Three Centuries of Voyages 1558 - 1861
A selection of 45 items from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The early material includes excellent copies of such classics as the collections of Hakluyt (1600), Purchas (1626), Valentijn (1726) and Churchill (1732), as well as the desirable English edition of Linschoten (1598). Two highly important Southern Continent pieces are the extremely rare La Popelinière Les Trois Mondes (1582) and the Quiros Memorial La parte incógnita Austral (1612); some significant books on China include the first book in English on China (Gonzalez de Mendoza, 1588); the major French (1735) and English (1741) editions of Du Halde’s Description of the Empire of China, the first definitive work on the Chinese Empire; a superb presentation copy of Anson’s voyage (1748) that belonged to two English prime ministers; a strong section of 18th-century voyages includes major accounts of Cook’s voyages (including the published narratives by Parkinson, Forster, Zimmermann and Ellis, as well as the official accounts); in the 19th century we offer an exceptional complete set of the Baudin voyage account together with a fine set of the Freycinet voyage. Other highlights include a handsome pair of Cary globes, and a remarkable watercolour depicting a meeting three of the greatest polar explorers.