Among the books and manuscripts presented in this section are not only travel accounts from around the world, but also books and manuscripts that reflect their significance from both an economic and scientific perspective.

Circumnavigation & Varia

Oceania has long captivated the curiosity of explorers. The 1571 map in Arias Montanus’ work depicts the northern coast of Australia, which was still unknown at the time. In the centuries that followed, voyages multiplied, including that of the Count of Fleurieu to the southeastern shores of New Guinea.

Oceania

This section carries us from the Holy Land to the remotest corners of the Far East. The letters regularly sent by missionaries from China and Japan opened these lands—then known as the East Indies—to European eyes, sparking their fascination.

Asia & the Middle East

From the end of the 16th century up to Gide’s journey to Congo, we traverse the African continent following the travels of explorers, merchants, scientists, soldiers, and writers.

Africa

Spanning from Newfoundland to Tierra del Fuego, from the discoveries of Peru and Brazil, from the Spanish conquest of Mexico to the Catholic missions in Colombia and New France, the Jean-Paul Morin collection provides a sweeping perspective on the history of these West Indies—lands that Europeans never stopped exploring.

Americas

Although they set out for distant lands, Europeans did not abandon the Old Continent. Pilgrimages to Rome and journeys to the northern regions remained true adventures. Meanwhile, cartographers, engineers, and scientists worked to measure, map, modernize ports, and make the coasts more navigable.

Europe

Paris

Director | Specialist

Benoit Puttemans

Patricia de Fougerolle

Sale Coordinator | Books

Fanny Gras

Meet our Specialists

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A passionate reader, discerning bibliophile, and astute collector, Jean-Paul Morin devoted several decades to assembling a remarkable collection of books and manuscripts—treasured mementos of his extensive travels around the world. Following the sale we organized in October 2020, this auction presents works that carry us across the globe—from east to west, north to south—along the paths of navigators, explorers, missionaries, scientists, artists, and anthropologists who, from the Renaissance to the modern era, voyaged in pursuit of distant and still-unexplored lands.

Bibliothèque Jean-Paul Morin / Jamais perdu en mer