Relation du voyage a la recherche de La Pérouse: fait par ordre de l'assemblée constituante, pendant les années 1791, 1792, et pendant la 1ere et la 2e année de la République Françoise. Par le Cen. Labillardière...

Paris: Chez H.J. Jansen, 1800. LA PÉROUSE, Jean F.G. de. The Journey in Search of Lapérouse, with the Rare Atlas of Plates Bound by Courteval

LABILLARDIÈRE, [Jacques Julien Houton de]. Relation du voyage a la recherche de La Pérouse, fait par ordre de l'Assemblée Constituante, pendant les années 1791, 1792, et pendant la 1ere. et la 2e. année de la République Françoise...Paris: Chez H.J. Jansen, An VIII de la République Françoise [i.e., 1799-1800].

First edition, quarto issue. Two quarto text volumes (11 3/8 x 8 3/4 inches; 290 x 222 mm.) and one folio atlas volume (22 1/4 x 16 3/8 inches; 565 x 415 mm.). xvi, 442; 332, 113, [1, errata] pp. Atlas with engraved title, double-page route map of the Western Pacific and Indian Oceean by Barbie du Bocage and forty-three plates engraved by Copia after drawings by Piron, the expedition artist, and the botanical plates by Redoute.

Contemporary French mottled calf [by Courteval]. Covers with borders of rope-and-disc design enclosed between gilt rules, smooth spines divided into sections using wide gilt bands stripped vertically, sections with large gilt designs, black morocco gilt lettering labels, gilt board edges, turn-ins decorated in a gilt greek-key pattern, marbled endpapers, edges speckled yellow. Atlas corners and caps expertly strengthened. Old and scattered oxidation stains to pp. 148-149 in Vol. II (text). Plate 10 with old, opaque stain to lower corner (into plate margin but not affecting image), four other plates with browning spots to lower blank margin. A truly exceptional set; beautifully bound, very tall and very clean.

A splendid set of the first edition in contemporary bindings by one of the greatest binders of his day. The text of the first edition was issued simultaneously in octavo and quarto formats, both intended to be accompanied by the folio volume of plates. "The quarto volumes seem to have been printed so that they could be uniformly bound with the quarto La Pérouse volumes. The fine atlas volume is much prized as it is scarce and often found lacking from the set" (Hill).

"No news had been received for three years respecting the ships Boussole and Astrolabe, commanded by M. de la Pérouse, when, early in the year 1791, the attention of the Constituent Assembly was called to the fate of that navigator and his companions. On February 9, 1791 a decree was passed on the subject, which directed (inter alia) that the King be petitioned to give orders for the fitting out of one or more ships, equipped with men of science, naturalists and draughtsmen, with the two-fold mission of searching for M. de la Pérouse and of making inquiries relative to the sciences and to commerce...Proceeding via the Cape of Good Hope to Tasmania, extensive investigations of its coastline were made. New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, the Admiralty Islands, Tonga, New Britain and other groups were visited, but although most searching inquiries were made, no trace of the missing navigator was found...The expedition made several important contributions to geographical knowledge, and the investigations of the naturalists into the productions of countries visited were of special value" (Ferguson 307). Labillardière was one of the naturalists accompanying the expedition; his is the first published account of this very important Pacific voyage.

Ferguson, Australia, 307 and 682. Hill II 954. Sabin 38420.

HBS 65251.

$15,000.