Lot 243A
England, London, ca. 1798 CE. Three volumes from the first edition of the English translation of "A Voyage Round the World, in the years 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788" by Jean François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse, published by J. Johnson, St. Paul's Church Yard, and edited by M. L. A. Milet Mureau. The books are a compilation of historical documents, writings, and maps pertaining to the incredible voyage of the naval explorer Lapérouse (1741 to 1788). The books are bound in cardstock covered with red and blue marbled paper and include fold out maps and wood print illustrations. Volume I contains 532 pages, Volume II 498 pages, and Volume II 450 pages and about 50 additional illustrations and charts. A rare and extraordinary collection of all three volumes. Size: 5.5" L x 1.6" W x 8.6" H (14 cm x 4.1 cm x 21.8 cm)
Lapérouse's expedition was of great interest to most of Europe, at age 15 he had enlisted in the French Navy and had risen through the ranks as a naval officer, and in 1785 he was appointed by King Louis XVI to lead an expedition to explore and establish trade contacts to nearly all corners of the globe- both the poles, Pacific, East Asia, and Australia. This was to complete the unfinished voyage of Captain Cook, a figure that Lapérouse greatly admired for his contributions to naval exploitation. The Lapérouse and his crew set sail on August 1785, and in 1787 the first dispatch of was sent overland from Kamchatka Russia - this took over a year for the documents to arrive in France. In 1788 the ships reached Botany Bay where Lapérouse sent a final report that included his journals, charts, and letters. After that, the fate of the crew was unknown but widely speculated and not forgotten - in 1793 on the morning of King Louis XVI execution he allegedly asked, "Any news of La Pérouse?" It was not until 1826 when an Irish captain found evidence of French shipwrecks off Vanikoro in the Santa Cruz Islands that the rest of the story was pieced together. The documents and journals that had been relayed to France from the expedition were gathered by the French National Assembly, edited by L.A. Milet-Mureau, and published in 1797 as "Voyage de La Pérouse autour du monde" ("The voyage of La Pérouse around the world").
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, 1995 to 2010
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#168166
- Condition: Covers are completely loose on Vol 1 & 2. Included are printed copies of the titlepage. Old inactive insect holes, foxing and age expected wear. Staining and discoloration. Binding edge is fraying on Vol 1. First editions of the English translation, rare and overall fair to good condition.
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