Beschreibung:

VAILLANT, Auguste Nicolas (1793-1858). Voyage Autour du Monde exécuté pendant les années 1836 et 1837 sur la corvette La Bonite Commandée par M. Vaillant . Paris: Arthus Bertrand, [1844-1866]. Exceptionally rare and extraordinarily complete set of the narrative and scientific reports of Vaillant's circumnavigation. Although Vaillant's voyage was primarily political in nature, intending to show the French flag around the world and draw up comprehensive reports on various nations, it also produced a series of natural historical atlases detailing various discoveries. 'There are many beautiful plates on botany and zoology, and also of various scenes from the voyage. This set is very rare with the natural history volumes ' (Hill ). We have been unable to trace any complete sets at auction in the past 40 years. BM(NH) II, 603; Fine Bird Books (1990) pp.92-3; Forbes 1197, 1263, 1264, 1333, 1459, 1467, 1468, 1498, 1572; Hill 623; Nissen BBI 690; Nissen IVB 305; Nissen ZBI 4208; Sabin 98298; Stafleu & Cowan 1969. 26 volumes of text bound in 18 octavo volumes in the original publisher's boards (lightly marked), with 3 folio atlas volumes bound in contemporary green half morocco, comprising the Relation du Voyage , Botanique, Géologie et Minéralogie, Physique, Zoologie and Zoophytologie thus: LA SALLE, A. de. Relation du Voyage . Paris: 1845-1852. 3 text vols, octavo (247 x 160mm), and atlas, folio (493 x 332mm). Text: 4 engraved plates and folding table (a few faint spots). Atlas: letterpress title, 100 lithographic plates (a few faint spots). 'The many beautifully lithographed plates in the atlas include views of Valparaiso, Santiago, Callao, Lima, and Quayaquil in South America; and in the far East, views of Manila, Singapore, Calcutta, Macao, the Pearl River, Canton, and Hong Kong. [There are] six fine views of the Hawaiian Islands' (Forbes). GAUDICHAUD, Charles. Botanique . Paris: [1844-]1846-1866. 4 text vols, octavo (247 x 160mm), and atlas, folio (493 x 330mm). Text: complete with the fourth vol. published in 1866 and often wanting in other copies (a few faint spots). Atlas: 150 engraved plates, with pls 39-40 appearing on the same double-page sheet, and 6 hand-coloured plates , of which 3 are of 'Hydre ou polype d'eau douce' and 3 of 'Eponge d'eau douce' (some faint spots). The publication history of the botanical part is tortuously complicated: 'it is almost impossible to give a dependable list of contents of these parts' (Stafleu & Cowan). Most bibliographies call for 150 plates only, although Nissen writes 'mit 150 (156?) Kupf.'; this copy is certainly the most complete to come to auction in many years; the last complete one we have been able to trace was sold at Sotheby's 10 Feb 1964, lot 105. CHEVALIER, Y.E.. Géologie et Minéralogie . Paris: 1844. Octavo (247 x 160mm). 5 engraved plates (a few faint spots). DARONDEAU, B.H. and Y.E. CHEVALIER. Physique. Paris: 1840-1846. 6 text vols, octavo (247 x 160mm). 4 engraved plates relating to meteorological and magnetic field observations (a few faint spots). LAURENT, J.L. Zoophytologie . Paris: 1844. Octavo (247 x 160mm). (A few faint spots.) Nissen calls for 6 plates, which might well be those present here in the Botanique atlas, although there is disagreement in the bibliographies over this point. EYDOUX, J.F.T. and F.L.A. SOULEYET. Zoologie. Paris: 1841-1852. 3 text vols, octavo (247 x 160mm), and atlas, folio (492 x 330mm).Text: (a few faint spots). Atlas: 101 engraved plates, of which 96 printed in colours and finished by hand (a few plates spotted). The subjects are as follows: mammals, 12 pls; birds, 10; reptiles, 6; fish, 10; crustaceans, 5; insects, 2; molluscs, 53, vers, 1, zoophytes, 2. 'One of the most beautiful natural history atlases on the Pacific ... they have a delicacy of color that no modern reproductive process can equal' (Forbes).