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Important description of the Antilles

[ROCHEFORT, Charles de].
Histoire naturelle et morale des Iles Antilles de l'Amérique. Enrichie de plusieurs belles figures des raretez les plus considérables qui y sont décrites. Avec un vocabulaire Caraïbe.

With full-page engraved frontispiece, engraved printer's device with the motto 'labore et vigilantia' on title, full-page engraved portrait of Jaques Amproux, and 43 engravings, of which some full-page, of all kinds of plants, trees, animals and costumes from the Antilles in the text.

With full-page engraved frontispiece, engraved printer's device with the motto 'labore et vigilantia' on title, full-page engraved portrait of Jaques Amproux, and 43 engravings, of which some full-page, of all kinds of plants, trees, animals and costumes from the Antilles in the text.

With full-page engraved frontispiece, engraved printer's device with the motto 'labore et vigilantia' on title, full-page engraved portrait of Jaques Amproux, and 43 engravings, of which some full-page, of all kinds of plants, trees, animals and costumes from the Antilles in the text.

With full-page engraved frontispiece, engraved printer's device with the motto 'labore et vigilantia' on title, full-page engraved portrait of Jaques Amproux, and 43 engravings, of which some full-page, of all kinds of plants, trees, animals and costumes from the Antilles in the text.

With full-page engraved frontispiece, engraved printer's device with the motto 'labore et vigilantia' on title, full-page engraved portrait of Jaques Amproux, and 43 engravings, of which some full-page, of all kinds of plants, trees, animals and costumes from the Antilles in the text.



Rotterdam, Arnould Leers, 1658. 4to. Contemporary mottled calf, spine ribbed and gilt with red morocco title label, gilt fillet borders on sides, gilt binding edges, blue marbled edges. With full-page engraved frontispiece, engraved printer's device with the motto 'labore et vigilantia' on title, full-page engraved portrait of Jaques Amproux, and 43 engravings, of which some full-page, of all kinds of plants, trees, animals and costumes from the Antilles in the text. (16), 527, (13) pp.

First edition of an important work on the geology and natural history of the Antilles and on the culture and history of the inhabitants of the different islands, by Charles de Rochefort (died ca. 1690). Most of the bibliographies are mistakingly attributing the work to César de Rochefort, a contemporary French jurist and lexicographer, who had probably never visited the Antilles.
In this copy the preface is signed by L(ouis) D(e) P(oincy), to whom the authorship of the book erraneously has been ascribed an who, according to JCB, should also be mentioned as author of the work, because it would be his text that was revised by De Rochefort. There are several variants of theis first edition, one with the dedicatory epistle signed by 'C. de Rochefort', one unsigned, and one with an extra line in the impressum: 'Avec privilege', or 'Et se vend a Paris, par Antoine Collier ...'. Jean Baptiste du Tertre, on the other hand, claims that Rochefort used his Histoire generale des isles de Christophe, de la Guadeloupe, de la Martinique, et autres dans l'Amerique (1654) to compile the present work.
Notwithstanding Du Tertre's strictures, the work is an "important and valuable contribution to our knowledge of the Antilles and their inhabitants" (Sabin). Later editions, however, beginning with the first Dutch translation in 1662, mention Rochefort as the author on the title page, thus taking away much of the ambiguity. The book is dedicated to Jaques Amproux, a counselor of the French king, whose portrait is included as well. The Caribbean vocabulary, that can be found on pp. 515-27, was prepared by Raimond Breton.
Charles de Rochefort was pastor of the French Protestant Church at Rotterdam. He also resided several years in the West Indies. The many reprints (1665-1716) and the translations in Dutch (1662), German (1668) and English (1666), are evidence of the popularity of the work.

Fine copy with the author's name written on the title page.- (Some insignificant soiling throughout).
JCB II, 484; Sabin 72314; Bibl. Americana 1332; Beinecke 46; Chadenat 7153 (ed. of 1681); Tiele 926 (ed. of 1662).

Related Subjects: America, North  Cartography  Voyages 

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