LA PEROUSE, Jean Francois de Galaup deBiblio.com
LA PEROUSE, Jean Francois Galaup deBiblio.com
Voyage autour du Monde
1797181908Paris: L'Imprimerie de la Republique 1797. One of the great documents of French exploration" in the original boards First edition an attractive set with strong impressions of the plates. La Pérouse's work is a "magnificent production and some authorities consider the engraving and craftsmanship to be superior even to that in the Cook-Webber atlas It is one of the finest narratives of maritime exploration ever written and certainly deserves to hold a place of high honour among the great travel accounts of the 18th century" Howell. La Pérouse's 1741-c.1788 expedition left France in 1785 to seek an inter-oceanic passage examining the parts of the Pacific not yet explored by Cook conducting scientific observations on the various peoples and regions assessing the extent of Spanish settlement in California and determining the possibilities of French expansion in the Pacific. En route to Kamchatka La Pérouse was the first to navigate safely and chart the Japan Sea and the strait between the island of Sakhalin and the northernmost island of Japan which bears his name. At Kamchatka he received instructions to proceed to Australia arriving at Botany Bay in January 1788 just hours after Captain Phillip had arrived with the First Fleet. After leaving later the same year the expedition was never seen again. Evidence slowly came to light that both ships were wrecked on the reefs around the islands north-west of Australia. This account is based on dispatches sent from Australia and Kamchatka before this. The atlas volume contains maps of Russian Asia Japan San Francisco Monterey and the Sandwich Islands. The most significant results of La Pérouse's voyage are the charts of the Asiatic side of the Pacific and the details of "the peculiarities he observed in the Native Americans of the northwest coast of North America are especially valuable" Sabin. It also features the first representation of the crested quail. The engraved portrait of La Pérouse counted as the 70th plate is here bound as the frontispiece in Volume I as often. The atlas was published in two forms: on regular usually trimmed and large or thick paper. Forbes and Lada-Mocarski give the measurements for the large paper issue variously at 620 x 455 and 563 x 420 mm. Provenance: Amandine Doré 1911-2012 the French painter illustrator and writer her pencilled signature on the front free endpaper of Volume I dated 1955 her signature and initialled booklabel on the front endpapers of the atlas. Doré produced works for travel narratives such as Mexique pay a trois etages 1955. 5 vols comprising 4 quarto text vols 307 x 256 mm and folio atlas 585 x 440 mm. Engraved portrait of La Perouse after Tardieu. Atlas: engraved allegorical title page by Moreau le Jeune 69 engraved plates and maps some double-page or folding many with original tissue guards loosely inserted. Original pulled paste paper boards flat paper covered spines tinted pink twin dark green spine labels original sheep corners housed together in light brown slipcase; atlas original pulled paste paper boards flat vellum spine covered with white paper dark green morocco spine label recent sheep corners. Text with occasional marginal pencillings or notes. Text vols: bookplate removed from front pastedown of vol. I rubbed a few superficial chips to spines and early recolouring vol. I starting before title; atlas: spine and sides extensively rubbed superficial split to foot of front joint marginal tear to Plate 28 and two others. A very good copy. Anker 276; Ferguson 251 dated 1798; Forbes 272; Hill 972; Lada-Mocarski 52; Sabin 38960; Streeter VI: 3493. Richard Reed in Howell Anniversary Catalogue 72 1982. hardcover
Peter Harrington · Royaume-Uni22 500,00 £GB≈ 25 690,50 €
