COCHELET, Charles

Shipwreck of the French brig La Sophie, lost on May 30, 1819, on the west coast of Africa and captivity of part of the shipwrecked in the Sahara desert; with new information on the city of Timectou. Paris, librairie universelle Mongie aîné, 1821. 2 volumes in 1 large in-8 volume (205 x 128 mm) of XVI, 348 pp. 4 lithographed plates of which 3 folding for volume I; 2 ff.n.ch., 368 pp. 2 ff.n.ch. (errata and bookseller's catalog), 8 lithographed plates (of which 4 folding and 1 large map at the end) for volume II. Half red calf with corners, smooth spine, spotted edges (English binding around 1850 by J. Brigg & Son with label). Borba de Moraes, I, 186; Chadenat, 1072. First edition. The author relates his trip to Brazil in the first chapter. Cochelet (1776-1860) left Nantes to settle in Brazil. During the voyage the ship was wrecked near Cap Juby on the northwest coast of Africa in 1819. He was kidnapped and sold as a slave and taken across the Sahara. It was his brother Adrien, who was Consul General in Egypt, who put an end to his ordeal and bought him back. Charles then returned to France via Mogador and Tangier. The fascinating story is illustrated by beautiful plates drawn by Horace Vernet and lithographed by Motte; the large folding map of the Western Sudan was drawn by the knight Lapie. The story of the shipwreck aroused much interest and Jules Verne mentioned it in his novel Cinq semaines en ballon (chapter XXXVIII). Touching Provenance The copy belonged to Adrien Cochelet (bookplate with the mention 'French Consul General', 4 Clarence Terrace, Regents Park) who freed his brother from slavery. Some foxing, a few tears to the folding plates, spines slightly rubbed. The second voyage