16 - FLEURIEU, Ch.-P. Claret de. MARCHAND, Etienne.

FLEURIEU, Ch.-P. Claret de. MARCHAND, Etienne. [Atlas]. Voyage Around the World in the Years 1790, 1791, 1792 Paris: Courcier, (1809). In-4 (25.3 x 20 cm), (1) folio (title page), VIII–158 pp., (1) folio (binder’s note), 16 black copperplate engravings. Contemporary marbled sheepskin, with a gilt border framing the covers (edges and corners rubbed, covers detached, spine missing, without the 5 in-8 text volumes). Copy of the atlas alone, without the text volumes. Atlas from the second edition of the account of the voyage around the world undertaken by Etienne Marchand (1755–1793) aboard the Solide between December 1790 and August 1792. This expedition was the second French circumnavigation to be successfully completed after that of Bougainville. Undertaken for commercial purposes, it also contributed to the exploration of the Pacific, particularly the Marquesas Islands and the northwestern coasts of America. The account of the voyage was written after Marchand’s death by Charles-Pierre Claret de Fleurieu (1738–1810), a former Minister of the Navy and hydrographer, based on the logbooks and observations gathered during the expedition. His work represents a significant contribution to the geographical and hydrographic knowledge of the Pacific in the late 18th century. The atlas includes 16 copperplate engravings, among which are five maps devoted to Alaska and the northwestern coast of America, four to the Marquesas Islands, and one to the Hawaiian Islands. The map of the China Sea also incorporates significant hydrographic corrections. Sabin, 44491 (for the original, 1798–1800).