SONNERAT (Pierre). *Voyage to New Guinea*. Paris: Ruault, 17 - Lot 163

SONNERAT (Pierre). *Voyage to New Guinea*. Paris: Ruault, 1776. In-4, fawn calfskin, triple gilt fillet, decorated spine, red title label, red edges (contemporary binding). First edition of this highly regarded account of the voyage that the naturalist Pierre Sonnerat (1748–1814) undertook in 1771–1772 in the Indian Ocean, specifically to the Philippines, the Moluccas, and the Seychelles, with the aim of studying and collecting botanical specimens from that region. The illustrations, engraved on copper after the author’s drawings, include a frontispiece by Thérèse Martinet and 117 (out of 120) beautiful numbered plates (nos. 90–91 are printed on the same sheet) depicting fruits, plants, and above all, birds. (Chadenat, no. 179; Hill, no. 1606; Nissen, IVB, 885; Pritzel, no. 8773.) A copy bearing the signature of Gaston de Roquemaurel (1804–1878) on the title page, a naval officer and explorer from Toulouse who served notably as Dumont D’Urville’s first mate during the Astrolabe’s second circumnavigation (1837–1840). A handwritten note, in the same hand, states regarding Sonnerat: “This traveler saw neither New Guinea nor the Land of the Papuans.” Volume P was bound by mistake before volume O. Bookworm damage in the lower margin of the first 10 leaves of the volume and on the first plates, followed by bookworm holes affecting one-third of the volume. Scuffing on the covers; leather missing at three corners.

Estimate:$1,721.76

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