of its time devoted to the largest island of Indonesia.

First edition illustrated with 12 folding maps printed in outline and heightened with colour.

No copies recorded in the CCF.

Ink notes at the head of a front flyleaf; a few minor spots, not affecting the text.

Bradel binding in full boards covered with navy-blue paper, smooth spine ruled in gilt, yellow edges, corners rubbed; a contemporary binding.

Sole edition of this collection, conceived as a series of "touristic" itineraries.

Each section is separately paginated.

The author, a painter and naturalist based in Spa, also published several minor works on mineralogy (cf. Del Vaux, *Dictionnaire biographique de la province de Liège*, Liège, 1845).

New edition, partly original, expanded with a survey of Persia from the earliest times to the present day, together with annotations by the Orientalist and librarian Louis-Mathieu Langlès (cf. Quérard II, 133; Schwab p. 18; lacking in Blackmer and Atabey).

Contemporary full mottled calf, smooth spines gilt with decorative rolls and tools, black morocco-style shagreen lettering- and volume-pieces, gilt rolls on the caps (partly faded), gilt dentelle borders on the boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges.

For the folio atlas: contemporary half calf in fawn, smooth spine gilt with rolls and tools, brown lettering-piece, spine with some rubbing and restorations,

First and only edition, illustrated with a folding engraved frontispiece (see Polak 6795; not in Sabin).

Bound in bottle-green full sheep, Bradel-style binding, smooth spine ruled in gilt with double fillets, gilt date at foot, original pink paper waiting cover preserved, modern binding.

A waterstain affects the lower margin of the initial leaves, gradually fading throughout the volume.

Unique and uncommon edition (the purported 1814 edition is a bibliographical ghost).

First edition illustrated with 3 folding tables printed on separate leaves in the second text volume and 45 engraved plates, single or folding (3 maps, 42 plans and picturesque views), most with tissue guards, in the atlas volume.

Cf. Gay 266. Toussaint & Adolphe D1100. Ryckebusch II, 5713.

Some foxing throughout the text volumes and atlas.

Bindings in half black glazed calf with corners, smooth spines decorated with gilt fillets, circles and large gilt fleurons, burgundy calf lettering and volume-numbering labels, boards covered in paste paper with a cold-stamped garland border, light rubbing to spines and boards, bindings slightly later for the text volumes; the atl

French first edition illustrated with 3 repeated frontispieces, one portrait, 6 folding maps and 26 folding plates, being 36 figures in total. The complete set of illustrations is present whereas most copies lack one or several plates. The Spanish original dates from 1609. "This translation is more complete than the original: the third volume is entirely composed of the history of conquests made by the Dutch in this country". Chadenat, 739p.
Armorial copy with arms stamped on the upper covers and cipher on the lower covers. Unidentified.
Contemporary full brown speckled sheep binding. Spine with raised bands decorated with central fleuronné lozenges and roulettes on the bands. Brown

First edition of the French translation. First published in English in 1712 under the title A cruising voyage round the world. Illustrated with 2 engraved titles, 14 engraved plates and 7 maps including 2 large format (Paraguay and Chile - mainland Peru and Brazil and the Land of the Amazons) and a world map.
Bound in full brown sprinkled calf, spine elaborately gilt, gilt roulettes on the edges, all red speckled edges. Expertly restored (corners, upper and lower part of joints). Two small restored tears on the world map, not affecting the image.
Ex-libris in ink "Sr Remy" to the upper left margin of the title-page.
A tear to the world map, not affecting the engraving.<

Chez Théodore Le Gras, à Paris 1728, 12° (9,5x17cm), (2 p.) xvij (7 p.) 346 pp.; (2 p.) ij 376 pp.; (2 p.) ij 387 pp.; (6 p.) 392 pp.; (6 p.) 404 pp., 5 volumes bound.
First edition of this famous description of West Africa.
78 full-page engraved plates:
- volume 1: 5 maps, 2 plates and 1 folding plan
- volume 2: 6 maps, 17 plates and 4 folding plans
- volume 3: 2 maps and 13 plates
- volume 4: 5 maps, 8 plates and 3 folding plans
- volume 5: 3 maps and 9 plates
First edition of this famous description of West Africa. Illustrated with 78 full-page engraved plates.
Contemporary beige calf, spine elaborately gilt, 19th century red leather

First edition, with 18 engraved maps et 5 folding engraved plates.
Contemporary tan calf, skillfully restored tear to the first folding map, some marginal restorations to the map “Troisième division - Archipel des navigateurs”. Falkland Islands map expertly rebacked on the outer margin as well as the Magellan Strait map. Map of the Buton Strait with a small marginal tear and a second restored with a strip of paper.
Bougainville undertook the first official French circumnavigation and scientific expedition. Starting from Nantes in November 1766, he sailed to the Falklands, made a stopover in Buenos Aires and then crossed the Magellan Strait and the P

First edition.
Contemporary full marbled and polished brown calf binding. Spine richly gilt in compartments with raised bands, gilt roll tooling at head- and tailbands. Red morocco title labels, tan morocco volume labels. Headcaps of volumes I and V worn; headcap of volume VI torn off. Upper joint of volume I split at foot. Fourteen corners rubbed. Occasional minor foxing, heavier browning to endpapers and half-titles.

First edition of the French translation by Mlle Saubry: the first English edition appeared on the same date.
Bradel bindings in full navy blue boards. Smooth spines decorated with fillets, roulette at tail. Gilt titles and volume labels. Spines uniformly darkened. Signs of rubbing to headcaps and corners and edges. Pale scattered foxing on laid paper that has remained fresh. In volume III, leaf 91 detached.
The work was established by the author from her own journal written during the years 1819 and 1820. The journey begins with the Alps, then through Piedmont, Lombardy, Genoa, Piacenza, Parma, Bologna, Modena, Tuscany, Rome, Naples and Venice. Beyond being a classic narrative o