Americana

Exceptional unbound copy preserved in the original printed wrappers

First edition, a very rare copy preserved unbound in the original printed wrappers. In the present copy, the titles of volumes I-II are in issue ‘A’, dated respectively 1836 and 1838; the title of volume III is in issue ‘B’, dated 1844; and a second title for volume II (issue ‘B’), dated 1842, is inserted at the end of number 16. The plate ‘War Dance’ is in issue ‘A’, while the portrait of the chief ‘Red Jacket’ is in issue ‘C’. The text of number 1 is present in issue ‘A’, containing the description of ‘War Dance’ on pp. [iii]-iv before correction.

Important Mexican incunable, the first dictionary of any Amerindian language

Second, greatly enlarged, edition, the first with the dictionary of Nahuatl into Spanish, of the first dictionary of any Amerindian language to be published in America, “This second and enlarged edition is so scarce that forty years ago Lord Kingsborough paid 50 guineas for it” (Sabin). Molina’s magnum opus is considered the first published systematic approach to an indigenous language.

Important survey of the Chaco Region and the Jesuit Missions

First and only edition, a very fine copy of this important work on the gran Chaco region (located among today's Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil) and its indigenous inhabitants by Jesuit Jolis.

The ‘finest English colour plate book on Brazil’ (Tooley), and an important visual record of Rio de Janeiro and its enslaved population on the eve of Brazilian independence

First edition of one of the most important 19th century illustrated books on Rio de Janeiro, combining panoramic views of the city and its surroundings with a remarkable series of representations of its inhabitants, occupations and everyday life.

Splendid copy in vibrant contemporary hand-coloring of the first English edition of the most famous work on Dutch Surinam

The preferred edition, illustrated with plates by William Blake, with all the plates in exceptional contemporary hand color and occasionally heightened with gold, a large-paper copy of the first English edition of Stedman’s account of the events occurred in Surinam, providing an often visually-striking representation of the beauty of the region and horrors of slavery.

The best history on the Abipones, later used by Southey for his Tale of Paraguay, discussing their language, costumes, and natural history, with the most accurate map of the region at that date

First edition; extremely rare work on the equestrian tribe of Paraguay, source of Southey’s Take of Paraguay (1825), marvelously illustrated with folding maps of the region and plates illustrating the native population and fauna: praised by Sabin, Southey, Furlong and Mitre, still of interest to anthropologist and ethnographers. Dobrizhoffer (1717-1791) was an Austrian Priest and missionary, sent to South America in 1749 where he spent 18 years among the Guaranis and the Abipones (now an extinct tribe) following the expulsion of the Jesuits he returned to Vienna where he secured the protection of Maria Theresa and published his book.

First edition of the first navigational guide to the Americas, the first book printed in the Spanish language relating to America

First edition, a cornerstone Americana for various reasons, primarily this is the first navigational guide to the Americas, it is also the first book in Spanish to deal with the Americas (previous ones had references only), and the first to emanate from the writer’s personal experiences, its importance thus can hardly be overestimated, no other printed book in any language had this wealth of information on how to navigate in the New World.

The most important Spanish Chronicle of the Discovery, and Conquest of the Americas

First edition, and a landmark Americana, one of the most comprehensive, early, and reliable sources of information of the Spanish discovery, colonization and exploration of the first half of the 16th century in the Americas, the Pacific Ocean, and the Philippines, a large part of which is herein published for the first time and unavailable elsewhere; additionally, one of the rarest and most sought-after 17th century travel books.

The first map to name Louisiana, first printed account of La Salle’s exploration of the Illinois country, and the first eye-witness description of Niagara Falls

An important work of Americana, incorporating the first issue of the first map to name Louisiana, this is Hennepin’s first work, which contains the first printed account of La Salle’s exploration of the Illinois country, and the first eye-witness description of Niagara Falls; this is the second edition of the book, however contains the first issue of the map, entitled ‘Carte de la Nouvelle France et de la Louisiane’ showing the Mississippi River not fully extending to the Gulf of Mexico and with a faint dotted line indicating the presumed course of the River, the map was engraved by Roussel and embellished with a cartouche by N. Guerard.

Condemning the cruelty towards the rebellious Araucanian Natives of Chile; a masterpiece poem of the 16th century

The Araucana is one of most reliable sources on the conquest of Chile and the wars against the Araucanos, virtually undisputed as one of the most significant pieces of literature produced in South America in the 16th century; it is set in 37 cantos in octavas, narrating the Spanish conquest of the Araucanian Indians, under the command of Garcia Hurtado de Mendoza (1535 – 1609), Governor of Chile and later Viceroy of Peru, who is treated harshly in the book.

The first edition of the first work on the language of the Moxos, and the only one for 200 years; printed in Lima, in its contemporary binding

First edition of the first book about the Moxo language, which extended over a vast region, this copy is complete with the Cathecismo, a catechism made for the native population, required and not always present. The vocabulary is the first ever printed Moxo language.

A French Tour of the United States and its Prisons in 1837, Tocqueville’s successor

Blouet´s unpublished and unofficial autograph journal describing a tour in the United States in the winter of 1837, designed to study the United States’ renowned penitentiary system, organized by the French government in the wake of Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont’s similar seminal mission a few years earlier in 1831 and predates Charles Dickens’ tour in 1842, signed and dated, of which no other copies have been found. The manuscript is joined by a letter from John Haviland to Blouet, in which Haviland shows his appreciation to Blouet for sending his publication and also to inform Blouet of some of the modifications he had recently made to improve penitentiary architecture.

Exceptional copy from the libraries of Stuart de Rothsay and Sir Thomas Phillipps of the Noticia de la California by Jesuit Father Venegas

First edition, the first printed history of California, from the libraries of Stuart de Rothesay with his supralibros and Sir Thomas Philipps, a cornerstone work which comprises the areas of modern California, Baja, Sourthern Arizona and Sonora, here in a remarkable copy. The work deals with a variety of topics, including the natural history, geography, and local inhabitants encompassing the period from the discovery up to 1739. In many cases it is based on Venegas’ on experiences, and also on earlier sources, includes the novel method of questionnaires he sent to missionaries involved in the Missions. The third volume contains appendices by Burriel, dealing with the exploration of the Northwest coast and Father Fernando Konsag’s exploration.

First edition of “the most convincing, detailed, and reliable account of the riches and new things of America”

First edition of the complete work, first edition in Spanish and in any vernacular language, “Of all the vast literature on the Indies during this period Acosta’s Historia was perhaps the only work which contemporaries recognised as having broken new ground” (Pagden); “the most convincing, detailed, and reliable account of the riches and new things of America” (Hill, referring to the later English version, 1604). In this edition a large portion published for the first time in any language (the Latin version consisted only of 2 books, here extended to 7).