Charts and plates to La Pérouse's voyage.

Atlas to the English edition of the report of the famous voyage around the world by La Pérouse, who - in addition to Bougainville and Cook - contributed decisively to the exploration of the Pacific region. Without the two text volumes.

Description: Contemporary quarter calf with marbled paper boards. Flat spine lettered and decorated in gilt. Quarto: 44 × 28.5 cm; unpag., 1 engr. frontispiece, 1 engr. title page and 67 full-page copper-engraved plates, thereof are: 37 plates and 30 maps (20 fold-outs).

Ref.: Boucher i, p. 149-54; Cox i, 67; Sabin 3896

Condition: Binding a bit scuffed and with a few surface abrasions at edges. Light waterstains to the gutter of first few leaves. Contents occasionally somewhat soiled (more noticeable in the first few leaves), slight tanning at edges. Three small brown spots on plate 29, visible between plates 27-37. Lacking plates 1 (map of the world) and 36 (male and female Partridge of California). Some offsetting from plates. Despite the occasional minor blemish, a good copy.

Notes: A first English edition appeared in London in 1798 for John Stockdale (2 vols. 8vo). Two other translations, were issued in 1798 and 1799 by two different publishers. J. Johnson, whose first appeared in 1798 and J. Robinson, whose first appeared in 1799. On the English editions, Cox writes: "On the unexpected publication of this famous voyage at Paris in the previous year (1797), there was considerable competition among English publishers to bring out the English translation. Three different translations were made and published during 1798–99, and different engravers were employed for making the plates. Stockdale's appeared first, in June 1798. Robinson's edition of 1799 is the most esteemed edition in English, later editions being usually based on it." The atlas bears the date 1798 in the imprint, but was published together with two text volumes in 1799.