Du Petit-Thouars, Abel

13 volumes (of 14, or more - see catalogue note), comprising 10 volumes of text and 3 atlas volumes, folio and 8vo, uniform contemporary calf-backed boards, spines lettered in gilt, [Ferguson 2970; Hill (2004) 518; Hocken pp.93-94; Borba de Moraes pp.276-77; Sabin 21354], text vol. with occasional spotting, neat library stamp on all title-pages

This set comprises:



Relation, volumes [1]-4, 1840-1843, 8vo, half-titles, 13 printed tables (some folding), engraved folding world map with route of the voyage, 8pp. advertisements in vol.3, vol.4 with additional sectional half-title and title (lacking in other volumes)
Atlas pittoresque, 1841, oblong folio (330 x 520mm.), half-title, 3pp. "Table des planches", engraved plan of Sydney and 66 (of 67) lithographed plates, 17 hand-coloured, lacking plate 42 (Vue d'Acapulco), world map called for is bound into vol.4 of text above



Zoologie, [i.e. volume 5], 1855, 8vo, half-title
Atlas de zoologie, 1846, folio (495 x 340mm.), half-title, 2pp. "Table des planches", 78 (of 79) engraved plates, almost all fully or partially hand-coloured, lacking Oiseaux plate no.6 (Moineau à double croissant), bird plates toned (as usual?)




Physique, volumes 6-10, together 5 volumes, 1842-1844, 8vo, half-titles, all with additional sectional half-titles and titles, vol.9 with 2 printed folding tables, 2 folding engraved graphs and a folding engraved map showing currents and temperatures, errata leaf at end of each vol. except last, additional supplementary errata at beginning of vol.9, lacking the atlas volume (Atlas hydrographique)



Atlas de botanique, 1846, folio (496 x 340mm.), half-title, one page "Table des planches", 28 engraved plates, without the text vol. (which was not published until 1864)

"This voyage, ostensibly to report on the whale fisheries in the Pacific, was actually primarily political in nature... After rounding the Horn, the expedition made calls up the coast of South America, to Hawaii, Kamchatka, and to California, in order to assist French traders who had been clamouring for support for some time. Du Petit-Thouars's account of his stay in California in 1837 is one of the most important and complete records of the Mexican period in California. In 1838, the Vénus made a run for Easter Island, further investigated the coast of South America, then sailed for the Galapagos and Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, and New Zealand... After visits to Sydney and Mauritius, the ship sailed home, arriving after a voyage of thirty months" (Hill).

This set of Du Petit-Thouars' voyage is largely complete, the most significant omission being a volume of plates, Atlas hydrographique, to accompany the text of Physique. There are two other volumes which may be considered as part of the set, depending on which bibliographies are consulted - a thirty-six page pamphlet published at a later date (1864) to accompany the botanical atlas, and Rapports sur les travaux scientifiques, [1840].