56 - BUY DE MORNAS, Claude. Historical and Geographical Atlas.

BUY DE MORNAS, Claude. Historical and Geographical Atlas. The second part of this famous atlas, a masterpiece of Enlightenment cartography. A complete copy containing all 70 plates, most of which are enhanced with watercolors, in a contemporary binding. Paris, published by the author and Desnos, 1762. Folio, full brown grained calfskin, spine with 6 raised bands, panels decorated with gilt metalwork and a central fleur-de-lis, triple blind-stamped border framing the covers, double gilt fillet at the edges, guilloché capitals, red edges. 70 numbered, double-page engraved plates. Normal wear, particularly at the corners and joints, with slight cracking at the top and bottom of the spine; rare foxing; the paper of plates 34 and 38 is slightly browned; faint water stains on plate 56. First edition of the second part of this remarkable atlas, devoted here to the history of the creation of the world, cosmography, and sacred history. It is entirely engraved on copper and mounted on tabs. This copy is complete with all 70 plates, which are finely enhanced with watercolors for the maps and illustrations. The result of an ambitious collaboration between geography professor Claude Buy de Mornas (died 1783) and the royal engineer-geographer Louis-Charles Desnos (1725–1805), this atlas stands out as an aesthetic and educational masterpiece. Designed to “democratize” world history, this publishing project breaks away from movable type by presenting plates that combine text, maps, and richly detailed Rococo-style borders, all engraved on a single plate. This second part is punctuated by superb allegorical compositions—such as the plate depicting the Primordial Chaos or The Tree of History, ingenious family trees, and exquisite maps of sacred geography (Ancient Gaul, Ancient Egypt, the Holy Land, and even a detailed map of Jerusalem). A fine copy, well bound in its original binding.