Voyage of Discovery to the Southern Lands by François Péron, continued by Louis de Freycinet. Second Edition, 1824
Adelaide, Friends of the State Library of South Australia, 2006 (Volume I), 2003 (Volume II), and 2008 (the atlas).
Octavo, two volumes (the text) and folio (the atlas), Volume I: xxxviii, 278 pages plus 11 plates (9 in colour) and 3 maps (including a large folding map in an endpocket and a double-page folding map, '''La Géographe" in Australian Waters', new to this edition); Volume II: lxxxiv, 430 pages with a frontispiece, 6 colour plates, 6 illustrations and 2 maps (including a folding map in an endpocket; and Atlas: xx pages (a four-page introduction and translations into English of all French text in the original) plus a facsimile reprint of the original atlas, containing 68 plates (including 9 maps and 27 plates in colour).
Quarter calf and blue cloth (text volumes), and half calf and blue cloth (the atlas), with the spines lettered in gilt on contrasting leather labels, and the front covers decorated in blind; leather on the atlas moderately mottled (a blemish we have seen on several other copies); trifling signs of handling; an excellent set (internally fine).
One of only 400 sets of the first full English edition of the official account of the 1800-03 French voyage of exploration to Australia under the command of Nicolas Baudin. This is a set of the deluxe issue of 99 numbered copies of each text volume, and 150 numbered copies of atlas. The first volume and atlas in this set are unnumbered, out-of-series copies; the second volume is Number 7. The text is translated from the French by Christine Cornell from the 1824 second edition, with an introduction by Anthony Brown. Volume I contains Books I-III (chapters I to XXI), and Volume II contains Book IV (chapters XXII to XXXIV). The atlas (subtitled 'An Historical Record. Atlas by MM. Lesueur and Petit') comprises a facsimile of the atlas from the same edition, with translations by Peter Hambly and an introduction by Sarah Thomas. Péron and Freycinet were zoologist and cartographer respectively on the expedition, and composed the official account of the voyage following Baudin's death during the return voyage. The account includes the expedition's discoveries in Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia (including the famous meeting with Matthew Flinders at Encounter Bay), as well as Sydney and Timor. [3 items].
Item #146999
Price (AUD):
$2,000.00