27 - [PÉRON (François) & FREYCINET (Louis de)].

[PÉRON (François) & FREYCINET (Louis de)]. Voyage of Discovery to the Southern Lands. Historical Account, ATLAS by Messrs. Lesueur and Petit. Second edition. Paris, Arthus Bertrand, 1824. Folio size, marbled sheepskin, smooth decorated spine, gilt title, gilt roulette framing the covers (contemporary binding). Binding worn, heavily scuffed. [6] leaves, including the title page illustrated with an engraved vignette, 68 plates and maps, 27 of which are in color (complete). Minor, typical foxing. Second edition, certainly the most sought-after, as it includes 25 additional plates compared to the first edition of 1807. “Péron’s voyage is one of the most interesting ever undertaken to the Southern Lands. From the standpoint of geographical discoveries and natural history, this work is as important as that of Flinders.” Chadenat, 148; “An interesting work, with plates that are perfectly executed. The section of the account of this voyage dealing with navigation and geography was published by L. de Freycinet.” Brunet, IV, 603. A fine copy of the atlas of this legendary voyage, which yielded a vast wealth of documents, as well as unknown animals and plants. It was Péron who began the voyage’s account. After Péron’s death in 1810, the second part, which he had begun in 1816, was completed in 1816 by the second-in-command, Louis Freycinet. The commander of the expedition was in fact Nicolas BAUDIN, who died in Mauritius during the ships’ return voyage. Freycinet is criticized for having taken credit for the discovery of the southern lands (he does indeed use “I” or “we” frequently, but mentions Baudin’s name only to state that he had died…).