First edition, based on the Lettres Iroquoises of 1752: a wonderful imaginary voyage, and a rare example of such a tale told from the perspective of a visitor to Europe, in this case a Native American Iroquois.

First edition, based on the Lettres Iroquoises of 1752: a wonderful imaginary voyage, and a rare example of such a tale told from the perspective of a visitor to Europe, in this case a Native American Iroquois.
Maubert de Gouvest (1721-1767) was a diverse and prolific French writer, known for his irreverent style, and for a vast oeuvre which often appears both anonymously and under fictitious imprints. This text is a wonderful example. Originally published as Lettres Iroquoises in 1752, the Lettres Chérakéesiennes reprints and revises thirty-six of the original text's forty-three letters with a new title and the marvellous fake Roman imprint and papal imprimatur "par Ordre en forme de Brevêt de sa Sainteté Clement XIII" - a particularly good joke as Pope Clement had only recently put D'Alembert and Diderot on the Index for their contributions to the Encyclopédie.
Throughout, the text is a thinly veiled attack on French society, as the Iroquois "Igli" dissects French religion and society. While Igli's letters to his chief express wonder and pleasure at his visit to Europe, they also highlight the oddity of many French customs, particularly regarding religion and law. Confronted with this, Igli often appeals to the 'Great Spirit' as an infallible guide - something which he sees as sadly lacking amongst the Europeans.
With the bookplate of the Duc de Richelieu.